Category: Fleet Management

Being a Transport Manager – All You need to know

Posted on by emptranssup-useradm

The job of a Transport manager is hectic and stressful. No, not discouraging you. Just stating a fact.

The job involves working in shifts and even during weekends to catch up with the schedule of drivers and attendants. Transport managers calculate and implement the most economical routes and ways of completing the journey as there are budgetary restrictions.

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A transport manager has to make sure that the whole operation is carried out with the laws and regulations that governs the vehicle safety, traffic congestion, customs requirement, environment controls, fuel emission, driver hours and food hygiene wherever it is applicable. In this article we will discuss about the types of transport operators, guidelines and duties of a transport manager.

What do they do?

Transport managers co-ordinate routes and schedules be it goods, people or services. They ensure that passengers or goods reach the destination safely. Some of the main duties of include.

Develop The Business

One of the main roles of a transport manager is to develop and grow the business. The more the logistics are handled well the better it is for the company. Transport managers play a crucial role in achieving profits for the company as they limit the expenditure that arises from transporting goods, people or services.

Manage a Team of Supervisors, Staff and Drivers 

The whole of the team reports to the transport manager. It is the manager who gives instructions and manages the fleet and its employees. Drivers and other staff will report the routes they are going and where they are at.

Organising Vehicle Replacement 

If one of the vehicles require maintenance or is broken down, the transport manager replaces the vehicle and continue the trip with a new vehicle.

 Meeting Targets 

If any targets are to be met and timeline has to be kept it is the responsibility of the transport manager. They make sure that the operations meet its targets.

 Co-ordinate Staff Training 

The training required for the staff is coordinated and imparted by the transport manager. When higher authorities communicate a message it is transferred to the staff and they ensure that it is carried out.

 Arrange Vehicle Maintenance 

The whole of the fleet is managed by the transport manager. Vehicles that require maintenance are reported to the manager who arrange for repairing the vehicle.

 Performance Reports To Directors 

The board of directors rely on the transport managers to give weekly or monthly reports.

 Planning Routes and Load Scheduling

The routes and schedule is planned by the transport manager. He chooses the best route for travel and makes sure that optimum usage of fuel is ensured and any kind of wastage is avoided.

How To Become a Transportation Manager

The duties of a transport manager include maintaining records, schedule routes, handling customer redresses and complaints and manage staff. A manager performs his job by coordinating all these factors of logistics to move people, goods or services to different places. A transport manager goes through rigorous training while he starts his career in management.  You need to enroll in transportation certification programs to become a transport manager.

Read Also: “Employee Transportation Software Facts to Check Before You Choose”

Without doubt you need and engineering degree to work in transportation systems. Policy formation and managing transport network is the core jobs in this field. Like we discussed the two disciplines are engineering and transportation planning. Although there a certification for both engineering and transportation planning. You can complete the training within a year or less after pursuing in undergraduate or graduate level. To qualify you need GED (general Education Development) or school diploma.

Skills Required

 

Assess the Value of Communication and IT Packages

The transport manager should be able to assess the value and quality of IT packages and communication methods that are implemented.

Approach irate Customers and Exhausted Drivers Tactfully 

The manager should be good at handling customers as well as personnel. There might be times when the transport manager has to deal with drivers who are tired at the end of the day.

Should Have Numerical Skills and An Analytical Mind 

A good analytical mind is required to make quick decisions. Also he should be in good terms with numbers because the job profile is all about making terms with numbers and calculations.

Ability to make quick decisions and good judgments regarding finance 

As said before good judgments are required to make better decisions about how to channel finance.

Great coordination and negotiation skills 

Negotiation skill is an important function that every  manager should have. By negotiating the transport manager can coordinate the whole procedure.

Make crucial decision by making use of intuition 

Intuition is a personality trait that is required for a transportation manager. It is important while making crucial decisions.

A good knowledge of transportation industry 

A manager is expected to have a better knowledge about the whole industry. It helps in planning out various strategies to rule out the wrong decisions.

Conclusion

Transport Manager Job is not meant for everyone as it is both physically and mentally demanding one. Thanks to technology nowadays, there work pressure has been reduced to a great extent. Hope our read help you understand what it means to be a transport manager.

Data Analytics and Its Use in Fleet Management

Posted on by emptranssup-useradm

The application of data analytics in every industry has become imperative, and the data in fleet management sector is no exception. Since data generated in fleet management are sensitive, it can be put to use in many ways so as to increase the overall efficiency of the fleet.

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Let’s have a look at how data can be used.

Power of Fleet Data in Management

Modern transport operations have started to include vehicle telematics as an integral part of their process, which mainly consists of tracking and diagnostics in particular.

More fleet managers have begun to recognize and understand the needs of their drivers, fleet, and customers and are starting to leverage the power of big data for this purpose.

The daily data that fleets generate are massive, ranging from telematics info to conditions of road and even vehicle health status.

The information that is available to fleet managers can be used not just to understand historical events, but also to make decisions for the future and manage existing operations.

Many fleet managers have already started to adopt vehicle telematics to monitor their vehicles in real time, providing them with data that allows them to support and protect their drivers and fleets and also optimize their business.

The most effective way to get visibility in fleet management is by adopting a data-driven approach. Data helps identify potential issues before they become a problem and will also assist in recognizing new opportunities.

The significant advantage is that it’s entirely customizable so you can choose metrics that matter most to your business and use them to track and report activities.

Enhancement of Fleet Productivity

It is understood that the effects of big data and predictive analytics on fleet productivity is highly favorable. With the right usage of data analytics, the fleet industry can even achieve better productivity.

There will be accessibility to more fleet data which will improve efficiency and gain the capability to make the substantial increase in driver and vehicle productivity.

Research suggests that as early as 2004, UPS turned to fleet data to improve efficiency, and it was discovered that in on-going traffic, making left turns wasted time and fuel, and led to a lot of accidents.

It resulted in the ‘minimize left turns policy’, that ultimately saved UPS over a million gallon of fuel every year.

Today, SaaS fleet analytics providers can help develop and implement benchmarks and best practices for increasing efficiency, reducing costs and emissions, and keeping drivers, vehicles, and payloads safe by empowering enumerable fleets of all sizes, across different industries with the data available from them.

Utilization of Assets

You can understand and analyze how each vehicle in your fleet is being used with the timely information provided by fleet data analytics. It helps you get an accurate picture instead of depending on paper trails and gut instinct.

For instance, you can use the data to find out which individual vehicles or items of machinery are spending more time lying idle, or which ones are in need of servicing after exertive use for a prolonged period.

By assessing how the vehicles in your fleet are used, you can implement necessary changes which can save time and increase efficiency. It helps to improve operational efficiency and efficient employment of workforce.

Management of Fuel

Any vehicle requires fuel to run on, and that is an expensive part of managing a vehicle fleet. In the past however it used to be challenging to maintain costs or forecast spending with the exact accuracy.

Data analytics lets you measure and track usage and even help prevent thefts. With the convenient facility to track individual vehicles and drivers, you can monitor the usage and compare it against company policy.

For example, if your drivers are filling up their private cars on the company’s account, analytics will help you by providing visibility and identify the problem to put an end to it.

You can get a clear understanding based on this data of how fuel is being consumed across your business, which will enable your company to save substantial amount of money.

Improving Business Success

If fleet managers leverage upon big data, it can improve their chances of success.

All aspects of fleet management including crucial decisions like vehicle selection, maintenance management, and driver safety planning, etc. are achieved and performed with the help of this data.

Fleets can improve efficiency, operate with fewer resources, and show an increase in productivity with the continued use of fleet analytics and accessibility to more fleet data.

Importance of Implementation

While this technology can be used to improve fleet performance and road safety, its application is what makes it all the more effective and efficient in bringing results.

Although the benefits of employing this technology can generate the data needed to manage risk, it is appropriate implementation of this data which is the key to success.

It is crucial that the systems and processes are first in place and is active before any technology solution is introduced. Choosing the right vendor for technology is critical to make proper use of technology.

Fleet managers should receive comprehensive training and information about the technology during training.

Conclusion

When it comes to managing fleet data is crucial to make important decisions to improve the return on investment and safeguard the fleet and its drivers. If used properly the data can be used to make decisions for the future and save up a lot on fuel and money.

 

Role of Geofencing in Employee Transportation

Posted on by emptranssup-useradm

It has now become a norm for companies to provide transportation for their employees. Many companies have started using transportation management software to manage the fleet and organize transportation.

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The fleet management software will have many features to ensure the safety of the employees and to track the vehicles. However, one important feature that employee transportation software needs to have is geofencing. In this blog, we will elaborate more on geofencing and its role in employee transportation.

What is geofencing?

A geofence can be described as a virtual fence that will alert you when a vehicle goes outside the pre-set boundaries. Technically speaking, it is a software that offers location-based service. The application alerts you when the mobile device with the app or the RFID tag enters or exits the virtual boundary.

The alert can be in the form of an app notification, a message, or a mail depending on how the software is programmed. This software application works with GPS. The two types of geofencing are active and passive. The active geofence’s operation depends on the end-user.

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The user can switch on or off the service. The passive geofence, on the other hand, is always on. As long as the device is working, this tracking app will also work. Geofencing is used for location tracking, fleet management, asset tracking, billing tracking, marketing, audience management, and security.

How does geofencing work?

While developing the geofencing application, the developer uses Google maps to draw a virtual boundary. The boundary can be generic or a specific location. For example, if the app is designed to be used in a certain city only, then the developer will mark the city limits on the map.

If the vehicle goes out of the city limit, an alert is triggered. This application works with GPS to track vehicle movement. It also gives details on how long the vehicle has been outside the geofence and exactly where it exited the virtual boundary. The application also gives you real-time updates on the vehicle movement.

Role of Geofencing in Employee Transportation

Now that we have a general idea of geofencing and how it works, you may be wondering how it is related to employee transportation management. The main reasons for organizing employee transportation is convenience and security.

Employees need not worry about organizing personal transport or taking public transport to come to the office every day. The company takes care of it. When the company organizes transportation, they plan a route with pick up and drop points that are most convenient for employees.

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Also, they also group employees travelling from the same location so that convenient transportation can be arranged. The role of geofencing in employee transportation is safety and vehicle monitoring.

Ensure Employee Safety

Employee transportation with geofence becomes even more important when the employee works at odd-hour shifts. During those times, public transportation may not be available. Also, it may not be safe for the employee to venture out alone.

When a company organizes transportation, the details of the driver and route are noted. In the worst case, if the driver takes a different route or goes beyond the boundary, the geofence will immediately send an alert. The concerned persons can immediately call up the employee and check if everything is fine.

They will also be able to track the vehicle and ensure that there is nothing untoward happening. In serious cases, the information can also be provided to the security persons to check that there are no problems for the employees in the vehicle.

Monitor Vehicle Movement

The geofence also helps the admin or logistics team monitor the vehicle movement. An optimized route is prepared and shared with the driver. Various parameters such as pickup and drop points, traffic congestions, safe routes, detours, and more are considered while planning the route.

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Fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance, and service are all calculated based on the distance traveled by the vehicle. The geofence will alert the authorities if the vehicle is going outside the set route. You will be able to monitor if the vehicle is being used for personal purposes and unexplained trips.

Conclusion

You can save a lot of time, effort, and money to manage your fleet by using an effective employee transportation management software. The geofence option in the software enhances your employee safety and also helps you monitor unnecessary vehicle movement.

To know more about how geofence can help enhance the function and performance of your employee transport management system, contact us.

Optimizing Fleet Performance During Summer Season

Posted on by emptranssup-useradm

Summertime in 2022 is scorching than the previous years. Temperatures have gone to an all-time high of late and it’s really hard to stay outdoors these times.

With the increase in global warming, things have gone worse. Heat cramps, dehydration, and fainting are common among people.

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While you take the case of transportation, there are so many important things to be considered that would be grist to the mill while traveling during the summertime.

These precautions and measures if adopted properly would benefit the drivers, travelers, and the managers who manage the fleet of vehicles in an organization.

1. Get the help of GPS

With the help of GPS-enabled tracking devices, it’s capable of re-routing the whole fleet route away from traffic congestions, summer congestion. This can also help the drivers to avoid time-wasting trips back to the office.

2. Optimum Route Finding

Getting stuck up in a traffic jam this summer would be the last thing you want to have. Always use mobile applications like Waze to give an outline of the traffic setup on your scheduled route and suggest better ways to avoid it.

3. Save Fuel

Adopt strategies like tracking and maintaining a list of your fuel expenses. As you know during summertime, the fuel usages are high compared to normal seasons. Always park your vehicles in places that provide shade.

4. Have the Data

Data is gold. Always have the previous years’ analytics on vehicle performance, fuel efficiencies, employee efficiency, and devise a proper plan according to it for optimizing fleet performance.

5. Maintenance Concerns

Maintenance costs are always high during summertime. Statistics say that the engine heat may go up by 20% during a hot season depending on the climate followed by wear and tear for tires at 15%.

The air conditioner maintenance is one spot of bother that needs to be taken care of.

6. Air Condition Usage

Always switch off the air condition systems while not required. It’s advisable to use the air condition on optimum levels as the chances of it getting damaged are very high.

7. Vehicle Overheating

Nothing is more frustrating than a breakdown on a sunny day. Imagine how many people it would affect in an organization if something like that happens. In order to avoid this scenario, the vehicle caretakers need to refill and clean the vehicle cooling systems.

Technology has advanced to a level wherein engine diagnostics could be sent to the fleet managers and make them aware of the systems once in a while.

The OBD can be installed and setup in the vehicle dashboard and updates can be sent to the control room. Engine diagnostic data is very critical in these circumstances.

8. Tire and Batteries

Underinflated and overinflated tires are a big no in the case of summertime. The chances of the tires getting deflated quickly are very high. Properly inflated tires would add value while fleet optimization is taken into account.

With respect to batteries, studies show that summer heat kills batteries 33% faster. The overheat increases the chemical processes occurring in lead-acid batteries and it would make the battery electrolytes evaporate.

Preventive maintenance checkups are very important for batteries during summertime.

9. Engine Belt Maintenance

The engine belts are to be inspected for cracks, wear, and tears during summertime. This check is often overlooked by the caretakers of the vehicle, but if it’s done properly, can save a lot of time and money.

The below-given costs are the main costs that would incur while doing maintenance during summertime.

  • Wear and tear on vehicles
  • Air condition overheating
  • Diminished Vehicle power
  • Poor visibility
  • Tire wear
  • Brake wear

A fleet manager must be ready and thoughtful about optimizing the whole process from end to end fleet management. There are different aspects of technology apart from traditional ways that can create a positive impact in this domain.

Technology-wise, here are a few things to be adopted and implemented thoroughly,

  • Fleet analysis, routing, and fleet right-sizing
  • Fleet assessment and performance benchmarking
  • Operational cost analysis
  • Evaluation for performance improvement opportunities
  • Specifications and configurations
  • Equipment utilization
  • Resources review

Conclusion

The development of an in detail optimizing fleet performance enhancement plan which displays optimization opportunities and realization of financial and operational gains are important when fleet management is taken into consideration.

Ongoing monitoring and an action plan are to be set up to ensure iterative improvement in fleet optimization every time. This should not be kept as an erratic process.

Usage of fleet optimizing applications which include global positioning system hardware can always improve the performance.