From Guest Blogger Julian Hooks: Protecting the Environment with Fleet Management Systems

Managing a fleet of vehicles is already a daunting task with all the requirements necessary to make it work. However, another thing that fleet management companies consider when they outfit their vehicles with the latest technology is how they can actually help lower the carbon footprint of their fleet. The environment is a hot-button topic and everyone is doing their bit to make the world a better place for future generations. This is why, apart from taking care of the driver’s safety and the security of the products or items they are carrying, fleet managers are also looking at fuel efficiency and lesser smoke emission.

Eco Friendly Fleet Managing

If you’re a business or company who’s looking at having GPS tracking installed onto your vehicles for safety and security purposes, you can take it a step further and also monitor the vehicle’s efficiency. Yes, aside from simply specifying location and speed, your fleet managing team should also track the speed and idle time of the vehicles to make them more fuel efficient. If the driver is making too many stop overs to non-sanctioned locations, he is not only spending time and money but also fuel resources. Additionally, how a driver drives also has an impact on how much fuel he spends. This may come as a surprise to some but a fluid and smooth driving style consumes less fuel than a driver who accelerates rapidly and brakes harshly all the time. There are certain ways to measure these and this can be brought to the driver’s attention. Best of all, since fuel is being saved and its use optimized, this also means savings in terms of money. Over time, the savings do add up and the amount is significant enough to be noticed. It can be considered as savings or profit or reinvested to buy new equipment or add to the fleet.

Lower Maintenance Costs

When engines are more fuel efficient, the cost of maintaining them also becomes significantly lower. Parts need to be replaced less often and you would need to do oil change and carburetor clean ups (carburetors haven’t been used in more than 25 years – ed) less often as well. This lessens the downtime of your vehicle and can add to more productive days for you and your company.

Cleaner fuel emissions and more efficient fuel consumption not only helps you and your company, it also affects the people around you in a positive manner. The cleaner your smoke emissions, the better it is for the community you service because you will be lessening air pollution in their community. This is a show of not just being environmentally conscious but also a sign that you are being a good corporate citizen.

These are countless advantages that can be brought about by fleet tracking and management. You are not only safeguarding the investments and assets of your company but also improving the health and living conditions of everyone around you for many years to come. You can start small and do this with one or a few vehicles but eventually you will find that having them on all vehicles and delivery trucks will prove to be the better alternative.