3 Ways to Boost Fleet Visibility

The transportation space is evolving and growing at a rapid pace. With a growing industry comes more pressure to perform and meet business goals – and having a holistic view of fleet operations is a critical component in achieving this. But where do you start in enhancing your fleet visibility?

Think of fleet visibility as the bird's eye view of all operations and performance – from location and route data and fuel consumption rates to driver behavior and more. This fleet management strategy gives you the power to maximize operational efficiency, improve vehicle lifespan and reduce overall business costs. By assessing your current fleet patterns and behaviors, you can determine business strengths and areas for improvement, where you can focus attention on strengthening operations.

Boosting fleet visibility can feel like an overwhelming task with an even more overwhelming amount of data to contend with. In this blog, MICHELIN Connected Fleet simplifies the journey to overarching fleet visibility by exploring three effective strategies you can adopt today.

1. Utilize proactive Monitoring and Real-time Tracking

Not having the proper visibility into vehicle and driver behavior data puts your drivers, vehicles and business at risk. Without ways to track driver location and driver behavior, fleet operators are left in the dark when it comes to monitoring safety and optimizing routes.

Connected fleet technologies are vital for monitoring vehicles and drivers as they collect real-time data and give managers insights into driver activity and performance. Managers can leverage this data to track where their vehicles are, optimize routes with geolocation functionalities and ensure drivers exhibit safe driving behaviors on the road.

Consider setting up real-time alerts that identify aggressive driving behaviors like harsh braking, speeding and sharp turns. When an accident or emergency occurs, drivers and fleet managers can turn to real-time monitoring solutions to identify what caused the event, where it happened and how to leverage post-accident analysis insights to prevent similar occurrences.

Additionally, look to geolocation tools that can track where vehicles are at all times. This technology helps optimize routes and identifies the drivers closest to new driving assignments. By utilizing real-time tracking and proactive monitoring solutions, you can increase the efficiency of your day-to-day operations swiftly and effectively, all while ensuring safety for those on the road.

2. Set up a preventative maintenance strategy

The next way to boost fleet visibility, increase operational efficiency and optimize workflows within your business is to put fleet maintenance at the forefront. Vehicle downtime is one of the most significant pain points associated with fleet maintenance. Unscheduled maintenance events and breakdowns interrupt day-to-day operations, leading to slowed-down processes, wasted resources and increased spending. As a result, vehicle downtime typically leads to a daily loss in revenue per vehicle.

For those experiencing this level of revenue loss, consider establishing a preventative maintenance strategy informed by connected fleet data. To start, implement regular maintenance check-ups to ensure you are monitoring your fleet’s performance. Fleet management software and telematics technology analyze maintenance data and identify parts requiring repairs or replacements. Fleet managers and operators can use this data to forecast upcoming scheduled maintenance events to keep operations moving smoothly and ultimately expand their vehicle’s lifespan.

By using data to boost fleet visibility, fleet managers can also identify how fuel consumption impacts ongoing vehicle maintenance. Drivers who idle excessively contribute to significant loss of fuel and excess maintenance costs. With data tracking solutions, you can identify vehicle issues and suboptimal driving behaviors, improving your fuel consumption rate and reducing maintenance spend.

Safety considerations are also a cornerstone of any preventative maintenance strategy, as managers rely on data tracking to provide insights into driver behavior and maintenance downtime impact. When drivers exhibit aggressive behaviors on the road, they can cause vehicle damage and, in the event of an accident, unscheduled maintenance repairs. However, with connected fleet data, managers are armed with the tools they need to prioritize fleet maintenance, streamline operations and increase overall visibility into their fleet’s performance.

3. Work with a connected fleet partner

When using fleet tracking solutions and establishing a preventative maintenance strategy, it is still easy to feel lost when managing vast amounts of drivers and vehicles. Consider partnering with a vendor that will not only guide your business in implementing a connected fleet management strategy but will provide you with the knowledge and resources needed to boost fleet visibility.

 Start by choosing a partner who takes a consultative approach by identifying operational pain points and prioritizing solutions that best fit your specific business needs. These partners assess your business goals and then measure and present data on how your fleets operate and where improvements can be made. They can also keep your business up-to-date with industry trends and ensure your fleets comply with current state and federal regulations.

When choosing a connected fleet partner, it is a best practice to make a long-term investment and not sacrifice quality over price. Opting for the cheapest option will not always guarantee proven results. Putting your trust and time in a connected fleet partner who understands your goals and can turn raw data into actionable insights will ultimately optimize your fleet operations and improve your business’s bottom line.

MICHELIN Connected Fleet IS Here to Help

You do not have to look far when sourcing a connected fleet partner who can enhance visibility into your fleet operations. MICHELIN Connected Fleet understands fleet managers’ needs for a holistic view of their day-to-day operations to meet business goals and improve decision-making. By partnering with MICHELIN Connected Fleet, you are selecting to receive full access to your fleet’s performance with trusted data and insights.

The MICHELIN Connected Fleet team is ready to help you boost fleet visibility with connected fleet technology solutions. For more information, call 800-358-6187 or contact us online.