Stay Ahead Of The Game By Reading About These GPS Tracking Trends

The fleet management industry is not the same as it was a decade back. If there is one sector that has seen the most technological advancement in as much time, it is the fleet management sector.

Gone are the days when fleet owners lost millions in hard cash every year while trying in vague to locate their fleet, optimize vehicular load, and comply with government regulations.

Thanks to advanced technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Predictive Modelling, Data Analytics, Telematics, GPS, and many others, tracking and optimizing fleet has never been easier. You can learn more about these technologies, such as the GPS definition before setting foot into the technology, IoT, and telematics space.

The biggest demerit (read advantage) of technology is that it changes faster than the blink of an eye. Before you fully understand the implications of a new technology that has been creating the right buzz, another technology claims to overpower the previous one.

Hence, if you are a fleet owner, or a fleet manager, or someone with an acute interest in knowing as much as you can about fleet management, then you have to constantly stay updated with the latest trends that have been driving the market, in general, and the industry, in particular.

In our endeavor to make complex topics easier for you, we took up the latest technologies, like Telematics, IoT, Big Data, and Predictive Modelling, in our previous articles, and provided simple explanations to complex jargon.

This article is the latest in the series that will acquaint you with the latest GPS tracking trends that are steadily finding its way into the fleet industry and helping fleet managers to stay ready for catapulting into the future.

The GPS Tracking Trends to Look Out For in 2020

GPS tracking is both the present as well as the future.

A GPS tracking unit, commonly found in most modern-day trucks, integrates the best of IoT, Big Data and Telematics, and makes the day-to-day operation of fleet simpler. It basically brings AI on the road to make operations more smooth.

Here are the trends that are fueling the journey of the fleet management industry into the future.

1. Fleet Integration is Becoming Smoother

Imagine you have a fleet of 50 vehicles and manage the fleet records manually. Most likely, you have a team of experienced staff who sift through unlimited data-sheets and compile reports. Or, there might be cases where you use multiple software to get fleet data that matters.

The latest GPS tracking devices make fleet integration faster, smoother, and error-free.

Samsara API, for example, collects real-time data through fleet cameras and sends it directly to the fleet manager and customers. This leads to better monitoring, and transparency, and increases timely delivery of consignment and leads to improved customer trust.

API integration, through advanced features like data, connect and data dump, allows customers to access a map on their computer or smartphone that displays the location and status of the truck carrying their goods. You may also customize the API to display critical data related to fleet safety and regulatory compliance.

Hence, by utilizing the best features of a GPS-enabled tracking API, you can make fleet management much easier.

2. GPS-Enabled Geofencing is Improving Fleet’s Safety Quotient

FBI figures reveal a shocking data. Its estimates show that the total value of motor vehicles stolen in 2018 was US$6 billion, with over 7.4 lac vehicles stolen. This makes the loss from each theft at US$8407.

Advanced GPS-enabled geofencing creates virtual fences around critical assets like trucks, distribution centers, warehouses, and other key assets. This technology allows you to track all your critical assets by enabling real-time push messages or alerts.

Geofencing, if implemented properly, can offer you the following key advantages:

Track any truck in real-time. By automating entry and exit status reporting, you can give your customers an accurate time of delivery
Reduces the occurrence of theft by sending high-priority alerts in case a vehicle deviates from the intended route
Helps the drivers to follow the ELD and HOS mandate and allows you to optimize fuel use
Keeps temperature-sensitive cargo safe by automatically monitoring temperature, humidity, airflow, and other parameters. It also offers remote access to the fleet manager to modulate temperature to help keep the temperature-sensitive cargo at its optimum level
Provides a helicopter-view of your assets, thereby making asset management easier and safer

Hence, by harnessing the full potential of GPS-enabled advanced geofencing, you can not only make your fleet safer but also increase customer satisfaction.

3. GPS-Enabled Devices are Fueling the Growth in Fleet Automation

So, by now, you have probably started to feel more familiar with terms like fleet optimization, fuel-saving, and real-time tracking of vehicles. Let us now turn to one of the major trends that GPS technology is showing in 2020 – complete automation.

Automation is the new rage in the world of fleet management. The following are a few areas where automation is helping fleet owners in cutting cost:

a. Managing Fleet Equipment

Fleet owners are fast waking up to the fact that the GPS-led tracking device can help them to cut costs by automating fleet maintenance scheduling activities. For a large fleet, the task of keeping up with maintenance schedules becomes cumbersome. Moreover, to find out the accurate source of the problem becomes all the more difficult when the truck is on the road.

With automation making the complex task of issue-identification easier, you do not need to spend anxious hours before help arrives. By scanning real-time GPS data, fleet owners can now intervene just at the right time, thereby ensuring an uninterrupted fleet movement.

b. Fostering Safe Driving Habits

Earlier, it was tough for fleet owners to observe driver behavior, which often led to more downtime, less productivity, and more stress on the financial health of the company.

The latest GPS technology makes it possible to get real-time information about driver conduct, which includes fuel use and driving patterns, like over speeding, harsh braking, and so on. As fleet owners get access to these details, it helps them to accurately identify training needs, devise reward programs, and managing drivers.

c. Making Data Management Easier

Each truck generates truckloads of data related to miles, fuel, speed, and many other things. Keeping the record of all of these manually can be tedious. With GPS-aided telematics devices automating the task of record-keeping, fleet owners do not need to worry about meeting regulatory guidelines.

Conclusion

Technologies like GPS, IoT, Telematics, and the likes are ever-evolving. Going by the recent trends, we can only hope that the future looks extremely attractive for the fleet management industry.

Brett Sartorial

Brett is a business journalist with a focus on corporate strategy and leadership. With over 15 years of experience covering the corporate world, Brett has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, analytical and insightful journalist. He has a deep understanding of the business strategies and leadership principles that drive the world's most successful companies, and is able to explain them in a clear and compelling way. Throughout his career, Brett has interviewed some of the most influential business leaders and has covered major business events such as the World Economic Forum and the Davos. He is also a regular contributor to leading business publications and has won several awards for his work.