Why are Companies Spending More by Using Basic GPS Tracking

Why are Companies Paying More for a Vehicle Tracking System?

When it comes to vehicle tracking systems, the most common type used widely worldwide, are GPS-based tracking systems. Majority of customers only use it for access to real-time location and replay features followed by standard reports. While we are certainly familiar with this technology and its many benefits, it isn’t enough to operate an entire fleet and businesses are paying more for the services they are offered. The larger the fleet, the more complex it becomes to run it efficiently. However, some companies still adhere to basic GPS tracking – it requires more time and effort, and is costly too, instead of transitioning to a more sophisticated Connected Fleet Solution, which is more cost-effective and analyzes data quickly.

Top 3 reasons why fleet managers use basic GPS tracking

Get location of vehicles in real-time

GPS tracking lets you know exactly where your vehicles are, and if drivers are taking personal trips outside their assigned routes. You can also look up your drivers’ locations and find the vehicle that is already closest when you need to send someone on a job.

Keep an eye on driver behavior

Basic tracking comes with a “replay” feature that can be used to check if drivers adhered to specified routes, completed jobs on time, fuel usage and so on.

Investigation of accidents or other road incidents

If any vehicle of the fleet has been in an accident, it is imperative that sufficient information is available for a proper and thorough investigation. Fleet managers use GPS tracking to gain access to vehicle data for this purpose.

Why is basic GPS vehicle tracking costly?

Basic GPS tracking might help to a certain extent, but it has to be purchased at a monthly subscription, or you have to shell out a one-time fee for lifetime access to the software. Moreover, fleet managers and other staff have to spend hours sifting through the data to make sense of it, which is tedious and time-consuming. Most importantly, the fleet managers are not data scientists or analysts and it is too complex to keep up with the dynamic shift in business. This particular aspect adds to the overall cost of managing the fleet even though you pay less for the Vehicle Tracking System. Majority of businesses don’t have internal staff to manage such complexities or the budget to embrace an expensive solution available in the market.

As an example, lets assume you have a fleet of 50 vehicles, and you pay $1 per month per device which requires 60 hours of manpower costing $20/hour (may vary from country to country) to manage the Vehicles and Drivers by running reports, analysis etc. Hence the total cost per month is – (50* $1 + 60 * $20) = $1250/month. Now, each vehicle costs you around $25 month ($1250/50 Vehicle) and not $1/month to analyze data. You also have to factor in extra costs associated with accidents, fuel, maintenance, training drivers etc. This type of tracking is not just expensive, but the multiple reports generated are of no use, as their application doesn’t adapt to the business model.

That is why it is time for transitioning to Anstel’s Autonautics Connected Fleet Solution. With Autonautics we have encapsulated the basic features in the app which is free and easy to use. While you have to pay a nominal fee to access premium features that includes more detailed insights, it helps to reduce accidents, fuel, and maintenance costs. The platform adapts seamlessly to your business model, learns from day-to-day operations, and gives results that benefit the business. Thus, you pay much less for an Autonautics solution without compromising on benefits centered upon Predictive, Preventive and Prescriptive analytics.

Please consider the below aspects before investing in a Vehicle Tracking System

Failure to monitor driver behavior

GPS tracking might show you where your vehicles are, but it doesn’t tell you much about how your employees are actually driving. Are they speeding? Do they take sharp turns? Are they exhibiting other unsafe behaviors? The problem is that counseling drivers on a regular basis isn’t possible, and if they continue with such poor driving behavior, it can cause a great deal of inconvenience both in terms of accidents and high maintenance & repair costs. A detailed brief of their training mechanism is also not feasible to procure regularly. When drivers exhibit such erratic patterns, it can lead to excessive wear and tear of the vehicle, which means maintenance costs shoot up. That is why, you need to know whether drivers have been speeding, accelerating too harshly, or idling excessively. Most importantly, Autonautics, a free Driver app gives constant feedback to drivers and educates them on how to improve. With GPS tracking alone, you can’t set benchmarks for driving behavior or create real-time alerts.

Manpower required to analyze data is expensive

GPS tracking won’t be able to map the most efficient routes, evaluate driving behavior, check on-board diagnostics, etc. There is no way to automatically analyze the pool of data being generated. It needs manpower to physically analyze each batch of data, which means more time, money, and resources. Anstel’s Connected Fleet Solution analyzes data within minutes, while producing meaningful results that you can apply to make smart business decisions.

The 3 P’s – unable to predict, prevent and prescribe

Does your current Vehicle Tracking system offer the tools which can help to automate the day-to-day processes and suggest the next step forward? Can it recommend what actions need to be taken? Or are you purely paying for an application which generates generic reports without even knowing your business and operation? Let’s find out:

1. Predictive maintenance

A Vehicle Tracking System can’t be used to implement predictive maintenance. But our Autonautics platforms lets fleet managers schedule maintenance before a breakdown or failure happens, which leads to better service for customers and reliable operations for the business. It uses sensors to precisely collect data describing anasset’s condition and overall operational state. This data is quickly analyzed to predict when a breakdown or failure will occur.

2. Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance refers to regular, routine maintenance that helps to keep vehicles up and running, preventing any unplanned downtime and expensive costs from unanticipated failure. It includes cleaning, oil changes, lubrications, repairs, inspecting and replacing, etc. However, basic GPS tracking can’t be used for preventive maintenance, as the reports generated won’t be of much help. Anstel’s Autonautics solution is just what you need for preventive maintenance purposes, so your assets stay on the road for a longer period of time. It can be utilized to prevent future breakdowns or emergency maintenance issues.

3. Prescriptive maintenance

Prescriptive maintenance works by collating and analyzing data about an asset’s condition, to come up with specialized recommendations and corresponding outcomes to reduce operational risks. A simple Vehicle Tracking System can’t be used to implement this concept, but our Autonautics platform effectively predicts failure events, and even recommends actions to take. Potential outcomes when such recommended actions are being performed are then calculated and anticipated.

If you have no idea about vehicle health, wear and tear of vehicle parts, or if the vehicle is on the verge of a breakdown, you can’t schedule maintenance accordingly. Thus, you have to foot hefty bills when a there is a breakdown, or a specific part is beyond repair and has to be replaced.

A basic Vehicle Tracking System will only end up adding to overall expenses and make it almost impossible to operate an entire fleet, regardless of how big or small your fleet is. GPS tracking is an important feature of any fleet management solution, just like Anstel’s Connected Fleet, but it isn’t sufficient on its own. Basic Tracking only provides descriptive data that has to be analyzed manually for making decisions. But our Autonautics platform truly makes your job easier by tracking a variety of metrics, while offering predictive, preventive and prescriptive information.