FleetFocus

Alternative Fuels, Preventive Maintenance and Idling

Posted on 05/10/2012  |  0 Comments

In the Fleet Solutions article, “Hug That Tree: The Bottom Line Benefits of a Sustainable Fleet,” the author discusses the neo-hippie clichés surrounding alternative fuels vs. the very real impact these fuels can have on a service business' bottom line. Adding another layer to the topic is the rise of traditional gas prices. Whether the reason for using alternative fuels are ecological, political or based on the current economic climate, more fleets are looking into these fuels to reduce these increasing costs.

The article points out that natural gas versus the cost of standard gasoline or diesel is much cheaper to run a fleet of vehicles with the propane coming in a close second. Preventive maintenance of vehicles is also another alternative to running a ‘cleaner’ fleet. Regular oil changes and engine checks keep vehicles running at optimal levels.

Something as simple as monitoring and reducing your vehicles’ idle time can reduce your carbon emissions. GPS fleet tracking technology can help monitor idling with a simple Idle Report. And the ‘green movement’ doesn’t seem to be slowing down with conferences focused on issue and the news media and politicians taking a closer look at policies.

How do you green your fleet?
 

Putting the Word Safe Back Into Food Safety: GPS Fleet Tracking and the Food and Beverage Industry

Posted on 05/02/2012  |  0 Comments

Food safety has become a major concern for the food and beverage industry. In fact, in a recent industry trends survey conducted by foodprocessessing.com, results showed that 53% of respondents listed food safety as the top concern for 2012.

What does that mean for food and beverage delivery businesses? It means, now more than ever, that food safety concerns must be taken seriously and that guaranteeing fresh deliveries must be a top priority.

But with stricter governmental regulations and food safety awareness growing among consumers, how can food and beverage delivery businesses utilize food safety in order to stand out against their competition?

For starters, NexTraq is offering food and beverage delivery companies a GPS fleet tracking solution to help guarantee quality deliveries and improve customer service levels. With the NexTraq™ Fleet Tracking platform and Temperature Sensor Report, food and beverage businesses can manage the temperature of their cargo to make sure items don’t perish. Delivering quality ingredients means happy customers and happy customers mean more business. And that’s only the beginning.

With NexTraq fleet tracking, you can,

• Provide your customers with accurate arrival times
• Modify your driver behavior to ensure fleet safety
• Automate your payroll expenses to gain accurate labor costs

Get NexTraq and deliver spotless quality.

For more information about how NexTraq can help your food and beverage business, visit nextraq.com/food-and-beverage.

Truck Tracking: Protecting Your Investment

Posted on 05/01/2012  |  0 Comments

No matter what type of service business you run, your vehicles are most important, and expensive, asset. You may want to track your trucks for a variety of reasons including driver behavior, job validation and reducing your overhead costs. But what about asset protection?

What would it do to your business if one or more of your trucks were stolen? It might not seem like a probable scenario, but it has, in fact, happened to our customers. The good part? They got the trucks back because of GPS fleet tracking technology. Landscape Concepts Management was able to recover more than $400,000 in assets with GPS vehicle tracking technology. Acres Group was able to recover $30,000 in vehicles.

Without GPS tracking technology, this wouldn't have been possible. So while it's very important to maintain proper maintenance of your trucks to prolong their life, it's also equally important to track their location to ensure your most valuable asset remains yours.

GPS Fleet Tracking: Prevent Distracted Driving

Posted on 04/25/2012  |  0 Comments

According to Carnegie Mellon, driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. What’s more? Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injury themselves according to Monash University.

So what’s a fleet manager of service business owner to do? It may be hard to control what goes on outside of the walls of your office, but you can set up safety procedures and guidelines and invest in “hands-free” technology to ensure your drivers are safe – for your drivers and for others out on the road.

GPS fleet tracking and dispatching technology can help you do just that. Provide your drivers with voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions and set up guidelines to have them off the phone while operation your vehicles.  Ensure that your business is being a responsible corporate citizen and improve your image as well. After all, your vehicles are your best advertisement.
 

Commercial Fleet Challenges and GPS Fleet Tracking

Posted on 04/12/2012  |  0 Comments

In a recent Automotive Fleet article, "Top 5 Challenges Facing Commercial Fleets," it cited senior management mandates to reduce overall fleet costs continue to be the top challenge facing commercial feel managers.

And what where the top 5?

• Cost-reduction initiatives
• Fuel price volatility
• Driver safety
• Implementing green initiatives
• Increasing driver productivity

What was interesting was the use of telematics and GPS fleet management solutions didn't come up until the last challenge, driver productivity, when in actuality; it can help with all five of the challenges. How?

GPS fleet tracking solutions can help reduce overhead costs such as labor, maintenance and insurance costs by automating your processes and monitoring driver behavior. Through simple reporting features, you track hours worked and schedule maintenance regularly for your vehicles.

While the price of fuel is unpredictable, GPS fleet management technology can help you reduce your fuel costs through Idle Reports to pinpoint excessive idling. It might not seem like a lot, but service companies save tens of thousands a year on fuel costs. And you can green your fleet as well, because less idling means less harmful emissions.

Always a hot topic, driver safety can be addressed through Speed Alerts and Speed Reports to determine who the aggressive drivers in your fleet may be and take the necessary corrective action. The final challenge, driver productivity, is indeed a big benefit of a GPS fleet tracking solution with businesses increasing driver productivity by 50%. What would that mean to your service revenue?