#FreightGuru
With the fluctuation of fuel prices, one thing that we all can agree on is that it’s causing a huge concern for fleet owners.
This is why it is a good practice to utilize a plan for fuel management to help keep costs low. Good tools to use for this type of situation are software for route optimization, driver safety training, and the use of fuel cards.
Route Optimization Software Use
The software used for route optimization is designed similar to that of regular paper maps or your phone’s GPS. Regardless of which type of technology you use, the route optimization will be a more detailed offering. It gives a more detailed analysis of routes and allows managers to create solutions in real-time. It seems just like yesterday that many managers and their drivers were sitting together to create a good route that cut costs.
Writing down the directions and calculating the time frames. But, all-in-all, it seemed to never work out because of the many factors surrounding it. Some of these factors included driver time-loss, fuel mismanagement, or not even knowing if a route was adhered to by the driver. When a route optimization tool is utilized all of these problems disappear. However, many driver managers still seem to fear the innovation behind this technological advancement. In reality, this technology has become so intuitive, very efficient, and much simpler to use than a regular paper road map.
Having a Route Optimization Tool Gives Peace of Mind
With routing being crucial for efficiency, many fleet managers have started to adopt route optimization tools and software. Not only can it increase efficiency but also increase profits fleet-wide. During the course of using route optimization, managers can observe the drivers, monitor fleet vehicles, and check planned route efficiency. Not only can managers check fleet routes but they can also create different types like multiple pick-ups or drop-off stops which they can also update if necessary.
Fleet managers can make changes by the touch of a button and a driver will instantly see it on the shared software. Having this real-time route optimization also allows managers to compare actual routes and planned routes as well as analyzing important data from the driver like:
- Arrival times both expected and actual
- All stops whether unplanned or planned
- The amount of idle time
- Followed amount of routes
Along with creating efficient routes, managers also have access to reports that collect information concerning better routes, vehicle stops, gasoline costs and the amount of gasoline consumption along the routes. Having these informative reports will allow managers to receive a full summary of driver activities.
The specific type of report information found includes:
- The Driven Distance
- Departures
- Routes
- Times
- Of the Amount of time home
- Amount of time with the customer
- For the amount of time at the office
In every case, fleet managers will be able to use route optimization to view and locate all vehicles, vehicles on the route, driver zones, and then make last-minute decisions and changes to the route.
Having this real-time technology will not only allow managers to manage drivers but also reduce costs but also increase overall profits.
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