When managing a fleet or a business in logistics, the challenges are endless. The job already needs countless people working in harmony to ensure the work does not stop.
It is also a permanent job, with no weekend and public holidays. If your goods need to be on the move all the time, the commitment must be massive.
The most simple concern while running such a business is the management of the fleet. What is fleet management, you ask?
In today’s world, fleet management is both the processes of coordinating and organizing the fleet to gain maximum affection. And it is the mobile and computer application you can use to make this work faster.
Understanding Fleet Management
The technological innovation in fleet management is very commendable today. A person sitting with a computer or a mobile divide can track, manage, allocate, and book a whole fleet. All of the moving parts in a fleet are linked to electronic devices and tracking sensors that continuously monitor progress.
The biggest challenges, however, do not change with the addition of technology. The misuse of trucks, the irregular management of load, driver safety, road safety, and goods safety are all ever-evolving problems. A sound management system will help better control these, but there is no way to eliminate them entirely.
Goods safety is one area that can make or break your business. There is a particular government service that was infamous for losing people’s letters and packages still suffering for it’s past. One mistake can paint a whole new image for your consumer, which is why the margin for error is very slim.
By the safety of goods, we mean the ability to protect them from theft and damage. When you decide to ship products for an individual or a company, you sign a contract taking responsibility for these packages. Thus a lot of measures should be put into place to safeguard them.
Here are five steps that are sure to make your goods safer on the roads. This can be done with a simple policy change incorporation of automation technology. Some of these pointers might not fit in precisely with your establishment, but they can be altered as per your company’s needs.
1. Install A Fleet Management System.
This system might seem like a hard sale for companies that are already functioning without automation. But these systems are a huge time-saver and a great way to keep a check on all the fleet segments. They are advanced software that is fitted on the fleet to gauge usage and produce analytics.
When you have a management system in place, you will have a better-managed fleet that ensures the goods are not shipped to the wrong places. These applications help you automatically plan routes and ensure no trucks run on low capacity.
2. Dash Cameras.
These are small camera devices that can be placed on trucks that monitor the driver’s route and the behavior. The best dash cam for truckers is one that has dual lenses.
These have one camera that looks onto the road and asset the driver. The other camera records the cabin of the driver.
This camera will keep a check on your staff and ensure there is no malpractice from their part. A camera is also a helpful tool to check records in case there are any thefts.
These cameras are high-definition and also record footage flawlessly in the night. The camera also installs a sense of caution, which will discourage any malicious attempts on the goods.
3. Tracking devices.
Tracking devices are a go-to option for fleets in the market today. These are GPS devices that are plugged onto the truck and can give real-time updates on its moment.
These are a handy tool to ensure your consignments are on the right track. You can also mirror this information on your company website to give your clients the liberty to track their goods.
These devices are running at all times. They are hard to detect or disconnect, which makes the product fail proof and durable.
The systems feed all the information to a secure network directly to the manager. The tracking information is available to anyone for its misuse.
4. Enforce Impeccable Record Keeping.
Keeping records of your goods every step of the way is one sure way to ensure quality. This means asking people to record the arrival and departure of each and every package on the system.
These can be done faster using RFID scanners or barcodes. This way, every package is accounted for at all times.
This will help stop losses and thefts since there is a little chance of the package disappearing from the grid. It will be tracked from when the order is generated until the time is delivered. Even if there is a theft, the last point of registration will help to trace the menace.
5. Better Hiring and Assessment.
Keeping your staff accountable is one of the best ways to ensure that there are no discrepancies in the service. Please make sure you run background checks on your team before you hire them and ask for as many references as you need. Do not hire anyone who does not understand the need for accountability.
It also helps to have a foolproof contract drafted that lets the driver know about their roles and responsibilities. This will encourage them to be more causes when shipping goods. It will enforce a sense of obligation on them to treat the business like their own.
In Conclusion
There is no sure way to ensure that theft is not attempted. But you sure can make sure that the endeavors of these crooks go to vain.
These simple steps will protect your company from a bad reputation and pay damage-compensation. Loss of goods will also further drain your resources with legal ramifications detailing bad PR.
No one expects a company to make all the changes on a single day. They can be tried and tested and done over time.
A simple change in the way you do things can help sustain your business longer, in this world filled with notorious minds.
