Some of the defining features of Employee Transport Management today
Here are some of the defining features of employee transport management today:
Live Tracking
There is a simpler yet more sophisticated solution to tracking a vehicle than installing a GPS tracker in it. Equip drivers with a smartphone that usually comes with a GPS tracker pre-installed. Drivers can use the phone to navigate the route for pickup/drop off and access other management options.
Flexible Scheduling
Digitized scheduling is smart scheduling. Cloud-based fleet management apps optimize routes and assign available drivers for scheduled trips. Employees can choose to book rides independently or through the company and revise their schedules in case of extended shifts or an emergency.
OTP Verification
OTP Verification ensures that drivers pick up the right passengers. Fleet management apps generate a unique One Time Password on the passenger's dashboard. The passengers must relay this OTP to the driver when the vehicle reaches the pickup point. The trip starts when the OTP is verified.
Auto-routing
Auto-routing is the automated process of using GPS data to identify swift and safe routes that cover the maximum number of scheduled stops in one trip. Additionally, GPS satellites are used to gather information about external conditions like traffic jams, road conditions, accidents, and weather, etc.
Monitoring Trips and Drivers
It's now possible to monitor the driver's performance and analyze certain tendencies over a period of time. Fleet management apps maintain precise records of any instances of hard braking, swift and sudden turns, speeding, idle time, and non-compliance with safety protocols.
Geofencing
Geofencing is the action of setting virtual boundaries on certain locations using GPS, RFID, WiFi, or cellular data. If any vehicle which has been geofenced leaves the path determined by auto-routing and enters an out-of-bounds zone, an update is sent to the concerned authorities.
Here are some pros and cons of these features:
Pros
Swift and Smart
Hours of manual labor are reduced to a few seconds with barely any input required from the app user.
Accuracy
Digitized fleet management apps use computing devices for quick and error-free scheduling, auto-routing and other tasks
Cost-efficient
Autorouting saves costs by choosing routes that pass all scheduled stops in the quickest way within a limited number of vehicles.
Time-efficient
Autorouting saves time by completing tasks that may take humans hours and hours of labor, within seconds.
More business
With so much bulk work reduced to a few tapped commands on a smartphone, fleet owners can focus on expanding their fleet.
Transparency
Digital fleet management allows for transparency in every step right from scheduling and lives tracking drivers to billing.
Cons
As with any activity involving the internet, online management can be susceptible to hacking and theft of personal information.
This could happen in two ways.
- The device could be physically compromised by theft, tampering, or introduction to viruses via exposed ports.
- Cybersecurity attacks could give malicious hackers control of real-world objects and the ability to wreak much havoc.
Fortunately, these threats can be dealt with using resourcefulness, constant security upgrades, layers of encryption, and extra vigilance.
Telematics hasn't just changed the way fleet owners manage their fleet, it has changed the dynamic between enterprises, fleet owners, drivers, and passengers and facilitates a more synergized approach to fleet operations.
