Knowledge is power, especially in the world of business. Every piece of verifiable data you gain can result in a tangible improvement in your operations. It’s no different when talking about your logistics, which is one of the most important elements of your success. A generation ago, there was precious little insight you could gain about this aspect of your business once the trucks hit the road. You could be sure of when your cargo was loaded onto the truck and when it arrived at its destination, but between those two points, you were mostly in the dark.
Fortunately, technology has given you the ability to shine a light on your logistics and collect more information about how well your organization actually performs. GPS tracking devices can do so much more than show you where your fleet is at any given time. Read on to learn some of the key ways in which GPS tracking systems can enhance and streamline your operations in ways that weren’t possible just a few decades earlier.
Providing a Wealth of Information
Because GPS can give you a bird’s-eye view of your fleet’s position in real time, you can forecast when shipments will arrive with much greater accuracy. Not only does this virtually eliminate guesswork, but it also offers other insights you can put to good use. These include:
- Better safety: Drivers who drive recklessly put more than just your profitability at risk. The precision of GPS tracking technology means you can see if any of your team members or contractors are speeding, driving aggressively, or otherwise exhibiting unsafe behavior. This makes it possible to reprimand those who don’t follow the rules and reward those who do.
- More accountability: Managers always want to know that their employees are using company time in the most productive manner. By tracking where every vehicle is at all times, you can see if everyone is on-task or if anyone is shirking duties.
- Greater efficiency: Finding the most efficient routes for your vehicles means more deliveries can be made and you can save money on fuel consumption. Global positioning systems make it possible not only to plan a route more effectively but also to adjust on the fly in the event of an accident, inclement weather, road closure, or another unexpected change to traffic conditions.
- Stronger security: Assets lost to theft can be a serious blow to your revenue. Knowing where your vehicles are at all times makes recovering stolen goods possible and much easier.
- Higher satisfaction: All of these elements combined mean you can give your customers more peace of mind that their goods will be delivered in the safest, most efficient manner possible. In turn, that means they will be more confident in you and more likely to do business with you again.
When you consider how it can improve practically every facet of your logistics operations, it’s easy to see how valuable GPS tracking data can be for your business. If you haven’t integrated these systems into your fleet yet, now is the time to do so.
