How Cartrack helps digitise fleet management administration

Fleet administrators work in offices overloaded with stacks of paperwork and data that they need to compile, keep and search through manually. Thanks to digitisation, this chaos and confusion can simply be solved! 

The emergence of fleet management software has allowed for the shift from manual to digital fleet management. Fleet administrators can now say goodbye to browsing through heaps of paperwork by streamlining the entire fleet operation and using data analysis to ensure smooth fleet operations. 

Firstly, what is vehicle fleet management?

Fleet management is a term of paramount importance for any business that relies on commercial vehicles to operate – whether it be cars, buses, vans, or trucks. This is because fleet management refers to the measures taken to manage all fleet vehicles and assets to operate a fleet business efficiently, in a timely manner, and within set budgets and profits. 

The fleet management process ensures that a fleet business reduces operating costs to increase profits, improves its reputation by improving efficiency and customer satisfaction, and ensures fleet compliance.

Fleet management is therefore purposeful because it allows the fleet businesses to maximise productivity and profits with minimal associated risks and operational costs. Effective fleet management is achievable through the combination of vehicle or GPS tracking, fuel consumption management, monitored driver behaviour, and vehicle maintenance – all this is in the hands of a fleet administrator or manager. 

Let's take a moment to step into the shoes of a fleet administrator.

What a typical fleet management administrator job looks like

A fleet administrator is an individual responsible for overseeing a fleet business’s vehicles and operations. Fleet administrators possess the ability to ensure fleet businesses reduce fleet operation costs while increasing profits. This is an essential and critical role as the success or failure of a fleet business lies in the hands of a fleet administrator’s ability to effectively manage the fleet. 

Although the precise job description of a fleet administrator varies based on the business industry, size, and type. Below is a list of some of the tasks a fleet administrator is responsible for:

• Fleet analysis, reporting, and optimisation
• Ensuring driver and vehicle safety
• Ensuring vehicle maintenance and services
• Managing and organising business admin and reports
• Monitoring fuel consumption
• Controlling and managing operation costs
• Assigning tasks and ensuring timely delivery

Challenges faced by modern fleet administrators

With all the demands and responsibilities, fleet administration management requires managers to ‘wear many hats’ in their role. As a result, this is accompanied by challenges encountered on a daily basis, such as: 

• Fuel management: One of the biggest operational cost challenges for fleet administrators is managing fuel consumption. Both internal factors such as driver behaviour and external factors such as fluctuations in the fuel market price affect the ability of fleet administrators to manage fuel costs and consumption.
   
• Vehicle maintenance and driver safety: It is the responsibility of a  fleet administrator to ensure the safety of both vehicles and drivers. It can be challenging for a fleet administrator to keep up with each fleet vehicle’s maintenance, and monitor each driver’s behaviour- whether it is for one or 100 vehicles and drivers.
   
• Admin overload: Whether big or small, fleet operations generate a lot of data. Searching through large amounts of information can be time and energy-consuming, and runs the risk of misplacing or losing important information. 

Luckily, there is fleet management software that helps fleet administrators overcome these challenges by digitising and automating the fleet management processes. 

Digitise vehicle fleet management with fleet management software

Fleet management software is the technology that helps fleet administrators gain an overview of the entire fleet operations to efficiently complete fleet-related tasks in a productive and timely manner. The purpose of fleet management software is to maintain an accurate and up-to-date overview of vehicle and asset GPS location, vehicle diagnostics, and identifying risky or unsafe driver behaviour while simultaneously reducing manager workload and admin.

With fleet management software, fleet management has never been more simple! Fleet administrators can now track, monitor, and manage:

• Vehicles, assets, equipment, and drivers
• Vehicle maintenance and repair
• Fuel consumption and operation costs
• Driver behaviour and road safety
• Tasks, driver routes, and completion rates
• Fleet compliance 

Fleet administrators are therefore able to save time, money, and energy while collecting fleet-related data that is converted into easy-to-understand and easy-to-use reports and actionable insights. Fleet managers use this information to make informed decisions regarding the fleet operation, coordinate the fleet operation and reduce operational costs while ensuring maximum safety, efficiency, and compliance with fleet regulations. 

Fleet management software also ensures that drivers are rewarded and recognised for their good work ethic and safe driving habits. With data stored on a cloud-based platform and easily accessible in real time, fleet administrators can use it anytime whether to reward, train or expedite employees. 

5 advantages of fleet management software for fleet administrators

Digitisation has had a positive impact on fleet management. With the use of fleet management software, fleet administrators can:

1. Improve driver and vehicle safety

Safety is a priority in fleet management, luckily vehicle and driver safety have improved thanks to digitisation. Fleet management software helps fleet administrators tackle safety concerns such as accidents, driving in unsafe areas, and unsafe driver behaviours. Fleet management software enables fleet managers to plan maintenance in advance and take vehicles that are at risk off the road, reducing the chance of breakdowns and potential accidents.

2. Improve driver efficiency

One of the main benefits of the switch from manual fleet management to fleet management software is that it has improved fleet efficiency. With a birds-eye view of driver routes, fleet administrators can inform and instruct drivers to follow certain routes that lead to the safest and quickest deliveries while using the least amount of fuel- bravo! 

This results in cost savings that can increase profitability and gives the business a competitive reputation.

3. Monitor operation costs and fuel consumption

Typically, fuel costs account for most of the operating costs in a fleet business. The excessive use of fuel even in small amounts, add up quickly and steal from the business profits. Fleet management software has helped fleet administrators ensure that no drop of fuel goes to waste.

4. Get alerts on vehicle maintenance

Using fleet management software to track and stay up-to-date on vehicle maintenance such as routine oil changes or tire rotations simplifies the job as fleet administrators can receive real-time alerts on when a vehicle inspection is due –  leaving less room for downtime and more for work time.

5. Track vehicles and assets

Telematics fleet management allows for GPS tracking of fleet vehicles and assets, and route optimisation so it is easier for fleet administrators to track assets and vehicles. This not only saves the fleet administrator time and guesswork but also saves fuel costs by reducing the chances of drivers getting lost and wasting fuel and time.

How Cartrack helps digitise fleet management administration 

Cartrack is a software-as-a-service (Saas) platform that helps small, medium, and large businesses digitise fleet management to optimise fleet utilisation, driver and vehicle safety, risk management, as well as workforce optimisation while using data to grow the business. 

Following are some Cartrack fleet management software and solutions that a business can use to shift from manual to digitised fleet management: 

Web-based software

Cartrack’s easy-to-use and all-in-one platform empowers fleet administrators or managers to streamline the entire fleet operation from team and task management to controlling operation costs. With fleet telematics software, fleet administrators can track the current and historical location of fleet vehicles and assets from anywhere and at any time. Fleet administrators not only save time and energy on admin but also never lose data thanks to Cartrack’s web-based platform that stores data and gives access to historical data.

 Reports and actionable insights

Cartrack’s fleet management system has a powerful onboard telemetry device that is responsible for monitoring the vehicle and driver behavioural patterns according to predefined settings, including GPS positioning. This data is obtained by the fleet management system and is designed to accurately and efficiently assist fleet administrators in managing  fleet vehicles, driver behaviour, completion rates, and even fuel consumption. Fleet administrators have the option to select from a range of over 40 standard reports including mileage, driver scorecard, speeding, and productivity reports. 

Automated and real-time alerts 

With Cartrack, fleet administrators can pre-set vehicle violations such as driving over the road’s speed limit, driving over the vehicle’s set speed limit, harsh braking, cornering, acceleration, and entering and exiting geofences or no-go zones and receive real-time alerts when any unauthorised violations occur. 

Fleet maintenance with MiFleet

MiFleet is Cartrack’s easy-to-use administrative and vehicle cost accounting software that can efficiently manage fleet vehicles, drivers, and operating costs. Fleet administrators enjoy the full benefits of MiFleet when tracking devices are installed in fleet vehicles. However, this software can be used for fleet management whether or not the fleet is equipped with telematics technology. One of the great advantages of MiFleet is fuel consumption monitoring. This enables fleet administrators to reduce fleet running costs by quickly detecting any discrepancies caused by fuel theft or uneconomical driving.

Routing 

Routing is a software application that allows fleet administrators to easily set and manage predefined routes for drivers to follow. Fleet administrators receive alerts in real time of any route deviations. Keeping vehicles on their planned routes reduces wastage in operating costs and ensures that drivers are sticking to the task at hand and all cargo stays on the correct course.

Contact Cartrack and digitise fleet management administration

Cartrack is committed to providing solutions that make fleet management as simple as possible while in-turn empowering fleet operations to run smoothly and successfully. 

Contact Cartrack today and get in control of your fleet.