Reduce costs and increase

productivity with GPS vehicle tracking

Businesses tend to view fleet management as no more than a necessary evil. Vehicles are essential to those in the plumbing and hvac industry, yet the work and costs involved in maintaining even a small fleet can seem daunting.

Luckily, as with other aspects of business, technology has come to the rescue. Global positioning systems (GPS) provide fleet managers and business owners with powerful tools that can help reduce fuel costs and increase the productivity of their fleets.

One of the most effective GPS products currently on the market is the FleetMatics GPS vehicle tracking solution. By integrating the latest technological features with user-friendly controls, the FleetMatics solution gives managers an easy way to see what goes on beyond their office walls.

FleetMatics developed their GPS from the ground up with special attention toward making the system user friendly and functional for working in the real world. Time spent on learning a complicated system with extraneous features is time wasted.

Reducing fleet costs

With fuel costs remaining high, the only way to lower your fuel bill is by reducing consumption. The FleetMatics GPS tracking system includes a variety of management features to help ensure that vehicles use fuel efficiently. Driver behavior directly affects fuel consumption with speeding and excessive idling as the two top offenders.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 21 cents per gallon (at $3.74/gallon). Maintaining efficient vehicle speed improves fuel economy 7-23%.

In addition, the average cost for idling vehicles running at 800 rpm are .85 gallon per hour. Considering all factors, including any wear and tear caused by restarting, any vehicle that will be stopped for more than 60 seconds (except in traffic) should have the engine turned off.

By monitoring vehicle speed and idling, the FleetMatics GPS Vehicle Tracking Solution provides fleet managers with a way to pinpoint and correct poor driving habits. Red Flag Alerts will immediately notify you when a vehicle exceeds a preset speed threshold. And the Idling Report shows you how long each vehicle sits and unproductively wastes fuel.

Increasing productivity

A recent study by the Aberdeen Group, a research firm that studies the effects of technology on business, found that organizations with fleets experience a 23% increase in the total number of service calls completed per day per technician once a fleet tracking system has been installed in their vehicles.

The FleetMatics GPS Vehicle Tracking Solution can increase productivity in two ways: increasing response time to job sites and ensuring employees complete their jobs in a timely manner.

FleetMatics GPS provides minute-by-minute updates to pinpoint the exact location of every vehicle, every minute of every day. Fleet managers have the ability to give drivers the location of and the quickest route to any job site. With the Nearest Vehicle Locator, fleet managers can locate the vehicles closest to any job site and dispatch them in an efficient manner. By localizing vehicle routes and improving route efficiencies, your company can do more business every day.

In addition, the FleetMatics GPS Vehicle Tracking Solution incorporates automatic timesheet features to help fleet managers keep accurate employee hours and eliminate paperwork. Managers can quickly determine the actual number of hours an employee spends in the vehicle, how long they spend at each job site, if they are using vehicles for private use during work hours (or unauthorized after-hours use) and monitor excessive stop times.

Many business owners find that the information gathered by the GPS serves as a motivational tool. The system can be used to further increase employee productivity with bonuses and rewards based on tangible performance metrics.

How GPS works For you

Once a business makes the decision to increase profits with GPS, FleetMatics will install a vehicle tracking unit (VTU) in each vehicle. With the FleetMatics system, there are no exposed wires or antennas, making the equipment virtually tamper and theft proof.

Utilizing satellite technology, the system begins monitoring and recording activity of each vehicle. Fleet managers, dispatchers, or any number of authorized personnel can then access the information from any Internet-enabled computer.

The FleetMatics interface gives you a clear view of the position of all your vehicles, as well as important information on vehicle activity. Historical reports are simple to generate and provide a concise overview of key metrics.

Combined with expert in-house customer service, training personnel and technical support, the FleetMatics GPS Vehicle Tracking Solution will generate a clear return on investment and provide peace of mind.                   

For more information about FleetMatics, visit www.FleetMatics.com or call 1-866-844-2235.