Any business or organisation that uses commercial vehicles for daily operations will need fleet operations and management. The whole point of fleet management is to ensure that the organisation’s commercial vehicle fleet is operating efficiently and effectively. Technology has completed changed the world of business. All industries are benefitting from technological changes and innovations. Businesses that have fleets to operate are benefitting in particular.

This post will tell you all about all of the tech advancements that are making fleet operations easier and more efficient:

Video Hardware

One of the biggest problems for businesses that had commercial fleets was monitoring their drivers. It’s not uncommon for delivery drivers to steal products from the vans that they are driving, so monitoring is very important. In addition to having to worry about driver thefts, organisations also have to worry about unconnected individuals taking chances and stealing from them. Thanks to video hardware, this is a problem that can be easily resolved. Drivers now have a camera in their trucks, so that their bosses can monitor them and capture any potential thefts on film. Additionally, having cameras in their trucks means that organisations are able to identify drivers who aren’t driving responsibly. Irresponsible driving can be very bad for an organisation’s reputation.

Most organisations go to great lengths to ensure that they only hire qualified and experienced drivers. Cameras can act as a preventative measure, deterring drivers from acting irresponsibly.

GPS Tracking

Another problem faced by organisations that have commercial fleets out on the road is drivers not arriving at their destinations on time. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for drivers to miss deadlines, because they were making unnecessary stops or oversleeping in rest stops. Now, this is no longer a problem. Organisations are able to constantly monitor their vehicles when they are on the road, thanks to GPS technology. Each commercial vehicle is equipped with a GPS tracker, that allows the organisation to track its location in real-time.

These devices come in especially handy when vehicle thefts occur because the police are able to quickly locate and recover stolen trucks.

Automated Driving

Automated trucks aren’t yet advanced enough to be used on the open road, but they will be soon. Currently, however, there are some trucks that are semi-automated. Automation in the trucking industry will mean that organisations don’t have to hire physical people and can instead have their vehicles driven by artificial intelligence. Tech developers hope that these devices will be able to connect with other automated vehicle devices on the road, preventing accidents from happening.

This will save trucking organisations millions of dollars, in addition to making the trucking sector a lot more efficient.

Video Calls

Organisations that are using the vehicle industry’s latest trucks are able to directly connect with drivers, using video call technology. These trucks have cameras built into their dashboards, and on the truck’s centre-console screen, video calls can be activated. This means that truckers are able to maintain communication with their managers without having to use their mobile devices. Phone calls can also be made using the same system.

The best part about video calls is that organisations can activate them automatically, without the trucker’s permission. This means that they can monitor their staff and perform checks, without giving the driver time to prepare.

Barcode Scanning

Many organisations that have commercial vehicles on the road are involved in the courier industry. A very large problem in the courier industry prior to the introduction of barcode scanners was parcel thefts and misreporting. Customers quite frequently reported that they had not received their parcels, despite having them delivered to them. Thanks to barcode scanning technology, drivers are now able to scan their parcels when they are delivered to their intended recipients.

This means that companies can confirm the parcels have been delivered, so if they are reported as stolen or missing, they don’t have to pay out compensation because it isn’t their fault.

Augmented Reality

Organisations are able to train their staff more effectively, thanks to augmented reality technology. Drivers are able to participate in simulations that teach them how to drive safely, load parcels, and deal with customers. Augmented reality technology can be very expensive, but it’s worthwhile for organisations that want to improve the quality of their fleet’s performance. Augmented reality tech can also be used to train drivers on how to perform maintenance on their vehicles if they ever break down or develop any problems.

Technology is completely changing the world. Organisations that have commercial fleets on the road are deriving a lot of benefits from the tech world’s latest innovations. Technology is helping to make these companies more efficient, effective, and profitable.