Fleet Management Solutions: How to Minimize Loss and Maximize Profits
Whether you’re a large trucking company or a small business using vehicles to deliver services, the challenges you face regarding fleet management are likely the same. Compliance requirements, maintenance issues, route optimizations, and supply chain disruptions can all make the task of effectively overseeing and maintaining the use of company vehicles a daunting task.
In recent years, certain fleet management solutions have risen to the top as some of the most impactful for businesses of all sizes and scopes. Telematics, for example, has been identified as one of the most effective fleet management solutions a company can invest in. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S. GAO), this method can facilitate cost savings by providing fleet managers with information needed to reduce fleet size, fuel use, misuse of vehicles, and unnecessary maintenance.
Another common concern among businesses is keeping fleet claims at a minimum.
“Interestingly, one of the most frequently asked questions searched by business owners is, ‘What can we do to keep fleet claims down?’” says Terry Powers, a retired loss control specialist at Central Insurance. “Business owners or managers constantly struggle to minimize losses while maximizing profitable fleet operations.”
The answer, Powers continues, is in loss control.
What is Loss Control? Loss control is a form of risk management in which you reduce the possibility that a loss will occur or reduce the severity of a loss that might occur by taking proactive steps for prevention.
When it comes to loss control in this area, supervisors should consider one of the dynamic fleet safety management programs on the market today. These tools offer comprehensive safety products as a means of ensuring safe fleet operations.
Below, we break down three of the key aspects of digital fleet management programs, and how they directly combat common fleet management issues.
3 Common Components of Digital Fleet Management Program & Their Impact on Fleet Safety
1) Safety Cameras
Filing a claim with your insurance agent after an accident is easy when you have an eyewitness who can accurately describe what happened.
Trucks that utilize safety cameras have that eyewitness observer in the form of a camera that continuously records footage of their experience on the road. Alongside front-camera options, some providers now offer dual-facing dash cams that capture both front-facing road events and in-cab driver behavior.
When an accident occurs, footage gathered through these cameras can be submitted with a claim to help streamline processes and clarify the situation.
2) Driver Safety Scores
Driver safety scoring is common among fleet management systems, yet many companies use unsophisticated programs to calculate their employees’ scores.
Research shows that tracking miles driven or the number of completed jobs, for example, leads to more reckless behaviors by drivers. Instead, today’s modern systems track and encourage positive behaviors on the road—a method that has drastically improved a fleet’s driver safety scores across the board.
What’s more, many providers utilize workplace gamification to help drivers adopt safe driving practices. Workplace gamification offers employees rewards and prizes in exchange for good driver safety scores. Rewards might include gift cards, a day off, a free lunch, etc.
3) Fleet Telematics
“Fleet Telematics, are one of the most dynamic aspects of any fleet safety portfolio,” Powers says.
Telematics systems are designed to track a vehicle’s speed, location, fuel efficiency, HoS, maintenance requirements, and more. When it comes to monitoring a driver’s safety, these telematics can be crucial in spotting dangerous habits on the road, such as speeding or aggressive braking, or acceleration.
“The Fleet Managers I speak with want as much specific real-time information as possible to provide concise, responsive, and timely data about the fleet,” Powers says. “Their main objective is to be able to reach out quickly to correct important issues/actions affecting current fleet operations.”
With a system in place to easily track behaviors and identify patterns, fleet managers are better able to take that immediate action and prevent potential accidents on the road.
The Impact of a Digital Fleet Management Solution on Your Commercial Auto Insurance Rates
Leveraging a leading fleet management provider can have a substantial positive impact on your commercial auto insurance rates. By investing in a tool that helps prevent accidents before they happen and provide real-time evidence to streamline claim submissions when they do, you can effectively take control of your fleet in ways above and beyond the average organization.
Looking to learn more about how these modern tools can help your organization? Get in touch with your independent insurance agent today to learn more about the product and how to implement it into your fleet management practices today.
The information above is of a general nature and your policy and coverages provided may differ from the examples provided. Please read your policy in its entirety to determine your actual coverage available.
Copyright © 2023 Central Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
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