9 Tips On How GPS Tracking Can Help

Improve The Bottom Line Of Your Business

Running your business efficiently includes reducing fuel wastage, unnecessary labour overtime, wasted time in locating assets, and timely maintenance scheduling. Keeping track of all of this can make a huge difference to your net profit at the end of the year.

And these days, add in OH&S compliance, workplace governance, and brand reputation into the mix. A professional fleet management system is essential to avoid any increased employer risk.

While you are busy searching for new contracts, delivering to existing ones, and managing other areas of your business, it can be hard to identify when and where things aren’t as cost effective as you think they are.

GPS tracking for asset location and security is a given. But to help you get an insight on how to reduce your fleet costs here are 9 tips to show how GPS tracking can improve the bottom line of your business and make it run more economically.

As a Business Owner, you need to be in

control of costs but with more vehicles & assets to manage, fleet/asset management can soon

get out of control.

Something to think about:Are your employees working at an efficiency rate that you are happy with? If they were working more efficiently, how

much more profit would that mean to your business?

The biggest expense in a business is usually labour cost. The more efficient we can make our workers, the greater the return to the business. As business owners, we know that employees are one of our greatest assets. It is a two way street, in return for an hour’s pay we expect a full hour worked.

Sometime though this ‘fair’ agreement gets broken. If manual timesheets aren’t accurate, even by small amounts -you are simply letting money fall out of your wallet (and there is nothing ‘fair’ about that).

However if you have a automatic system that tracks true start and finish time then this ensures that you are getting what you paid for (and there is nothing unfair about that). Our view is that we don’t want to be big brother looking over staff’s shoulder every minute. Rather it is about staff getting their work done as efficiently as possible so they can get home and do the things they would rather be doing.

TIP 1: Labour Expense - Make Sure You

Get What You Are Paying For.

Example. One client called us and said “Thanks, you saved me $500 last Friday”. I said “You’re welcome, and just how did we do that?”.

It turned out that the client had 4 workers on a remote site who all put their timesheets with a finishing time of 5.00pm. The only problem was that the ute they were driving left the site a 2.50pm!

Do you employees use your company vehicle - and use it to run their personal errands during or after hours?

Running a vehicle costs money and it’s not just the fuel, it is all the maintenance and other costs associated with it. Also there is the issue of risk - if the vehicle is involved in an accident, that will be a hit on the company’s insurance policy not the employee’s pocket.

Naturally some employment packages include the provision of a company vehicle. As an astute business manager we need to know what this costs, and not consider it a blank cheque. As a fleet owner, fuel can be an enormous and ever fluctuating expense, and one that is hard to control.

Installing a GPS tracker in your vehicles puts you back in control of your fuel and vehicle running costs.

Example. One client saw that their tow truck had gone out on a Sunday. There was no corresponding worksheet for that job (i.e no income…)

The manager asked the driver about the Sunday movement and the employee went red faced very quickly. He said that he was just doing a favour for a mate. The manager then asked if it was fair for the company to pay for the 4 hours of fuel the favour had cost. The driver reimbursed the company for the fuel. Favours for mates were still possible, only they needed prior approval...

TIP 2: Fuel - Are You Wasting Money

On Unnecessary Fuel Costs?

Something to think about:Do you have any idea what is the cost of employees using your company vehicles for their own errands? (Only managers who

deploy GPS tracking systems have any chance to answer this question with total accuracy).

Fuel cards are meant to be any easy and convenient way for your employees to buy fuel for the company vehicles they drive. However, the potential for abuse is enormously high when there is no system to accurately verify transactions against actual vehicle use.

Again, the issue of honesty with a company asset only affects a small handful of employees. The reality is that without a reliable system of cross checking, a business has very little knowledge if the fuel that is purchased actually made it into the company’s own vehicle.

TIP 3: The Easy Way To Identify

Fuel Card Abuse

Something to think about:Do you have a system of reconciling fuel purchases against kilometers driven?

It is a very simple desktop audit process that takes a couple of minutes to cross check the mileage of the vehicle against the litres of fuel purchased if you have GPS tracker mileage on your screen. Month in, month out, the fuel consumption on any vehicle won’t change dramatically.

Oh, and by the way, if you are suspicious about any single purchase, with a GPS tracker installed you could just look at the address and the time of the fuel receipt and check this on the historical trip data of the vehicle. If your vehicle wasn’t at the fuel pump, then whose was?

Never! Speeding is never acceptable

…even when you are in a hurry!

It is nearly impossible not to speed as

most vehicles don’t have speed limiters. However it is possible to put in place a rigorous process for monitoring and managing the speed of fleet vehicles.

There is a reason that large interstate transport companies have a zero tolerance

for speeding. The first time one of their

drivers goes 3 kph over the limit, they sit the driver down and ask them if they still want to keep their job. Why do they do this?

There are numerous reasons starting with

speeding is illegal and all companies should

be proactive about ensuring that their

drivers comply with the law.

Thinkabout this…Areoutdatedmanualprocessescosting youmoremoneythanyou think?Canyou geta

rapidreturnon investmentandsave money inyour businesswithautomated systems?

TIP 4: When Is Speeding Acceptable?

Something to think about:How would you feel if you knew that your fleet of branded vehicles was exceeding the speed limit all the

time? How would you also feel if one of your vehicles was involved in a serious accident and that you

didn’t know the driver was a habitual speedster?

Other reasons for them not wanting drivers to speed is it sets a bad culture, is poor safety governance, and defies good company ‘safety’ brand/culture. Finally, the most important reason is that they want their drivers to get home safely each night and not to have to live with the trauma of a road accident.

It is a very easy process to set up speeding alerts for vehicles that have GPS trackers. These speeding alerts will come via email and provide the necessary details of where and when the event happened. Also, when combined with a Driver ID system (digital code or key fob) it is easy to allocate speeding fines that come in for company vehicles.

Ensuring a vehicle or piece of equipment is serviced at the right intervals achieves two things. First it ensures long asset life. Second it ensures that the unit is always safe to use.

Not servicing vehicles and equipment on time can lead to expensive repairs that are not only costly, but simply avoidable. Parts wear out and when they go beyond their use by date more damage (or worse) can occur.

The safety element of timely maintenance can never be underestimated. Missing a service might be the difference between a large scale accident, costly damage, or failure to meet a project deadline.

Example: We asked a prospective client one time how they keep control over the maintenance of their 300+ vehicles and equipment. They said that they had an admin person call the drivers and ask them to update their kms/hours. That process took and incredible amount of time and effort (and annoyance to the drivers!).

When we showed them how it was possible to create a couple of alerts that would tell the plant admin that a service was coming up soon, you could see them counting all they hours (and hassle) they were going to save!

TIP 5: Keeping Up To Date With

Vehicle/Equipment Maintenance

Something to think about:Do you have a robust system for ensuring that your vehicle and equipment are serviced properly in

accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements? Would it assist you if you got an email 500kms or 50

hours before a vehicle or piece of equipment needed servicing?

Something to think about:To what level of accuracy does your business reconcile the plant & equipment cost that was estimated for a

project against the actual cost? Do you have system of monitoring plant & equipment usage while that project is

running to see if it is on or over budget?

Good project management is about delivering a contract on time. It is about delivery ensuring all quality standards are met and signed off. It is about having a good working relationship with your client and meeting, or better, exceeding their expectations so that you can get onboard with their next project.

While all of this is happening, good project management also includes proper financial control of your plant and equipment. Plant & equipment capital costs can be considerable for some businesses. Every business owner holds their breath every time they commit to a large capital purchase. Intuitively they know that the purchase will make them more money over time and numerous projects.

But how can you allocate a capital cost over many projects of varying lengths? More importantly, is there a system in place to reconcile what was estimated at the time of quoting versus actual usage? And do you have a system that monitors equipment usage/cost while the project is running?

It is a lot easier to nip an expensive over usage problem in the bud.

Apart from providing easy location, asset security, maintenance scheduling and more, GPS trackers can also provide valuable project information on plant and equipment hours and/or kilometer usage.

Getting accurate usage reports from a GPS system allows project managers to keep tight budget control and allow them to deliver their projects on budget.

TIP 6: On Budget, Under Budget...

Or Worse, Over Budget?

TIP 7: Route Optimisation

– Quicker And Cheaper Deliveries

Get a driver from A to B is the cheapest and most efficient way for a business to operate. Lower fuel, running and labour costs equals more profit for your business. You might have costed a project using the time and distance you calculated, but how can you be sure what you costed is correct.

In order to make sure that your fleet is running the way it should (and how you have costed it) a GPS tracker will provide you with the ability to check that the driver drove in the most efficient route. This will give you the edge when quoting new business as you will have high confidence in the accuracy of your project costing. The last thing you want to do is to quote one way, and then have a driver take more time or go further leaving you with extra and unnecessary costs.

Example: A client ran a waste business. They went in with what they thought was a good price on a contract and expected to make a good profit.

After a while when the profits failed to materialise, they worked out that the driver hadn’t been following the route they had wanted. He thought that he knew a better way, but this was costing more time & fuel…and the owners their profit.

Something to think about:How do you know your drivers are driving the way you costed your job? Are they taking the shortest and

most efficient route, or the route that suits them?

Something to think about:What would you do if you issued an invoice and then two months later your client questioned the time you

charged. Could you prove to them where and when you went to collect materials on their behalf?

When a client asks you to do something, they don’t always understand what is involved with delivering their job. Unless they are supplying the materials, it usually a bit of running around to get what you need to get the job done.

A client usually knows when you are on their site. However, not all client’s will appreciate that when you are not on site you are still working for them. This misunderstanding can sometimes lead to awkward disputes about the your invoice, especially if you are billing by the hour. How many times have you invoiced for 8 hours work (you were on site for 6 hours and getting materials for the other 2 hours) and have a client claim that you have overcharged them. It is frustrating (and sometimes insulting) because you know you did 8 hours of work for them.

What you need is a reliable system showing where you went and how long you spent at each stop. This can even prove that you needed to go to a 2nd or 3rd supplier in order to get the materials you need to complete their job. Now add in the complexities of expecting employees working remotely to accurately tell you where and when they went and this issue can be more than difficult.

However, proof of service can be easily verified when you have a GPS tracking system deployed. Whether or not you have just 1 vehicle or 100, having an accurate record of where and when you went will always settle any disputes on how much time you invoice for.

Example: A client of ours has a tracker on his vehicle. When he is writing his invoices to his clients he uses the data to know exactly where he went (kms traveled) and how long he took (hours). He uses it to make sure that he doesn’t forget to include a materials trip.

One day one of his clients challenged one of his invoices, and he was able to show that client all the trips that he had taken on their behalf.

TIP 8: Proof Of Service - Accurate Claims To Clients

Something to think about:Do you have a system that actively manages how many hours a week your employees are behind the wheel?

Would you get an alert if they exceeded the maximum limits for time on the road? Are you 100% confident

that your OH&S systems are adequate to fully protect your employees?

OH&S is a vital part of ensuring not only the safety of our employees, but the reputation and reliability of your business. Solid systems stand the test of time, and when an indecent does occur, it is the business systems that identify whether the indecent was actually an accident…or an accident waiting to happen.

Driver fatigue is a major reason for road accidents. Companies can no longer be passive about relying on drivers to know when they have been on the road for too long. In fact it is a company’s responsibility to ensure drivers are not exceeding their on road hours.

TIP 9: Improved OH&S Systems.This is a challenging task when there are multiple drivers with multiple vehicles in multiple locations and working independently. Business managers need to have the certainty that their drivers are not fatigued regardless of the size of their organization.

Example: A technician was driving upwards of 2,500 kms a week plus doing installation work at each of the sites he visited. Starting early and finishing late with long hours on the road became the norm over a period of time. The business owner was oblivious to the amount time the tech was on the road and was only focused on getting as many installations done in one day. The tech ended up getting burnt out and left the company. The business owner was frustrated about losing one of his best employees, but had no idea how many hours the tech was actually on the road because he had no log book system that would send him weekly driving logs.

Some staff members can be more than a bit lukewarm when managers introduce GPS tracking to their business. The best way to introduce GPS tracking to your staff is to have an open discussion with them and explain the benefits that they (and the company) will get.

Safety.

Be genuine in having an interest in their

safety. You can only help them if you know

where they are.

Log book their hours automatically.

By actively managing their time behind the

wheel you are helping them avoid fatigue

and potentially having a serious accident.

Better Maintenance.

Implementing a maintenance schedule

using the GPS data will help ensure that the

vehicles and equipment your staff operate

are in good & safe condition.

Tips For Introducing GPS Trackers To Staff

Getting work done.

If the driver can get his work done more efficiently

through route optimisation, he can get home on

time and without delay.

More efficiency in the company means more

profit/job security.

By making your company more efficient leads to

job security by making it stronger and more robust.

Less Hassle.

GPS trackers will show you exactly where your

drivers are reducing the “Where are you?”

telephone calls which really annoy drivers.

Remember, they just want to drive and get their

work done.

Something to think about:Not every driver is going to be enthusiastic about having a GPS tracker in their vehicle. They may think it is Big Brother

looking over their shoulder. However, it’s in your mutual interest to use technology to make the business more safe &

efficient.

GPS Boss sells Australian designed and developed GPS hardware and software.

3. Why is this important?

This eliminates the chance of you getting caught in the middle between a hardware supplier saying its the software supplier’s problem, and the software supplier saying it is the hardware supplier’s problem!

4. Battery Powered or Hardwired Trackers

We have both hardwired and battery operated trackers working on the same platform. This means you can conduct full fleet management on your vehicles while controlling your equipment & assets on the one system.

What To Look For When Looking For A GPS Tracking Solution?

1. Closed technology loop.

Unlike other GPS companies who buy trackers from one manufacturer and then put them on a 3 party platform, our high quality trackers and professional fleet management software are developed by the one Australian company.

2. How does this benefit you?

Easy, there is a greatly reduced risk of system failure because the guys developing the hardware already know the parameters of the software that it will work on.

Something to think about:Manage and secure your whole fleet and assets using one integrated system.

How a tracker works

GPS satellites in the sky triangulate on the GPS tracker to provide location, direction, and speed. This data is then sent from the tracker to the tracking platform via the GSM data network. If a tracker goes out of the GSM network, the data is put in the trackers memory and once it gets back into the GSM network, it will download and backfill the data on the tracking platform. Iridium Satellite can be used in remote areas where there is no GSM network to ensure full coverage.

Type of Trackers

Hardwired Units - these are trackers that are wired to the vehicle/equipment power supply. Trackers are usually installed out of sight (i.e. under a vehicle dashboard).

Battery Powered Units - there are trackers that run on standard sized batteries and put on assets that don’t have their own power source. These units are usually configured to provide 4 locations/day and are mostly for asset security. In the event of a theft situation, they can be switched to Asset Recovery.

GPS Tracking BasicsIf you are new to GPS tracking here is a basic rundown of how they work.

Add-on Equipment

There are a number of peripherals that can be added to GPS trackers. These include Driver ID systems, temperature sensors, switches i.e. duress/man down, or immobilisation relays.

GPS trackers can also be used to get digital data from the equipment they are on.

Tracking Platform

The data that is received from the trackers is displayed visually on a browser based tracking platform. Location and trip data can be seen on maps showing where and when the tracker reported. A wide range of functionality including Geo-fence, alerts, reports, users, schedules, drivers etc. can then be managed on the platform. Our tracking platform is intuitive and easy to use.

Tracking data is also visible on our mobile app which give simples and immediate asset location, perfect when on

the phone to someone who needs that information.

So, How Can GPS Boss Help Your Business?

If you have made it this far, you are obviously interested in GPS Tracking.

The next step is to have a discussion with us so that we can get an understanding of your business and tracking requirements. We understand that every company has different priorities and so having this first discussion helps us understand what is important to you.

We want you to make an informed decision BEFORE purchasing a GPS tracking system. The best way to understand if GPS tracking has value for your business is to see a tracker working in your business before purchasing.

ASK ABOUT OUR FREE TRIAL.

While we can simply show you tracking data on our own vehicles, there is significantly more value in seeing the tracking data from your own fleet...and we won’t be surprised if you get some eyebrow raising insights to what your vehicles are actually doing out there on the road.

Our FREE trial allows you to see what your vehicles & assets are doing in REAL TIME!

Start The Conversation Today!

Contact GPS Boss and let’s have a chat about your

tracking requirements. Get a trial tracker into one

your vehicles so you can see what GPS tracking can do

for your business. There is no obligation and you have

nothing to lose. Our trackers are class leaders and we

will happily prove it to you.

Let’s get the conversation started about the best GPS

tracking solution for YOUR business!

Telephone: 1-300-857-971

Email: TheBoss@TheGPSBoss.com.au