Introduction
If you go through the timeline, there has been a constant change and continuous development. The only thing that differs is the pace. The reason why the world has witnessed an exponential change in the past few decades is the rise in technology.
It’s not that technology wasn’t there before, technology is as old as mankind. But the evolution of technology, that’s a completely different case.
Evolution of Technology
One of the most prominent developments has been observed in the transportation industry. This is completely understandable since we now lead a fast life and vehicles make it possible for us to keep up with the pace.
The backbone behind the transportation industry is fleet management. This is the system or organization that looks after the betterment and management of the vehicles in any business, especially commercial vehicles.
Of course, with time, modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence have, and will continue to, assist in the development of the fleet management system. This development has led to the formation of Fleet’s most advanced feature, the FMS or Fleet Management Software. Now the real question is, has technology made the FMS better or worse?
We’ll address this issue by going in the past where the fleet processes were carried out manually. And then come back to the present on how the fleet management solutions control every step, today.
- Vehicle Tracking
Past – Imagine how risky and frustrating it was for the fleet manager or owner to wait for the vehicle to reach the assigned destination or return after delivering the consignment. They had no way of knowing where their asset or vehicle is nor they had any idea about the state of the driver. They were all dependent on just the skills of the driver and sheer luck.
No wonder, there were several reports of vehicle theft due to lack of surveillance. Not to mention, the loss the fleet manager and owner incurred was their worst nightmare.
Present – Now, the GPS not only notifies about the delivery of the asset but the real-time updates allow the manager to keep track of every step of the vehicle.
With the help of GPS, the receiving server would get a live update of where the vehicle is and what condition it is in.
- Recovery of Stolen Vehicle
Past – This is an extension to vehicle tracking. Since there was no way to track the vehicle, it made it almost impossible to recover the vehicles if they got stolen. This eventually lead to a massive loss of fortune and reputation and of course, unhappy customers.
Present – The current GPS trackers coupled with the FMS will send an immediate alert to the owner and the fleet manager if the vehicle takes a different road than the assigned route. This will immediately prevent theft and if not, it will make the recovery a lot easier.
- Maintenance
Past – Previously, the managers had no clue as to what was happening with their engines and therefore, no accurate method of knowing when they should take their vehicles for maintenance.
Eventually, lack of analysis meant the vehicle would only receive maintenance once it starts breaking down. On the long run, this would reduce it’s working capacity.
Present – With the current Fleet management software, the manager can have a detailed analysis of the vehicle after every trip. This would make him aware about the condition of the vehicle and allow him to plan advanced maintenance activities to repair any further damage to the heart of the fleet, the vehicles.
This helps the management to operate more efficiently and taking valid measures to take better care of the vehicle. Thus, reducing the cost as well as saving time and resources.
- Weather Updates
Past – It was very common for business owners to delay or reschedule their deliveries due to bad weather conditions. While an understanding client may be sympathetic to the situation, most of the customers complain about the delays. Conclusively, this resulted in bad user experience.
Also, many times the driver would be stuck at some unknown location due to the bad weather. This was dangerous for both the asset as well as the driver.
Present – An advanced Vehicle Tracker uses the fleet management software (FMS) which gives a weather update. This helps the driver to know in advance if the route he is taking has manageable weather, thus preventing the delays.
- Traffic Update
Past – Just like bad weather, there was no way to know about the traffic conditions in areas the drivers were headed to. This lead to delayed deliveries and ended up with complaints. When questioned the driver, all they could say was they were stuck in traffic.
Present – Utilizing the GLONASS, the FMS gives a real-time traffic update of the region. This helps the driver to avoid unnecessary traffic and keep his timeline on track. Ultimately, this keeps the customers happy and hence, the driver and manager are also satisfied.
A service, product or in this case, software, is considered successful when the pros outweigh the cons. The reason why FMS has been appreciated so much is that the drawbacks are temporary.
