It can be difficult to keep track of your fleet while managing all other aspects of your business. If you’re a small business just starting out, it’s important to have certain resources dedicated to making life easier for you and your employees. Fleet management software offers endless benefits to help you optimize your existing procedures and save on operational costs.

With fleet tracking, you can simplify your manual processes and eliminate many time-consuming tasks that make it difficult for you to get ahead of the competition. GPS tracking enables you to improve safety, stay in communication with your drivers and provide excellent service to your loyal customers.

Why Do Companies Track Vehicles?

As your business grows, so does your fleet. The larger your fleet, the more challenges arise and the more equipment you are responsible for. While you trust your employees and drivers to work independently, tracking your fleet vehicles give you more visibility and verification on the status and location of your vehicles — letting you stay ahead of the competition. 

Though using GPS tracking to monitor drivers can cause some employees to worry about privacy issues, it’s important to let your drivers know that using a vehicle tracking system benefits their safety. Using fleet management software allows you to be proactive and transparent with your employees to avoid compromising their trust while complying with the law, keeping your records accurate and monitoring overtime. 

Tracking your business’s vehicles also allows you to increase your efficiency and streamline your travel and delivery processes — all while making sure your employees are engaging in safe driving behaviors and complying with traffic laws. When tracking your fleet, you can find solutions to your questions, such as:

  • My driver hasn’t gotten back to me about a delivery — where are they located?
  • Is my employee using my vehicle for purposes that aren’t business-related?
  • Which of my drivers is closest?
  • How long are my workers spending with our customers to get the job done?
  • I have a customer claiming my technician was a no-show — did they show up for their appointment on time?
  • Why are my vehicles logging more miles than usual?

What Is Fleet Management Software?

Fleet management software allows managers and business owners to monitor their drivers, vehicles and equipment through a simple platform or application. 

This software provides valuable capabilities, such as:

  • Driver behavior
  • Simplifying compliance
  • Vehicle movement
  • Performance measurements
  • Scheduling maintenance
  • Operational activities

Depending on the software you choose, your fleet management tools can also help you optimize your driver routes and create actionable insights to identify areas for improvement and better business opportunities.

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What Are the Benefits of GPS Tracking? 

While GPS and fleet tracking capabilities can benefit any trucking and transportation business, it can be particularly useful for small businesses trying to grow their customer base. With a system that can streamline your operations and increase your productivity, you’ll have the power to satisfy your customers and gear your business in the right direction. 

Here are the top six ways fleet tracking benefits small businesses. 

1. Optimize Fuel and Operational Costs

Optimizing your resources, particularly fuel, can also help you reduce overall costs. Behind driver compensation, fuel costs are the second-highest line item in operational costs for trucking companies. Whether you’re managing a few dozen vehicles or a thousand, fuel costs add up quickly. For example, unauthorized vehicle use also increases fuel costs, and a GPS tracking system allows management to see if drivers are using business vehicles for other purposes. 

GPS tracking also allows fleet managers and owners to know when their vehicles are in operation or when drivers are speeding, which decreases fuel efficiency. With dispatching and route planning tools, you can ensure your team uses the most direct, efficient routes to their appointments and job sites to limit fuel use, eliminate idle vehicle time and make a positive impact on profitability. 

Obtaining data from your fleet management system enables you to gain more visibility into your operations and route history, helping you identify other areas for saving money, such as reducing insurance costs. Many insurance companies provide special discounts for vehicles with GPS tracking systems. These systems also allow you to monitor the status of your vehicle and track your engine oil and other indicators. 

With GPS tracking, you can also ensure your calculations for your workers’ time on job sites is accurate for invoicing, billing and payroll by using your location-based data. 

2. Improve Safety Measures

Having well-maintained and serviced vehicles is a key step in upholding driver safety, but GPS tracking also provides many safety measures for your fleet and operators. Drivers with patterns of poor driving — such as speeding, harsh accelerations, running red lights, getting into accidents or ignoring traffic laws — can put their own lives and the lives of others at risk. Not to mention, they can run up fuel costs and damage your vehicles. 

Being able to monitor their driving behaviors will make it easier to coach them on safe driving practices to reduce the likelihood of a collision or traffic violation. GPS tracking also allows you to schedule regular maintenance and enable drivers to report vehicle faults or issues that need to be inspected.

In addition to monitoring your drivers for their safety, GPS tracking can also help you prevent vehicle and cargo theft. When you have a real-time, consistent location of all your fleet vehicles, you can quickly take action if one has been stolen or deviates from its instructed path. As a manager or owner, you can also have control over customizable geofences — virtual borders set for a designated location or area — that notify you when your vehicles are not where they’re supposed to be.  

Real-time location tracking is particularly beneficial for smaller businesses that may not have many backup or replacement vehicles available in their fleet. You will also be able to locate your business vehicles if your driver should get into an accident and stop responding to your attempts at contact.

3. Increase Productivity 

GPS tracking enables you to increase fleet productivity by monitoring how long drivers and workers spend on each job site and checking that the nearest vehicle dispatches to a job for optimal workflow. Fleet management software lets you digitize your processes and tasks that help you become more competitive in your industry. You can stay on top of delivery times, assign tasks to idle vehicles and increase your number of trips per day to keep your business flowing.

4. Reduce Administrative Labor 

Easily accessing important information through your GPS fleet management software makes it easier to keep track of critical details and eliminate billing discrepancies due to digital timekeeping. GPS tracking will also help you reduce manual paperwork and minimize calls to drivers — letting you rely on your real-time dashboard and spend more time optimizing your supply chain and financial management processes. 

When keeping track of your assets with physical paperwork, it’s easy to make mistakes, misplace files or retrieve information when you need to double-check something. By handling your tasks in one central system, you can:

  • Plan your operations more productively.
  • Reduce administrative burden. 
  • Speed up your processes.  
  • Reduce human error.
  • Get notified every time your vehicles enter or exit scheduled destinations. 

5. Enhance Customer Service

While keeping your business productive benefits you and your drivers, it also benefits your customers and lets you improve your customer service. With GPS tracking, you can inform customers of real-time vehicle location ahead of their appointment to provide them with accurate estimated arrival times.

Keeping your customers happy will help you sustain a successful transportation business by responding to calls quickly, delivering items on time and remaining predictable and reliable for your loyal customers. Bringing your customers these enhanced processes will also help you stay competitive.

6. Improve Compliance

GPS tracking helps ease some challenges of your day-to-day operations, regardless of the size of your fleet. One of the most important aspects of your business is maintaining safety and compliance across your entire organization. Tracking your driver’s hours of service (HOS) — their time on duty and driving time — is required for many businesses under the Department of Transportation’s FMCSA

No matter how big or small your business is, it’s critical to accurately keep track and record information about your drivers, such as how long they’ve been on the road, the length of their rest breaks and how many hours they have left to complete their driving period. 

With GPS tracking and other fleet management software tools, you can notify drivers in real-time when they need to pull into a rest stop to take breaks or when they’re approaching the end of their shift. Making sure your driver’s hours are correctly logged will help you avoid violations and ensure your drivers are well-rested and productive during their shifts.

Best Practices for GPS Tracking

If you’ve never used GPS tracking before, following some tips to maximize your efficiency and ensure compliance is important. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when using GPS tracking and fleet management software. 

Update Drivers on the Best Traffic Routes

GPS tracking allows you to find the fastest routes for your drivers, so staying in contact with them is key to helping them in the field with live traffic data. However, getting them to their destination quickly and making delivery and appointment times on schedule comes second to their safety on the road. While it’s great to surpass customer expectations and delivery estimates, it’s more important that your drivers practice safe driving and avoid speeding just to make it in record time. 

With GPS tracking on hand, you can make your communication with drivers more efficient and guide them to the routes that will help them arrive quickly without compromising their safety and that of others on the road. 

Keep Your Tracking Transparent

If possible, try to let others on your team see your vehicle tracking map along with you. Depending on the number of business devices you have and how often your workers can check the dashboard, they can see a real-time view of where your fleet vehicles are and help your dispatchers and customer service representatives quickly locate your drivers. 

Letting your team have access to the tracking capabilities will also help determine which drivers are free or in the middle of another job, which allows them to find the next available team member to quickly make the next appointment. 

Many customers will appreciate the reassurance that your driver is on the way to their location or that their delivery is estimated to arrive within an accurate window. Not to mention, your employees will also value the transparency in your business as you let everyone view the tracking map. 

Give Employees Your GPS Tracking Policy

To keep up with this organizational transparency, it’s also a good idea to have a written policy regarding your GPS tracking and fleet management software so your employees know exactly what you’re tracking and how it impacts their day-to-day tasks. Your policy should cover the reasons you use GPS tracking, how it improves driver safety and how you use the data you collect. 

You can also outline the same topics for GPS tracking on any company devices such as cell phones or tablets. Communicating this policy to your employees will help them understand why they’re driving and other tasks may be monitored and how it helps your business stay compliant and productive. 

Reward Your Responsible Drivers 

While your GPS tracking software can monitor your drivers’ braking, acceleration and speed to ensure safety, you can also use this information to reward drivers who practice safe driving. Your drivers represent your business and its’ reputation, so if they’re regularly getting into accidents or pulled over for speeding, it can have detrimental consequences as potential customers pass them by with your name on the vehicle. 

Using GPS tracking for your fleet allows you to offer incentives to your drivers who treat your company vehicles with respect. These rewards could include company recognition, bonuses, gift cards or other creative prizes to show your drivers you appreciate their safe practices. 

Be Responsible and Considerate

It’s not always easy for employees to feel comfortable being monitored on the job, even if they know it’s important for their safety. However, you can still monitor your employees on the road while being considerate of their privacy. For instance, you should only ever engage in monitoring when it’s justified for a business need, such as during work hours. You should also let your employees know that you keep all GPS-related data secure for compliance and security reasons. 

For example, if a customer calls and says your technician never showed up for their appointment, you can pull up your tracking information and show what time your driver arrived at the destination and how long they were with the customer. This type of information can help you avoid such issues by allowing you to quickly retrieve exactly where your drivers are at all times. 

Only Track Business-Owned Vehicles and Devices

One of the most important practices to implement when using GPS and fleet tracking services is to ensure you’re only using it on employer-owned vehicles and devices. While you should include this in your GPS tracking policy, it’s a good idea to remind your employees that their personal vehicles and devices, such as phones, tablets and laptops, will never be tracked.

See How Track Your Truck Can Help Your Business

With Track Your Truck, we value exceptional reliability and service. Our software and devices allow you to customize and configure solutions to meet your specific business needs. Whether you want to improve your distribution of company resources, gauge employee efficiency, refine your operations procedures or enhance driver safety, we have the technology to help get you started. Our software provides you with:

  • Specific locations, direction, status and speed of your vehicles.
  • As many logins as needed for people to view tracked vehicles.
  • The ability to track any device with an internet connection.
  • Satellite views and color-coded traffic conditions for specific routes.

We also offer many other customization and add-on services so you can gain more visibility into things like driver behavior, driver identification, customer map integration and alerts for departs and arrivals. If you want to learn more about Track Your Truck’s services and how we can help make your business more efficient, request a custom quote online to get started.

Commercial motor vehicles play a substantial role in the economy. Nearly two-thirds of freight transported across the U.S. is moved by motor vehicles. In addition to transporting billions of tons of products, motor vehicles also transport people from place to place. The commercial motor vehicle industry also employs millions of people.

Safety is one thing that keeps motor vehicles moving. Without safety measures and regulations in place, deliveries would be less efficient, and passengers would have a more challenging time getting to their destinations. 

For that reason, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enforces regulations that aim to reduce fatalities, injuries and crashes among buses and large trucks. Your fleet most likely needs to comply with FMCSA’s guidelines and regulations. Here’s how to do it.

What Is Fleet Compliance?

The FMCSA has a series of regulations that drivers and fleet managers need to follow when they are on the road. If a fleet doesn’t comply with the rules, they risk penalties and fines. The fines for non-compliance can be hefty. 

The regulations cover all areas of the motor vehicle industry. There are regulations overseeing:

  • Drivers
  • Licensing
  • Permits and registration
  • Vehicle acquisition
  • Maintenance and repair
  • Parts
  • Safety and risk mitigation

Fleet compliance is crucial to keeping your drivers safe and ensuring your business performs at its fullest potential.

What Is the DOT?

The U.S. DOT is an executive department responsible for creating policies for an economical and efficient national transportation system. The department was established by Congress in 1966 to provide an executive-level position for transportation and to replace the under-secretary of commerce for transportation. Its first official day of operation was April 1, 1967. 

Today, the DOT consists of 13 administrations responsible for air, land and sea travel. 

What Is the FMCSA?

The FMCSA is one of the DOT’s 13 administrations. It regulates the trucking industry and has the primary goal of reducing crashes and fatalities. 

The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 created the FMCSA, and the agency came into existence in 2000. Today, some of the roles of the agency include:

  • Educating operators and fleet managers or owners on regulations and how those regulations affect business.
  • Working with drivers to modernize safety practices and technology.
  • Identifying commercial drivers who are at risk of violating safety standards in an effort to improve public safety.
  • Revising equipment safety standards as necessary.
  • Conducting inspections and other compliance measures to enforce safety regulations.
  • Fining operators or fleet companies that don’t comply with regulations. 

To achieve its mission and goals, FMCSA has three primary programs:

  • Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA): CSA is a compliance and enforcement program that aims to prevent crashes, fatalities and injuries and improve safety. It’s a data-driven program consisting of three components: interventions, evaluations and measurements.
  • Hours-of-Service (HOS) and Driver Restart Study: The Driver Restart study examined five-month work schedules and health and safety outcomes of drivers who had a one-night rest period and drivers who had a two-night (or longer) rest period. 
  • National Registry: The FMCSA’s National Registry program lists certified medical examiners who can determine if drivers meet the agency’s physical health standards.

What Are the DOT’s Fleet Compliance Regulations?

The FMCSA enforces the DOT’s rules and regulations. Some of the regulations your fleet needs to comply with include:

  • Hours-of-service (HOS): HOS is the maximum time drivers can be on the road. It includes driving time as well as breaks. The goal of hour-of-service regulations is to keep drivers alert and awake.
  • Driver vehicle inspection reports: Drivers need to inspect their vehicles at the beginning and end of each day.
  • International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting: Drivers need to record how many miles they’ve driven and where and when they purchased fuel. The information determines how much fuel tax they need to pay and which state or province they need to pay it to.
  • CSA Scores: The FMCSA’s CSA program assigns scores to motor carriers based on roadside inspections. The lower the score, the better the carrier complies with safety standards.
  • Pre-employment screenings: Pre-employment screenings give a fleet manager an idea of a potential driver’s history on the road and crash data. Drug and alcohol testing is also part of pre-employment screening. Managers should test their drivers randomly after they’re hired to remain compliant.

Does Your Fleet Need to Be in Compliance?

Any commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operator in the U.S. needs to comply with the DOT’s regulations and guidelines. The Federal Register defines a CMV as:

  • A vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,001 pounds.
  • A vehicle that can transport more than 15 people, including the driver.
  • A vehicle that transports hazardous materials and that needs a placard.

If there are any CMVs in your fleet, you need to ensure you comply with the DOT’s regulations and guidelines.

How to Comply With Hours-of-Service Guidelines

Tired drivers are a serious safety concern. Hours-of-service requirements aim to limit driver time on the road. Drivers who have time to get the rest and sleep they need are safer drivers. 

How long a person can drive a CMV depends on the type of vehicle they’re driving and what they’re carrying in the vehicle. Someone transporting products can drive for up to 11 hours after a 10-hour rest. A driver transporting people can drive for up to 10 hours after an eight-hour rest. Drivers have either a 14 or 15-hour window to drive their allowed 10 or 11 hours. 

After driving for eight hours, a driver transporting products needs to take a 30-minute break from driving. They can still be on duty during the break. They just can’t be behind the wheel.

During a seven-day period, drivers can’t be behind the wheel for more than 60 hours. In an eight-day period, they can’t drive for more than 70 hours. Taking at least 34 consecutive hours off allows a driver to reset the clock on the 60 or 70-hour drive limitation.

Drivers can comply with the hours-of-service regulations by using electronic logging devices (ELDs). A mandate requires drivers to use ELDs to track their driver time and ensure they aren’t on the road for longer than allowed. 

How to Comply With Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports

FMCSA regulations require drivers to inspect their vehicles before driving for the day. Drivers also have to inspect their vehicles and fill out a report at the end of the day or after each trip. These reports are called Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR). 

Even if the FMCSA didn’t require DVIRs, having drivers inspect their trucks before and after trips is a good idea. Regular inspections allow drivers to detect safety issues or problems before they can cause considerable damage or lead to a crash or injury. Filling out DVIRs regularly will help drivers recognize things that are out of the ordinary with their vehicle quickly. 

If a driver is on the road, they can get stopped by a DOT agent. The agent will use a DVIR checklist when inspecting the truck. If the agent finds an issue that the driver didn’t notice or didn’t bother to repair, the fleet operator and driver can be subject to fines, and the motor vehicle won’t pass inspection. 

Some of the steps found on the DVIR include checking the truck’s:

  • Battery
  • Air compressor
  • Brakes and accessories
  • Fifth wheel
  • Engine
  • Mirrors
  • Tires and wheels
  • Muffler
  • Oil pressure
  • Steering
  • Windows
  • Transmission
  • Lights
  • Mirrors
  • Windshield wipers
  • Safety equipment

The checklist also includes items that should be checked on the trailer, if there is one, such as the trailer’s wheels and tires, brakes and coupling pin.

When completing a DVIR, the driver should provide details about any issues in the remarks section. They also need to state whether the vehicle is safe to drive or if repairs must be made before the truck is taken on the road again. If problems get fixed, both the driver and the mechanic must sign and date the report.

How to Comply With International Fuel Tax Agreement Reporting

Before the early 1980s, drivers had to get fuel tax permits for each state they operated their trucks in. They had to display their permits on a license plate attached to the truck. Getting the correct permits was a complicated process. The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) sought to simplify things.

The lower 48 states and 10 Canadian provinces have adopted IFTA. Alaska and the Canadian territories also use it. Under the IFTA, drivers of certain vehicles need to complete an IFTA report every quarter. They need to log the number of miles driven, their fuel purchases and the locations where they bought fuel. 

A driver submits the report, plus receipts for gas purchases, to their local IFTA office each quarter. The IFTA office decides which provinces and states get fuel taxes based on how many miles truckers drive on the road. 

Remembering to log hours and purchases can get complicated, particularly if a driver does it after the fact. GPS tracking makes it easier for drives to keep tabs on where they drove and accurately record that information on their IFTA report.

How to Get Good Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) Scores

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) conducts roadside inspections to identify which motor carriers pose the biggest safety risk and evaluate carriers’ safety performance. The CSA’s program is meant to keep fleets and carriers, rather than individual drivers, in check. If a CSA inspector notes numerous issues during a roadside inspection, it’s the carrier that will face the consequences, not the driver.

The CSA SMS uses seven categories, called Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs), to determine safety on the road. Knowing the criteria of each category can help you improve your CSA score. 

  • Vehicle maintenance: Properly maintaining a CMV is key to its safe operation. During an investigation, a carrier might have to provide roadside inspection reports, maintenance logs, vehicle inspection reports and DVIRs. Violations in this category can affect a carrier’s score for 24 months
  • Driver fitness: Driver fitness falls into three categories: training, medical qualifications and experience. A driver who doesn’t have the proper license for the vehicle they’re operating or who’s deemed medically unfit to drive can affect a carrier’s CSA score. It’s essential to have your drivers complete the right training programs, provide proof of license and undergo medical evaluations as needed.
  • Unsafe driving: Drivers who speed, skip stop signs or otherwise violate the rules of the road are unsafe. Monitoring your driver’s speeds is one way to keep hazardous driving in check and minimize its impact on your score.
  • Controlled substances: Drivers need to be drug and alcohol-free while on the road. An inspector might ask a driver to take a drug or alcohol test or require carriers to provide the results of tests.
  • Crash indicator: The crash indicator BASIC logs the number of crashes or collisions a carrier has had and the intensity of those accidents. 
  • Hours-of-Service compliance: The CSA also examines a carrier’s HOS logs to ensure that its drivers aren’t staying on the road for longer than allowed. Hours-of-service compliance also requires a carrier to provide proof of the logs. 
  • Hazardous material compliance: Hazardous materials need to be appropriately labeled and contained. To comply, you need to know the rules for the specific materials your drivers are transporting.

The ideal CSA score is zero or very close to it. The closer your score is to 100, the more safety issues the SMS program has detected. You’ll likely see lower insurance premiums and fewer inspections if you have a lower score. Having a low score also helps to improve your fleet’s reputation, leading to more business.

How to Conduct Pre-Employment Checks

Your fleet’s drivers play a major role in overall safety. Their behavior on the road and off also affect your company’s reputation. Before hiring anyone, it’s crucial to conduct a pre-employment screening. FMCSA regulations require employers to gather specific information on drivers before they’re hired.

Screening a potential driver involves attaining their driving history and accident record. You can examine their crash data to see if they are likely to drive unsafely. Reviewing any roadside inspection reports involving the potential new hire gives you an idea of whether they have a history of due diligence and maintenance

Drug and alcohol screenings should also be part of the pre-employment check. You can have potential hires take a drug test. You can also search in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to find any past violations.

Track Your Trucks to Stay Compliant

GPS fleet tracking software helps you see where your drivers go each day and can help you comply with FMCSA’s regulations. Fleet tracking systems from Track Your Truck also help you streamline your operations while staying compliant. We are committed to providing quality tracking systems for your fleet and have more than 23 years of experience in vehicle tracking. Call us at 888-434-3846 or request a quote today.

Managing a fleet of company vehicles comes with many challenges and great responsibility. In addition to keeping track of your deliveries, appointments and goods, you also need to oversee maintenance and driver safety and protect your assets. If one of your drivers gets into an accident while on the road, you can risk paying out of pocket to cover damages, medical expenses and replacement costs for your vehicles. 

With fleet insurance, you can protect your assets — and your drivers — under one broad policy while meeting the specific needs of your business. However, as with any business expense, it’s a good idea to shop around and see where you can acquire price reductions on your insurance costs. Let’s explore how GPS tracking and fleet management software can help you keep your costs to a minimum and what you need to consider for fleet insurance. 

What You Need to Know for Fleet Insurance

When choosing fleet insurance, it’s important to consider what risks are associated with your assets to determine what’s best for your fleet. Before we get into the types of commercial fleet coverage, let’s cover some FAQs you may have about how to choose the right insurance for your company vehicles. 

What Is Commercial Fleet Insurance For?

Commercial fleet insurance works similarly to regular auto insurance — covering liability risks regarding theft and accidents. However, there are a few different qualifications. For example, every insurance provider has varying policies and definitions for fleets. 

Some insurance companies will require a minimum of two vehicles to provide coverage, while others require at least five. If you’re a small business, you should shop around and see which providers can work with your fleet, especially if you plan to expand your company. 

How Much Does Fleet Insurance Cost?

Your fleet insurance cost will depend on a few different factors. Usually, the number of vehicles you need to insure will be the most significant factor. 

Insurance companies will also consider the following items:

  • Type of vehicles: While passenger cars are often the cheapest to insure, you’ll most likely use vans, trucks or SUVs for your business, which can be more expensive. 
  • Age and condition of the vehicles: Brand new or custom fleet vehicles will usually be more expensive to cover because they cost more to repair than used or older vehicles. 
  • Intended use of the vehicles: Vehicles used for delivering goods often sit at the highest rates, while those used for retail services are in the middle range and service-oriented jobs (such as locksmiths and plumbers) pay the lowest. 

If your business uses trucks in your fleet, they will also fall into different categories:

  • Light: These trucks must weigh less than 10,000 pounds. The types of light trucks usually include flatbeds and pickup trucks and full-size vans.
  • Medium: Medium trucks fit in a category of mid-sized vehicles, like refrigerated trucks, between the weight range of 10,000-20,000 pounds.
  • Heavy: Heavy trucks are usually reserved for construction vehicles and tractor-trailers that exceed 20,000 pounds. 

Another factor that can influence the cost of your fleet insurance is how comprehensive your policy is, which we’ll get into a bit later. However, if you have a large fleet, you may want the extra coverage to protect your assets in case of accidents. Before you can get an estimate for your insurance, you’ll need to gather some information.

What Should You Have On Hand When Looking for a Fleet Insurance Estimate?

When shopping around for insurance, you can make the process much simpler and faster if you know what information insurance companies need ahead of time to provide you with a quote. You’ll need some specific details about your company’s vehicles and employees to help answer questions, such as:

  • How many vehicles do you have in your fleet?
  • How old are your fleet vehicles?
  • What is the condition of your fleet vehicles?
  • What will you use your vehicles for?
  • How often will your employees use your vehicles?
  • Are all your employees and vehicle operators legally licensed?
  • Do you keep your fleet vehicles in a secure location?

Keep in mind that the answers to these questions will affect the price of your premium, so you should be honest to get the most realistic quote for your business. When it comes to your drivers, insurance providers may also ask about their years of experience and driving histories or records to see if any of your employees may pose a risk on the road.

Types of Fleet Insurance Coverage 

Under state and federal regulations, businesses must carry liability insurance if using commercial fleet vehicles. Liability coverage covers a broad range of situations under property damage, bodily injury or a combination of both. However, the minimum coverage amount varies from state to state. You can check your state’s requirements to ensure your business maintains compliance and avoids penalties regarding insurance. 

While the minimum commercial fleet insurance coverage will fulfill your legal requirements, it’s also a good idea to see how you can further protect your assets by adding on additional coverage. Depending on the policy and coverage you choose, your fleet insurance will include collision and liability coverage. 

Bodily Injury Liability

Bodily injury coverage will cover damages and costs if a driver in your fleet is at fault for injuring another person with your company vehicle. Usually, this type of coverage also includes legal defense expenses. 

Property Damage Liability 

Similar to bodily injury coverage, property damage liability policies will cover legal defense funds and expenses if a vehicle in your fleet damages someone’s personal property. 

Combined Single Limit (CSL) Liability 

This type of coverage combines your policies by offering one umbrella limit for property damage and bodily injury claims against your company’s fleet instead of two separate overall limits. You’ll have the same dollar amount coverage limit for any instance that falls within those two categories. 

Physical Damage Coverage

While liability coverage covers you if your drivers cause an accident, it doesn’t cover damage expenses due to storms, falling trees or flying debris. Physical damage coverage will protect your fleet vehicles from things like vandalism, theft, extreme weather damage and other situations that could harm your vehicle. 

Physical damage coverage usually includes collision and comprehensive car insurance that protects against various types of physical damage to your fleet. 

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Despite the risk, many people on the road are uninsured. If a vehicle in your fleet gets involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, this coverage option can protect your assets and prevent you from paying for expenses out of pocket, such as medical costs and repairs. 

In the U.S., 12.6% of drivers did not have auto insurance in 2019. There’s plenty of risk on the road should one of your drivers get into a collision with an uninsured driver — you’ll have to pay for all the damage. This type of risk can affect your company’s bottom line, so it’s essential to consider this accident coverage.

Tips for Managing Fleet Insurance

Finding the right policy and coverage for your fleet is only the first step. Once your vehicles are insured, it’s a good idea to check your policy regularly. 

Every policy is different, so it’s important to check if your fleet insurance covers your entire team, including all your operators. Some policies also require you to list every employee who is authorized to operate the vehicles in your fleet, so you should also keep track of everyone on your policy. 

Another critical tip is to notify your insurance provider if you have any staff changes, such as new hires. Keep in mind that you will need to renew your fleet insurance monthly, semi-annually or annually, depending on your policy. There are many things to stay on top of when purchasing fleet insurance, and it’s critical that your policy remains valid and protects your assets. 

To help manage your insurance and other aspects of your fleet, it’s a good idea to add fleet management and tracking software to help you monitor your vehicles, drivers and insurance. Taking simple precautions with your fleet, such as prioritizing safe driving and training practices and upholding safety standards, can help your drivers remain as safe as possible. These measures can go a long way to help keep your premiums low, so it’s important to:

  • Only employ qualified, licensed and certified drivers and review their records yearly.
  • Offer incentives and rewards to employees for maintaining excellent driving records.
  • Always maintain compliance when it comes to fleet safety.
  • Regularly review safety protocols and routine vehicle inspections with your drivers.

In addition to maintaining safety practices, you can also look at your policy when you renew it to see what your options are for lowering your premium. Insurance companies certainly prefer safe drivers, so showing your drivers’ records or installing GPS tracking to prove they follow the rules of the road can also positively impact your ability to achieve a lower rate.

How You Can Use Software to Lower Your Insurance Costs

If you have mobile employees, insurance is essential to protect your business in the case of claims or accidents. While fleet insurance policies can be more expensive if you have a large fleet with many assets, there are ways you can lower your insurance costs. 

Thanks to advanced technology, you can use GPS fleet tracking to keep your premiums low while improving driver safety. GPS fleet tracking is safe and easy to use, and your insurance company may even offer you a discount for adding it. With GPS tracking, you can see where your vehicles are at all times, ensure your drivers know how to find their way and offer them the safest, fastest routes. 

Here are some ways this software can help you lower your insurance costs. 

Reduce Risk of Theft

A GPS tracking system can qualify as an anti-theft device in some cases, which can make you eligible for an insurance discount. Demonstrating that you’re responsible with your vehicles and have an added layer of security will benefit you, your drivers and your insurance company. Commercial vehicles, especially those that deliver goods, can be worth thousands of dollars, making them targets for burglars. 

In 2019, over 720,00 vehicles were stolen, creating about $6 billion in losses. With GPS fleet tracking, you can monitor your vehicle’s location 24/7 and recover them if they get stolen. 

Enhance Maintenance Practices

Insurance companies know that well-maintained vehicles are safer and have less risk of wearing or breaking down. If you forego regular maintenance and inspections, you can run into operational issues, failures and even accidents. This type of negligence creates a high risk for your drivers and insurance company. 

With GPS monitoring, you can set up real-time alerts to get notified of any inspections coming up for your vehicles or when they need maintenance. GPS tracking allows you to automate your maintenance and provides you with more awareness that decreases your fleet’s risk of breakdowns and accidents, which may help you become eligible for discounts and lower premiums. 

Safer Driving Habits 

GPS tracking encourages safer driving habits, which is vital for keeping your drivers — and others — safe on the road by reducing accidents. Live tracking software also helps you monitor your employees’ hours, mileage, speed, braking and acceleration rates and idle time. 

GPS tracking will also provide incentives for your drivers to be at their best behind the wheel when they know they’re being monitored, which can also lower your premiums. Some GPS tracking can even come with dashcam features. In the event of an accident or claim, your driver can pull up the footage to prove they weren’t at fault, which can stop your premiums from rising and costing you more money. 

Improve Compliance

Complying with DOT regulations and maintaining compliance can also lead to savings on your insurance premiums. Using GPS tracking, you can monitor your driver logs, compliance reports and maintenance details to show the safety history of your fleet. In addition, prioritizing safe driving and reducing insurance claims can also help improve your Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) score. CSA scores can influence the price of your insurance premiums, so GPS tracking can help you stay on track. 

Eliminate Unauthorized Use

Your drivers should only use your fleet vehicles for their intended purpose within your business operations. Without GPS tracking, you would never know if your employees are using your company vehicles to take detours while on the job or making personal stops on the way to appointments. With GPS tracking, you can reduce unauthorized use of your fleet vehicles to help lower your insurance premiums.

Save on Insurance Premiums With Track Your Truck 

At Track Your Truck, we offer the latest technology to provide you with efficient, cost-effective GPS tracking solutions. Implementing the right resources in your company will help you improve safety, monitor your driver’s habits and prioritize vehicle maintenance. We can provide you with the fleet solutions and tools you need, from fleet management software to dashcams to dispatching features. 

We want to help your business promote a safer fleet culture and help you avoid costly expenses from damages, theft or collisions. To learn more about the solutions we offer, you can browse our truck tracking products. If you’re ready to see how fleet tracking can help lower your insurance costs, we also invite you to request a quote online.

When you want to understand how much value you’re getting out of your fleet and your contracts, you need to know your trucking cost per mile. Your variable and fixed costs play a role in your expenses per mile, and you’ll likely want to be more aware of how much you’re spending for every mile your drivers travel. By knowing your expenses at this granular level, you can better understand your primary costs and make more accurate bids for new contracts.

Find out more about what trucking cost per mile calculators are and why they matter. You might also be interested in learning how to calculate cost per mile and the ways fleet management software can help.

What Is Included in a Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculation?

A trucking cost per mile calculation examines your expenses to determine how much it costs to operate and maintain your fleet’s vehicles on a per-mile basis. Typical items involved in calculating cost per mile include fuel, maintenance, driver and non-driver compensation, insurance and variable driving expenses. By figuring out your cost per mile, you have a much more detailed view of what expenses are affecting your bottom line. 

Why Do Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculators Matter?

When you employ a trucking cost per mile, you can better define your return on investment for every job your fleet handles. Alongside helping you identify your ROI, it enables you to make more accurate bids on the loads you hope to haul. Since trucking companies often operate on thin margins, you need a comprehensive idea of your total cost of ownership to take steps to reduce it.

Understanding Cost Per Mile

As you attempt to determine your costs per mile, it’s crucial to understand what factors go into calculating them. Figuring out your costs per mile starts by assessing your expenses. You can place these into two categories — variable costs and fixed costs. Fixed costs refer to expenses that occur regularly without any changes. Primary types of fixed costs include insurance, taxes and permits. 

In contrast, variable costs refer to expenses that fluctuate based on factors like your fleet’s use, efficiency and size. Significant sources of variable expenses include maintenance and fuel, as an area’s gas prices can change without warning, and unexpected repairs can spring up from time to time. Other variable costs can also include tolls, drivers’ wages and replacement parts. 

How to Calculate Trucking Cost Per Mile

How to Calculate Trucking Cost Per Mile 

Calculating your cost per mile is a reasonably straightforward equation after you determine your variable and fixed costs. All you have to do is add these two numbers, then divide the answer by your miles traveled. The total will be your cost per mile.

Why Companies Turn to Fleet Tracking Software to Help Them Determine Their Trucking Cost Per Mile

While the equation for calculating your cost per mile is simple, many companies struggle to make reliable calculations. One significant reason for this inaccuracy is a company’s inability to determine its overall variable costs. If you lack a central location for storing your data and the capabilities to record costs, you’ll probably have incorrect information about your variable cost totals, thus leading to imprecise calculations about your trucking costs per mile.

Since correct information about variable and fixed costs is critical to receiving accurate results, your trucking company might want to consider using fleet tracking software. With this solution, trucking companies can keep more accurate records by using devices to track their fleet and place all the gathered data in a centralized platform. 

Fleet managers can use the software to track all their trucking costs and analyze them to see where they could improve. Centralized data also helps companies quickly calculate their fixed and variable costs and receive more accurate trucking cost per mile results. Some software programs even allow users to automate many central processes to make the calculation process faster and more accurate.

How Truck Tracking Software Can Reduce Costs

While it’s critical to calculate your cost per mile, you probably also want to lower your expenses. Besides helping you more easily calculate your expenses, fleet management software makes it easier for you to reduce your overall costs, resulting in a lower cost per mile. Review some of the top ways you can use fleet management software to minimize your expenses below.

  • Improve fleet safety: Keep track of your drivers’ habits by using fleet management software. If a driver constantly speeds or exhibits other dangerous behaviors, your team can address the issue and ensure your drivers always operate their trucks safely. Improving in this area can reduce variable costs from accidents, tickets and repairs.
  • Optimize routes: When drivers take longer or more dangerous paths to get to their destination, your fleet’s expenses will increase. Fleet management software helps you optimize your fleet’s routes by giving you the tools to plan the best paths for drivers to take. By getting to destinations faster and ensuring drivers go on the safest routes, you can reduce expenses related to fuel, delivery delays and accidents.
  • Reduce fuel costs: Fleet management software can also control fuel waste to reduce your fuel costs. This software can identify when a truck idles for extended periods or a driver operates their vehicle in a way that increases fuel consumption. By having this information at your disposal, you can identify drivers who tend to waste gas and help them engage in best practices to reduce fuel waste.
  • Eliminate unauthorized use: Some drivers like to take advantage of their company’s trucks by using them on side jobs. When drivers use your vehicles for unauthorized trips, they raise the chance of accidents occurring and the truck needing maintenance sooner than you planned. Fleet management software often connects with real-time GPS tracking devices, letting you see where your trucks are and ensure drivers only use them for authorized activities.

Choose Track Your Truck for Your Fleet Tracking Needs

Learn more about fleet management software today

Since accurately calculating your cost per mile can help you plan for the future and get more value from your fleet, you might be interested in fleet management software. At Track Your Truck, we make tracking your expenses easy with our software and GPS tracking devices. Our innovative vehicle tracking system makes it simple for you to spot inefficiencies and excess costs. Reduce your expenses, increase your ROI and get more value for every mile your drivers travel.

Learn more about our fleet management software today. If you have any questions, please free to request a demo or a free quote.

Why you need a strong trucking safety culture

If safety isn’t second nature to every driver in your fleet, you might want to look at the company’s safety culture. Strong safety culture is the backbone of a safe workplace, providing the direction everyone strives to follow. It’s more than just implementing safety policies — it’s about developing the mindsets that drive the business forward. Everything from purchasing decisions to routine inspections should occur within a robust safety policy.

Let’s look at what a strong trucking safety culture can do for your fleet.

What Is Trucking Safety Culture?

Safety culture refers to how people in the company perceive safety. Their values, attitudes and beliefs determine how they behave and whether they prioritize safety during the workday. A crucial part of safety culture is how these ideas fit in every part of the company, from the seasonal help to the CEO. 

Is safety at the foundation of administrative decisions, or is it an afterthought? Do employees take precautions to avoid discipline or out of a genuine desire to keep themselves and others safe?

Safety is a foundational part of all business practices in a company with a strong safety culture. It underpins everything the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and other regulators look for. Violations from these organizations are often symptoms of a much larger, underlying problem — a lack of safety culture in the business. When safety culture is present, violations tend to fall away since the correct, safe processes become foundational to the company’s operations.

A business with trucks depends heavily on its drivers’ behaviors. A significant part of trucking safety culture is addressing driver actions and beliefs, such as education, monitoring and accountability. Other essential parts of trucking safety culture include equipment and process safety. Trucks must be well-maintained to avoid breakdowns or accidents and outfitted with appropriate safety devices. Workplace procedures, like determining routes and conducting inspections, should be performed with safety front and center.

Trucking safety culture looks different for each fleet, but it ensures all employees behave safely, understand why and help others adopt safe behaviors. Poor safety culture has repercussions for the company, its employees and the people they share the highway with.

What Are the Benefits of Good Safety Culture in Trucking?

What Are the Benefits of Good Safety Culture in Trucking?

Safety culture’s importance ripples into virtually every part of the company, offering the following advantages:

1. Protecting Against Litigation

Nuclear verdicts — those in which the jury awards $10 million or more — are on the rise, and average verdict costs are up. Safety culture and the robust reporting that comes with it can help you avoid these outcomes and minor settlements that could add up. Companies with strong safety cultures work proactively to prevent these issues, but they’re also prepared if they occur. A safe fleet spends time on maintenance, inspections, hiring and training, all of which provide documentation to support a court case.

An exemplary safety program complete with thorough records and employee buy-in can help you prove your company’s commitment to safety. This information must be in place long before litigation occurs, as anything after that is too little, too late.

Safety culture can also help lower the costs of litigation protection. Most fleets turn to their insurance companies for help during settlements, but coverage can be expensive. Many parts of fleet safety, such as dashcams and smart-tracking technology, can help reduce insurance premiums.

2. Improving Compliance

Regulated industries must always be ready for inspections or audits. If you have a strong safety culture, it’s harder to get violations because safety is a major part of the workday. Safe behaviors and procedures are baked into every element of the company, protecting you during audits and helping you avoid them entirely. Typically, something triggers Department of Transportation (DOT) audits. With fewer potential triggers, you lessen your chance of an audit.

A poor safety rating is a significant blow for many fleets. It may also come with civil penalties. A bad enough audit could get a fleet shut down. If not, it might receive a conditional rating to stay operational while fixing the issues. Conditionally rated carriers are often considered less-than-ideal service providers. Many customers won’t do business with them at all, and insurance companies may charge higher premiums.

If you do get audited, your commitment to safety should be ever-present. It can play a significant role in convincing an auditor that your company deserves a good safety rating. Say there’s an incident where a driver’s speed comes into question, but the driver is adamant that he wasn’t driving over the speed limit. A company monitoring speeding behaviors can turn to the driver’s long track record of following the law or the many training modules taken on careful driving to support their case to an auditor.

Improving Compliance

Meeting safety standards is key to successful operations, but safety culture helps you go beyond the bare minimum and improve performance through foundational attitudes.

3. Retaining Employees and Boosting Satisfaction

The percentage of employees quoting unsafe environments as the reason for leaving is rising faster than those citing other environmental factors. Another popular reason for leaving is a mismatch between the employee and the organizational culture. Improving your safety culture is a great way to address both concerns.

No one wants to go to work every day feeling like they could get hurt on the job. Those people might feel their employer doesn’t care about them and aren’t very attached to the job or the company as a result. Employees can often tell when employers don’t have their best interests at heart, and workers are more than ready to quit their jobs if they aren’t satisfied — “quit rates” are now much higher than they’ve been in the last two decades.

Employee retention is a multifaceted part of business, but making the workplace safe is vital. This goal includes everything from ideas and policies to safe, dependable trucks. Yet safety policies, procedures and trucks aren’t enough. If the workplace is safe, but employees don’t understand or value the reasons behind the safe behaviors, they might feel frustrated and unsure why they perform tasks.

Consider a trucker who is annoyed with her daily inspection. She might see it as a waste of time and fail to assess the truck thoroughly, even though her report has all the right boxes checked. If she knows how her inspection keeps her and other drivers safe, she’s likely to take it more seriously and enjoy the autonomous, active role she plays in fleet safety and health.

Safety culture can extend beyond the workplace. Some businesses implement personal health programs with incentives or resources to support individual health, such as preventative care and weight loss. An employee might learn more about taking care of themselves, allowing them to stay healthier and potentially reduce sick days. Similarly, education about fire safety could help a homeowner protect his house and family, giving him a greater appreciation for his workplace.

4. Supporting Continuous Improvement

If your fleet is working toward continuous improvement, a culture of safety can help. Fleet safety typically involves thorough inspections, reports and assessments to help you identify areas for further improvement. Safety culture can offer a wealth of information to support further safety improvements or other operational goals.

Detailed equipment data could help you spot repair needs sooner or implement more effective maintenance practices based on real-world usage. Administrators conducting regular knowledge checks may identify a gap in understanding and adjust training methods accordingly. Policies rewarding employee vigilance could encourage a driver to come forward with a safety issue. Overall, a culture of safety fosters improvement across many areas of the workplace.

When you tighten your standards and only hire workers with safe records, you also improve overall staff quality. A safety-focused work environment allows these skilled employees to work off of each other, encouraging safe behaviors and fostering a collective positive attitude toward safety. It may even improve team bonding as drivers train and learn to look out for each other. For example, senior drivers might help young recruits learn more about staying safe because they value it and see it as an integral part of the job.

A culture of safety builds on the team’s knowledge and mindset, and a high-quality team is a huge benefit for companies focused on improving every day.

5. Improving Performance

However it’s used, fleet safety culture falls back on employee knowledge. Behind every safe behavior is confidence and appreciation for the task. Employee training can improve performance by developing the skills needed for a task, but company culture also plays a prominent role. 

Improving Performance

Instilling positive attitudes about safety helps employees feel supported and capable. They can work more confidently and understand the whole picture of safety. When employees understand the “why” of what they’re doing, they’re more empowered to make better, faster decisions.

Say a driver is assigned a specific route but knows he can finish the trip faster by cutting through a busier highway. Without more context, he might take the riskier path, endangering himself and others, or become frustrated with an employer he thinks is wasting time. If he understands safe route planning and why that decision was made, he might happily take the assigned, safer route and contribute to the company’s dedication to safety.

Another way safety culture can help with performance is through a more predictable, efficient workplace and lower accident rates. Safety factors into schedules, protective equipment is standard, and response plans are in place for incidents. Preparation like preventative maintenance software and well-cleaned garages can help stop unexpected injuries and the downtime that comes with them. 

Working safely means you frequently reap other benefits of proactive behaviors, like a well-maintained vehicle that runs better or a faster onboarding process.

In short, more predictable, dependable and efficient operations are a byproduct of proactive safety culture.

6. Boosting Competitiveness

Stellar safety ratings are excellent for your reputation. They can help you bring in more customers and prove your reliability to your existing partners. Easy compliance and good safety help your customers stay far away from scandals, and fewer incidents mean fewer delays. 

Strong safety culture is easy to spot, and it can give you a leg up on the competition.

7. Reducing Costs

Many of these benefits translate into lower costs. While investments in safety sometimes seem like extra expenses, they usually offer exceptional returns on investment, something we frequently see in studies. Some ways safety culture might help your bottom line include:

  • Equipment performance and life span: Safe equipment needs regular inspections, making it easy to catch problems before they cause expensive repairs. It also contributes to better maintenance to improve the equipment’s life span.
  • Fewer violations and less litigation: Safety culture can avoid or mitigate the costs of penalties and legal fees. If litigation or audits occur, safety practices can quickly show your commitment to safety. These practices can also help you save on labor hours and legal fees by getting the process done faster.
  • Fewer workers’ compensation claims: By reducing incident rates, companies can save on costly workers’ compensation payouts.
  • Less turnover: Turnover can cost between one-half and two times an employee’s annual salary, so creating a better environment for worker retention can translate to business savings.
  • Less absenteeism: Whether due to injury, illness or something else, the costs of absenteeism add up. Safety culture can help reduce it by providing safer, healthier workplaces. When managers understand the importance of health and safety through accommodations and flexible policies, they can also prevent the ripple effect of employees working when sick, injured or otherwise unable to work safely.
  • More business: The new business you drum up with a positive reputation can help increase profits and retain valuable customers.
  • Fewer unexpected interruptions: Injuries and illness interrupt the typical workflow. Avoiding them can help you minimize downtime.
  • Lower insurance premiums: Certain safety tools and policies can help reduce premiums. A wide-reaching culture of safety can reduce incident rates and minimize risk in the eyes of your insurer.
Implementing the Right Resources for Trucking Safety Culture

Implementing the Right Resources for Trucking Safety Culture

Now that you know just how valuable safety culture can be, you might be ready to make some changes. Fortunately, there are multiple ways you can improve fleet safety. These strategies include establishing incentives, prioritizing maintenance and monitoring driving habits.

Track Your Truck has provided quality fleet safety tools and tracking solutions since 1998, with an extensive catalog of tracking devices and fleet management software to help. From dashcams and vehicle trackers to maintenance, dispatching and monitoring software, our quality solutions can help you pave the way to safer fleet culture. Browse our truck tracking products online, or request a quote to learn more.

Each day, your fleet drivers perform their tasks like clockwork. Whether they’re making deliveries to clients or hauling freight hundreds of miles away, your drivers have their work cut out for them to stay safe and efficient. One of the best ways to improve safety and efficiency every day is with a vehicle pre-trip inspection checklist. 

A pre-trip inspection checklist provides many benefits to your drivers. A proper checklist combined with a modern cataloging process can benefit your entire business, too. Read on to learn the essential parts of every pre-trip checklist: 

1. Odometer Readings

At the top of your driver’s pre-trip inspection checklist should be checking and recording the odometer reading. You’ll be able to compare this number to the reading at the end of the trip to ensure your drivers are completing their trips in the shortest route possible, which can save your company money on fuel costs. 

Checking the odometer also helps you keep track of your preventive maintenance schedule. If you know your trucks need an oil change or any other type of maintenance after a certain number of miles, the odometer reading will tell you without any question whether it’s time to bring a truck into the shop. 

2. Key Safety Features

The pre-trip inspection is the perfect opportunity for your driver to inspect their vehicle’s safety features. These features can be the difference between life and death when your drivers are on the open road, especially during times of inclement weather. Make sure your pre-trip checklist includes the following:

  • Check the load security to ensure safe transport. 
  • Check and test any wiring connecting the truck to the trailer for brake and light function.
  • Test the functioning of all seat belts. 
  • Make sure doors open and close properly. 
  • Test windshield wipers to ensure clear sight during rain or snow.
  • Check mirrors and put them in the proper positions for clear sight around the vehicle. 
  • Make sure there is an emergency medical kit on hand. 

3. Tires

A comprehensive pre-trip checklist is full of important safety checks, and one of the most important of these is checking the vehicle’s tires. Tires are the key to getting each driver to their destination. Making sure your fleet’s tires are in good shape can prevent downtime and increase driver safety. 

When inspecting tires before a trip, drivers should check for proper pounds per square inch (PSI) of inflation. This will ensure the longevity of the tires while also helping your vehicles get more efficient gas mileage. Drivers should also inspect the tire tread depth. Good tread helps tires have more traction on the road and ensures the tires stay far from balding and blowing out. 

4. Lights and Reflectors

If your fleet will be on the road throughout the night, functioning lights and reflectors are a must. Make sure you include checking these features on your drivers’ pre-trip checklist. Your drivers will encounter other people during their travels, and it’s important these other drivers can easily see your fleet on the road. 

On the darkest nights, civilian drivers will rely on the full visibility of your fleet for a safe trip to their destinations. Likewise, your fleet drivers want to reach clients on time without any accidents. Have your drivers check all lights and reflectors before getting behind the wheel to ensure maximum security during transit. 

Taking a walk around the vehicle and giving it a visual inspection is an important and often overlooked part of pre-trip inspections.

5. Overall Vehicle Condition

This may sound basic, but taking a walk around the vehicle and giving it a visual inspection is an important and often overlooked part of pre-trip inspections. Your drivers should get into the habit of checking the body of their vehicle for scratches, dents and other issues. 

Making notes and taking pictures of these possible safety concerns can help drivers manage their safety liability and prevent more serious issues while on the road. This is also crucial if your drivers spend lengths of time parked or if drivers change vehicles at any time. Tracking the chain of custody with visual inspections will let you know when the damage occurred and help you fix any safety issues as soon as possible. 

6. Fluids

Always make sure your fleet’s fluids are at appropriate levels like you would with your personal vehicles. Keeping track of fluids like engine oil, coolant and windshield washer fluid could make the difference between a vehicle that performs well on every trip and one that is constantly breaking down. Minimize repairs and keep your drivers as efficient as possible by making fluid checks a part of your pre-trip checklist. 

7. Battery

Every vehicle pre-trip inspection checklist should also include inspecting the battery. Your drivers may assume their vehicle’s batteries are fine if the vehicle starts. And while this does mean the battery is functioning, inspecting the battery can reveal other issues that could lead to unnecessary downtime. 

Have your drivers check the battery mounting hardware, cables and terminals before every trip. Doing this will allow drivers to detect signs of corrosion and establish better connections where loose connections may be. Every driver should document any voltage issues so your maintenance crew can address the issue as soon as possible. 

8. Brakes

Functioning brakes are essential for every moving vehicle on the road. This is even more true for operations that rely on fleets of vehicles to stay in business. Your pre-trip checklist must include a comprehensive brake inspection to ensure the safety of your drivers — and other drivers — when going from point A to point B. 

If your drivers discover any issues during the brake inspection, they can document them and let maintenance know. This can decrease downtime and ensure your drivers stay as safe as possible. The last thing you want is a faulty set of brakes when one of your drivers needs them most. 
 

Tracking Your Trucks Just Got Easier

Bring your crew into the 21st century with fleet tracking systems from Track Your Truck. Our comprehensive truck tracking services give you the ability to track your vehicles in real-time and discover insights to streamline your operations. Request a quote today and take the next step toward upgrading your trucks!

Managing a fleet of trucks requires diligent attention to your maintenance program. From daily inspections to scheduled maintenance to ongoing repairs, fleet managers have many responsibilities to consider. By leveraging fleet maintenance software, managers can drastically improve their workflows.

This guide to fleet maintenance management will help you develop a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan to keep your trucks in safe and optimal working condition. We’ll share some of the benefits of automation and GPS technology that help streamline your maintenance efforts, saving you time and money.

Goals of Truck Fleet Maintenance

To develop a comprehensive trucking fleet maintenance plan, managers need to understand the goals of preventive maintenance. If you’re a fleet maintenance manager, your responsibilities extend beyond the fleet to the company’s entire bottom line. From customer service to employee engagement to brand reputation, fleet maintenance management can have a major impact on the entire business.

Fleet managers have certain key performance indicators (KPIs) they use to measure success, with operating costs, safety records and productivity being a few of them. By getting clear on the biggest objectives of fleet maintenance, managers can position their efforts toward achieving goals that play a major role in the overall company’s vision.

These are the two main goals of truck fleet maintenance for managers to consider.

1. Prevent Downtime

When managing a fleet of vehicles, a team can experience two types of downtime 一 planned and unplanned. Planned downtime occurs when a fleet vehicle is out of order for scheduled maintenance. Planned, maintenance-related downtime can be factored into the operating budget, giving managers room to reschedule deliveries or servicing appointments and implement a backup plan while a vehicle is out of commission. Unplanned downtime is a sudden and unscheduled interruption in productivity due to unforeseen or unaccounted for maintenance issues or accidents.

Downtime is a major resource drain on all businesses that manage a fleet of trucks. Unproductive downtime can quickly rack up costs, creating a ripple effect that eats into other areas of the operating budget. Downtime halts productivity while the vehicle gets serviced and can result in significant replacement or repair costs, which can be especially detrimental to small businesses.

Adequately managing truck fleet maintenance will result in better adherence to service intervals and routine maintenance to mitigate the risk of unplanned downtime. Keeping a high rate of uptime by pre-planning maintenance activities should be the biggest priority for truck fleet maintenance managers.

2. Increase Vehicle Life Span

Investing in fleet vehicles is a massive asset that business owners want to maximize. Getting the most out of your fleet vehicles will optimize your return on investment, allowing you to benefit from your vehicle for as long as possible. The quality and consistency of maintenance greatly determine how long a fleet vehicle will last.

While many businesses choose to liquidate their fleet vehicles at a particular milestone, such as at 100,000 miles, extending your vehicle’s service life for as long as possible is still important. This is especially important during times of economic stagnation when investing in a new fleet vehicle isn’t feasible. Adhering to high maintenance standards for your fleet vehicles will also reduce their depreciation rate and help your assets retain a higher value, which you can leverage at resale time.

Automating your preventive maintenance can help your business achieve these two crucial goals. Learn how to develop a maintenance plan depending on the type of vehicles you have and how Track Your Truck’s GPS tracking technology can help streamline routine fleet maintenance.

Developing a Truck Fleet Maintenance Strategy

Though all fleet managers share the same primary goals of preventing downtime and extending the service life of their vehicles, the strategy used to achieve these goals can differ broadly between fleets. Fleet maintenance managers should develop their fleet maintenance strategy based on the vehicle class and the type of wear and tear most likely to occur to these vehicles.

Discover what to prioritize when developing your truck fleet maintenance strategy for light-duty, medium- and heavy-duty and specialty truck fleets.

1. Maintenance Strategy for Light-Duty Vehicles

Light-duty fleet vehicles are class 1 and class 2 commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less. These light-duty vehicles typically make up fleets for utility services, plumbers, HVAC techs, broadband providers and landscaping businesses. Delivery vans and trucks and other logistics providers also make up a significant portion of this fleet vehicle category. Regardless of the type of service, light-duty fleet trucks commonly operate in urban and suburban traffic, facing challenges like congestion, construction and frequent stops that increase wear and tear.

When developing a truck fleet maintenance strategy for light-duty vehicles, it’s important to have a reliable way to measure mileage, which is the key indicator that will inform your preventive maintenance plan. Because your team uses these vehicles daily, your priority should be on daily vehicle inspections that allow drivers to act as the first line of defense against symptoms of an impending breakdown.

The combination of daily inspections and consistent servicing will ensure that your light-duty fleet can meet the two main goals of preventive maintenance. To be successful, fleet maintenance managers need to give drivers the tools to perform streamlined daily inspections and report any issues they find. Managers must also leverage fleet maintenance technology, including GPS tracking, to ensure accurate mileage recording necessary for maintenance scheduling.

2. Maintenance Strategy for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Medium-duty trucks are class 3, 4, 5 and 6 commercial vehicles with a GVWR of between 10,001 and 26,000 pounds. Heavy-duty trucks are class 7 vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 to 33,000 pounds or class 8 with a GVWR of 33,001 pounds or more.

Medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles are common in deliveries and logistics, meaning that their maintenance strategy must focus on keeping uptime high. Additionally, these heavier duty commercial vehicles face strict Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation criteria, meaning that keeping detailed operator records and maintenance histories is crucial for achieving compliance.

Businesses running fleets of medium- and heavy-duty trucks will also want to prioritize asset visibility 一 the ability to track and locate fleet trucks in real-time to collect accurate mileage data and resolve any sudden issues with an immediate response. Real-time tracking is also a proactive maintenance strategy, allowing fleet managers to direct drivers along the most efficient routes. Maximizing delivery route efficiency reduces unnecessary wear and tear and fuel consumption.

This automated and technology-integrated approach to fleet maintenance can improve compliance, driver safety, vehicle reliability and customer satisfaction. It can also save managers time by automating maintenance workflows for these high-value and high-volume fleets.

3. Maintenance Strategy for Specialized Trucks and Equipment

The third category of vehicle that requires its own maintenance strategy is specialty work trucks or equipment designed for specific purposes. These assets typically belong to public works, private utilities or contracting companies. Examples of specialty trucks include:

  • Garbage disposal and recycling trucks
  • Utility installation and servicing trucks
  • Water pump trucks, concrete trucks and other construction or contracting equipment

The maintenance strategy approach for specialized trucks and equipment is entirely different from maintaining a fleet of light-, medium- or heavy-duty commercial vehicles because these types of trucks have a different operating environment and utilization than your everyday delivery trucks. Significant idle time, frequent stop and go, and off-road driving may be factors in-play for these vehicles.

To develop a maintenance strategy for specialized trucks and equipment, fleet managers need customizable fleet maintenance software that allows them to tailor the maintenance workflows and systems to meet the fleet’s specific needs. This ensures they can meet the unique needs of these specialty vehicles and maximize their productivity. Extending these fleet vehicles’ service life is important because these trucks usually require a massive financial investment, often involving custom upfitting.

Fleet managers planning their truck fleet maintenance strategy can greatly benefit from GPS tracking and the integrated maintenance software available from Track Your Truck.

Tips for Managing Truck Fleet Maintenance

Managing truck fleet maintenance is a lot of work. Service items and inspection reports can easily fall through the cracks if you don’t have a plan and a system for tracking your fleet status.

When looking for ways to improve fleet truck maintenance management, start by assessing where you currently are. Consider your answers to some of these questions about how you manage your truck fleet maintenance:

  • Do you have a maintenance schedule, and do you stick to the manufacturer’s servicing intervals?
  • Do you have a way to record and document your maintenance activities?
  • Are you currently tracking your maintenance and repair costs and assessing your total cost of ownership?
  • Are you automating as much of your workflow as possible and keeping records digitally?

The following tips for managing truck fleet maintenance can help you create a complete system for executing your fleet maintenance strategy.

1. Adhere to a Maintenance Schedule

To minimize premature wear and tear and reduce the risk of sudden breakdowns that cause unplanned downtime, fleet maintenance managers should ensure vehicles receive service at the required intervals.

Every fleet vehicle, whether it’s a delivery vehicle, a service van or a garbage truck, should have its own maintenance schedule based on its usage. Because different maintenance items need to be done at different times, fleet managers should develop weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual maintenance schedules.

Scheduled maintenance can include items like:

  • Engine oil, transmission fluid and filter changes.
  • Brake replacements.
  • Tire rotation and replacements.
  • Fluid leak repairs.
  • Windshield wiper replacements.
  • Battery replacement.

How often these items get addressed depends on the purpose of your fleet and the amount of driving. Delivery vehicles that are on the road all day making frequent stops and racking up the miles need to be serviced more often than specialty trucks that get dispatched infrequently. Always consult your manufacturer’s service intervals for guidelines on when to perform each maintenance task.

Sticking to a routine maintenance schedule ensures your warranty remains valid. It also helps reduce your total cost of ownership as your fleet vehicles age. Well-serviced vehicles cost less to repair because they’re less likely to require expensive replacements as the vehicle gets older.

2. Develop Tailored Inspection Forms

In addition to planned maintenance schedules, fleet managers should also develop inspection forms for drivers to complete daily. Daily inspections are a significant component of properly managing truck fleet maintenance.

Some of the benefits of daily inspections include:

  • Identifying small issues early on before they cost more to repair later.
  • Securing driver buy-in by giving them ownership over asset health.
  • Ensuring your fleet stays compliant by recording maintenance activities.

Daily inspections should include a checklist of items to look at both before and after operation. These can include safety items like windshields, seat belts, horns and lights, as well as body checks for damage, leaks or new issues. It’s important to tailor your daily inspection forms to your fleet’s unique needs and workflows.

To streamline the inspection process, fleet managers should provide drivers with an easy way to perform and record their inspection findings. The best way is through fleet management software that drivers can access on a mobile device. This is a less time-consuming and more permanent method than pen and paper checklists, especially for growing fleets. Digital inspections help you to standardize the process and easily add to and revise the checklist as needed.

3. Automate Service Workflows

The smartest way to manage truck fleet maintenance is to automate as many maintenance and inspection tasks as possible.

Here are some of the maintenance and inspection items you can automate for a more efficient truck fleet maintenance plan:

  • Automatically schedule preventive maintenance appointments based on truck mileage.
  • Set maintenance schedule reminders ahead of service date to plan for downtime.
  • View work orders in real time and track their status.
  • Trace breakdowns back to inadequate inspection compliance.
  • Monitor repair costs.

Automating maintenance and inspection workflows helps you achieve your two main goals of truck fleet maintenance. Setting a maintenance schedule with automatic servicing alerts helps you plan for downtime. Additionally, getting your trucks into the shop regularly will help you extend their service life. Automation also helps you keep your maintenance costs in check, reducing your total cost of ownership and maximizing your investment in your fleet vehicles.

Benefits of Fleet Tracking Technology for Truck Fleet Maintenance

If you’re ready to take your fleet truck maintenance strategy to the next level, consider the benefits of fleet tracking technology for automating and recording your maintenance activities across your fleet. Fleet tracking technology uses GPS tracking to monitor your fleet, including the activities and behaviors that directly affect your maintenance responsibilities.

With GPS tracking technology, you can keep automated mileage records, observe driving behavior that causes extra wear and tear, improve fuel economy, plan the most efficient routes and even set up maintenance alerts.

GPS tracking for fleets helps you streamline your scheduled maintenance so you can prevent downtime and extend vehicle service life. Here are five ways GPS tracking can help with managing truck fleet maintenance.

1. Record Accurate Vehicle Usage With GPS

GPS tracking technology allows fleet managers to track actual vehicle use more accurately than tracking mileage. With increased visibility into your fleet’s use, you can create intelligent plans to manage vehicles more efficiently.

With GPS tracking, you can make informed fleet maintenance strategy decisions, including:

  • Reducing excessive or unauthorized driving.
  • Recording automated mileage to inform maintenance schedules.
  • Monitoring excessive idle time that causes wear and tear.

2. Reduce Problematic Driving Behaviors

GPS tracking devices and integrated software are ideal for monitoring driver behavior. In real time, managers can gain insight into problematic driving habits that lead to excessive wear and tear. Fleet vehicles that are properly driven and well-maintained experience far fewer maintenance concerns and reap the benefits of extended service life.

Some of the driver behaviors that GPS tracking can help you identify include:

  • Harsh cornering.
  • Sudden braking.
  • Excessive speeding.

Many of these behaviors can also put the driver at risk of costly accidents, which add to your maintenance and liability costs. GPS technology that records driving behaviors can help you mitigate risk and lower your total cost of ownership.

3. Optimize Route Planning

To maintain high productivity, achieve customer satisfaction and deliver services on time, fleet managers need to take route planning seriously. Planning the most efficient route possible helps your company get more done in one day while reducing fuel costs from needless driving miles.

Efficient route planning is also critical to maximizing vehicle health. The more miles driven, the more wear and tear the vehicle undergoes and the more frequently it will need servicing. GPS tracking helps managers optimize their routes, dispatching drivers along the most efficient route and redirecting them as necessary, drastically cutting back on mileage. When an emergency or unforeseen obstacle occurs along the planned route, managers can reroute the driver to avoid prolonged driving or idle time.

4. Establish Maintenance Schedules

GPS tracking paints an accurate picture of your vehicle’s health. With the data collected through GPS tracking devices and software, fleet truck maintenance managers can easily develop and adhere to routine maintenance schedules.

GPS tracking data can help you optimize your preventive maintenance plan and plan for downtime. GPS tracking gives managers the information they need to schedule maintenance when it will have the least impact on productivity. Automate fleet vehicle maintenance with help from GPS tracking.

5. Set Maintenance and Service Alerts

GPS tracking technology offers a convenient way to automate your maintenance needs and helps ensures that you can adhere to your maintenance schedule. By setting up maintenance and service alerts, you’ll be one step ahead. Customize your alerts so you get the information you want when you need it.

For example, you can set reminders to alert you to maintenance requirements after a certain number of miles have been driven. With the alert system, you can also schedule reminders for upcoming vehicle inspections and repairs so you never fall behind schedule.

Contact Track Your Truck for Truck Fleet Maintenance Automation

Developing an informed and strategic preventive maintenance plan is one of the most important investments fleet managers can make. Staying on top of preventive maintenance, inspections and repairs can reduce unplanned downtime and help your vehicles retain their value and longevity. To stay ahead of planned maintenance, you need the best technology and tools to automate maintenance items and ensure they get done on time.

GPS tracking from Track Your Truck offers you a comprehensive fleet tracking program that’s ideal for busy fleet managers. Find out more about the Track Your Truck features that can optimize your fleet truck maintenance plan. Schedule a demo today or request a free quote.

Whether you run a national courier company or a small local delivery fleet of cargo vans, transitioning to an electric vehicle fleet makes good financial and environmental sense. However, switching your delivery or service vehicles over to electric ones takes a fair amount of planning. There are many factors to consider when switching to an EV fleet, from financial budgeting to route planning to implementing EV fleet vehicle tracking.

This guide provides helpful information on what to consider when switching to an EV fleet. We’ll also cover some of the important reasons why companies are making the switch, as well as how you can leverage fleet vehicle tracking technology to streamline your transition.

Factors to Consider During EV Fleet Transition

When transitioning to an EV fleet, many of the considerations will apply broadly to every business. However, it’s also important to consider your fleet’s unique needs and how to tailor your transition strategy to your business specifically. Considerations such as how many vehicles you have, the distance you travel and the amount of urban and suburban driving you do on average will all vary between organizations.

Here are some of the top things to consider during your EV fleet transition.

Total Cost of Ownership

The first thing for any business to do before switching to an EV fleet is to ensure it makes financial sense. Upgrading to EV vehicles can be a massive expense, so it’s important to ensure your business will see the returns that make the investment worth it. The best way to calculate the financial viability of the upgrade is to compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) between conventional and electric fleet vehicles.

Total Cost of Ownership

At this point, the purchase price of electric vehicles is higher than comparable traditional vehicles. However, the total cost involved in owning and operating an electric vehicle may be lower. In addition to comparing purchase prices, it’s important to factor in the necessary fuel and maintenance costs involved in a traditional fleet that will be significantly lower in an electric fleet. These immediate savings free up working capital to reinvest into the business, including hiring more drivers. It’s also important to consider any tax savings and incentives that will reduce the TCO on EVs.

Drive Distance

Switching to a fleet of electric vehicles requires managers to consider the average and total driving distances a fleet vehicle undergoes daily, monthly or annually. It’s important to determine your fleet’s maximum drive distance to know how much mileage you can expect to put on your new EVs. Consider whether your drive distances fluctuate throughout the year and whether or not you plan to expand into new markets in the next 8-10 years, which is the typical lifespan of a fleet vehicle.

In addition to knowing the maximum drive distance of a fleet vehicle, it’s also important to consider the average short, mid and long-range distances that each vehicle is expected to drive. The term charge anxiety refers to an electric vehicle owner’s continued apprehension about whether or not they’ll be able to complete their drive before having an opportunity to recharge. Knowing your typical drive distance can help you plan your fleet needs accordingly and mitigate charge anxiety. Finding an electric vehicle that can cover more distance on a single charge can also help alleviate this concern.

Drive Distance

Vehicle Idling Time

A successful EV fleet transition is all about knowing your fleet’s driving habits. It’s not enough to know your fleet’s maximum and average drive distance to ensure effective route planning that accounts for recharging. Fleet managers also need to have keen insight into driving behavior that can affect EVs more so than traditional vehicles. To ensure that your EVs are always charged whenever you need them, you must know about typical idling habits occurring during an average trip.

How long your vehicles tend to spend idling will determine how many and what type of charging stations you need and how to plan routes accordingly. Consider that idle time may fluctuate throughout the year according to weather. Every fleet will have different idle time behavior depending on the location, the population of the city, the typical daily congestion and the type of services you provide. Always use your own truck tracking data to help make an informed calculation.

Type and Number of Charging Stations

Once you have a firm idea of your EV fleet driving distances and habits, you’ll be better prepared to implement an intelligent charging strategy. Adequate charging infrastructure and planning ensures your drivers have a fully charged vehicle or access to a nearby charging station as needed. Electric vehicle fleets have three different charging options for types of equipment, using different amounts of power. How fast of a charge each option provides is their main differentiator.

Below are your three electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) options to consider in EV fleet planning:

  • Level 1: The simplest EVSE option is offered by level 1 equipment. Though it’s the least expensive option, it’s also the most time-consuming to produce a full charge. Plugging into a standard 120-volt outlet, the level 1 station offers only 3 to 5 miles of charge per hour. This means it can take upwards of an entire day to charge a vehicle. Level 1 EVSE is typically not considered a viable option for fleets.
  • Level 2: Providing faster charging than level 1 stations, level 2 EVSE is quick, convenient and doesn’t require a utility upgrade. Using a standard 240-volt connection, level 2 charging stations can provide a full charge in 3 to 7 hours. Level 2 EVSEs are more affordable to install and provide a happy medium between the slower level 1 and the much more expensive level 3 options.
  • Level 3: Also known as DC fast charging (DCFC), level 3 EVSEs provide an average vehicle with a 100-mile range with an 80% charge in 30 minutes. While these stations are by far the most efficient, level 3 EVSEs are also the most expensive to install because they require sophisticated electrical infrastructure to operate. Level 3 EVSEs are typically reserved for major fleets that would yield economies of scale quickly.
Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) options

In addition to knowing the type of EVSE you need to incorporate into your EV fleet plan, you also need to know the number of stations. This number will depend on the number of vehicles in your fleet, their duty cycles and their maximum range.

Where to Place Charging Stations

Now that you know which type of charging stations you’ll incorporate into your EV fleet management plan and how many of each you’ll need, the next step is to determine where you’ll install your EVSEs. For a comparably short average daily driving distance per vehicle, your best bet is to have your charging station installed at your depot. If drivers use their vehicles for personal use as well, then setting up a charging station at their homes is also an option. 

As part of your fleet management route planning approach, you may also need to provide drivers with an approved list of public EVSEs locations available throughout their route that they can use in emergency situations. Regardless of your approach to installing EVSEs, it’s important to consult with an electrician or electrical engineer to ensure that your current electrical infrastructure can either withstand or be upgraded to the necessary charging equipment.

Vehicle Regulations and Incentives

There are plenty of secondary considerations to look at when switching your fleet to electric vehicles. Some of the secondary factors come from government authorities, which continue to regulate and incentivize the conversion to electric vehicles among both consumer and business markets.

Financial incentives exist at both the state and federal levels to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. With the exception of GM and Tesla products, the $7,500 federal tax credit applies to the purchase of all new EVS, regardless of any additional incentives offered by the state. Despite the credits that help encourage electrical vehicle adoption, some new regulations apply strictly to electric vehicles. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 30 states require that electric vehicle owners pay an annual registration fee, ranging from $50 to more than $200 per year, depending on the state.

With the exception of GM and Tesla products, the $7,500 federal tax credit applies to the purchase of all new EVS, regardless of any additional incentives offered by the state.

Fleet Telematics and Tracking

A final factor for managers to consider when switching to an EV fleet is the data collection required for a smooth transition. Fleet telematics and GPS tracking must play a key role in the transition from traditional fleet vehicles to EVs. The ability to track and record driving distances, usage and energy consumption can help managers better develop their deployment strategies, plan delivery and service routes and maintain greater financial control over their fleet.

Collecting drive-cycle data removes the guesswork out of managing an EV fleet. Telematics and GPS tracking help managers alleviate some of the common challenges associated with managing electric vehicles. By knowing how frequently EV vehicles need to be recharged based on the amount of driving distance, managers can plan accordingly as to when vehicles will need to undergo full charging and when. The data provided by telematics systems and tracking gives managers clear insight to make these informed plans.

Reasons for Switching to EV Fleets

Knowing what’s involved in switching to an EV fleet is only part of the equation. The other part is getting clear on your company’s reasons for making the transition. As a business, it’s important to understand your company’s goals and how upgrading to an EV fleet aligns with this overall vision. Perhaps the goal is to increase operating efficiencies or provide drivers with a better experience. Maybe it’s part of a branding evolution, focusing more on sustainable practices and financial investments. 

Whatever your company’s reasons for implementing a green fleet strategy, it’s important to be aware of the benefits of switching to EVs. Knowing your reasons can help you stay focused and on track during the transition, especially when challenges inevitably arise in the beginning stages. Here are some of the top reasons for switching to EV fleets.

Improved Vehicle Options

One of the main driving factors behind the adoption of EVs for fleets is the increasing availability of vehicle options. In just a few short years, the market has gone from only a handful of electric vehicle models to dozens of effective, affordable and reliable EVs, including many that are suitable for fleets or designed specifically to replace traditional fleet vehicles.

Improved Vehicle Options

Some of the most well-known brands include Tesla, Volvo, Ford and Chevrolet, all of which are tirelessly developing new fleet vehicles that are high-performing and designed with businesses and productivity in mind. No matter the type of fleet vehicle you need, there is likely a suitable electric vehicle option available. From compact cars for local couriers to cargo delivery vans to electric semi-trucks, businesses of any category have options.

The key for businesses today is choosing the right kind of vehicle for their needs. This means finding vehicles with the suitable range and charging capabilities, and the cycle duty, size, cargo space and even towing capacity.

Better Charging Infrastructure

One of the main deterrents for consumers and businesses alike from switching to EVs is the perceived lack of charging infrastructure. Many people believe that electric vehicle charging is slow, inefficient and inconvenient, with limited access to power when needed. This was a fair criticism until recently. As charging stations become more widely installed around the country every month, fleet managers can rest assured that the charging infrastructure will only continue to expand and improve.

Additionally, the continued adoption of commercial electric vehicles will help to bring down the cost of installing charging infrastructure at all levels. Currently, fleet owners can expect to pay between $600 and $12,700 per charging station for a level 2 EVSE and $4,000 to $51,000 for the installation of a level 3 DCFC station. Though charging stations are an added investment, they eventually yield an unlimited return in reduced expenses, as well as time savings and improved productivity. With a smart EVSE implementation plan, fleet owners can find a cost-effective charging solution that’s both efficient and productive.

Greater Vehicle Performance

One of the most appealing reasons to transition your fleet to an electric one is the upgrade in vehicle performance and efficiency your fleet will immediately realize. If you’ve ever driven an electric vehicle, you will have no doubt noticed the instant improvement in power over a traditional combustible engine. Electric vehicles have superior torque, giving them power capabilities that are ideal for fleets in transportation, logistics and trucking.

Traditionally, logistics fleets have relied on diesel engines for their power needs. Today, electric vehicles provide unmatched torque ratings that surpass those of diesel trucks. If your fleets haul freight or even light cargo, making the switch the EVs could give your drivers a noticeable improvement in their driving capabilities as well as general performance and productivity out of the vehicle. Because of the superior efficiency of electric vehicles in getting up to speed, they also produce energy savings compared to traditional trucks.

Traditionally, logistics fleets have relied on diesel engines for their power needs. Today, electric vehicles provide unmatched torque ratings that surpass those of diesel trucks.

No Fuel Costs

One of the clearest reasons for anyone to switch to electric vehicles is the immediate savings in fueling. Though electricity costs are rising in parity with other costs of living, overall electricity expenditures are much lower than gasoline and diesel costs. Electric vehicles operate at highly efficient levels. 

Electric-drive components don’t require nearly as much energy input to operate effectively compared to internal combustion engines. As the size of the internal combustion engine increases, its components require more fuel consumption. With electric vehicles, the power consumption doesn’t require nearly the same scale. Still, it does consume more power as more performance is demanded of it in load capacity.

Lower Insurance Rates

If one of the primary reasons you’re considering switching to an EV fleet is because of better financial control, remember to factor in the potential savings in insurance costs. Green fleet discounts are becoming more readily available among insurance brokers. Normally, insurance rates depend on the track record of the driving behavior. While this is still the primary metric brokers use when setting insurance rates, some companies are rewarding the switch to electric vehicles.

Green car discounts can help fleet owners offset the potential higher costs involved in insuring new electric vehicles. Because electric vehicles are typically appraised at a higher value, and their repairs are costlier, some insurance companies increase their rates to cover the higher insured value and associated risk. However, new electric vehicles also see far fewer breakdowns, mechanical malfunctions and parts wear. Shopping around for the best deal on electric vehicle car insurance and going with brokers that encourage EV usage can help businesses save on their TCO on EV fleets.

Lower Insurance Rates

Reduced Maintenance Costs

One of the added benefits of owning an EV fleet is the reduced maintenance needs. Fleet maintenance is a major aspect of managing a fleet of vehicles. It’s a time-consuming endeavor that’s vital for ensuring high productivity and profitability. Combustible engines are much more complex, with many more parts prone to wear and eventual mechanical failure. Staying on top of ongoing fleet maintenance is critical to preventing unexpected breakdowns.

With EV fleets, the maintenance responsibilities are far less. Managers avoid many of the common and ongoing preventive maintenance expenses, like oil and filter changes, transmission flushes and more. EVs don’t have any of these same parts, meaning these ongoing costs are eliminated. Instead, EV maintenance relies on very simple practices, like maintaining brake fluid and coolant levels. With an EV fleet, you’ll also see the need for fewer brake pad replacements. EVs are built with regenerative braking power, so there’s less wear on the parts.

With a green fleet, you’ll save on parts and labor as well as the time it takes to schedule servicing appointments. You’ll have less downtime, which is also a major concern in fleet management.

Reduced Environmental Impact

Reduced Environmental Impact

Another reason for switching to EVs that matters to a growing number of businesses today is the reduced environmental impact your fleet will produce. Since transportation accounts for 70% of petroleum consumption in the United States, switching to EVs can help reduce the national reliance on carbon fuels.

Not only does having a focus on greener operations improve the bottom line, but it also positions brands to be more competitive in an increasingly consumer-savvy market. Customers seek out companies that are making more sustainable business decisions, and workers also look for employers that are more environmentally responsible. EV fleets are another way to expand your company’s market share and attract and retain top talent.

Choose Track Your Truck for Green Fleet Vehicle Tracking

Choose Track Your Truck for Green Fleet Vehicle Tracking

Making the switch to an EV fleet is a smart financial and environmental move for businesses. To make the transition successful, managers need the best tools at their disposal to ensure high productivity and performance from their electric fleet vehicles. GPS technology provides managers with the EV fleet vehicle tracking data they need to make informed fleet deployment and planning decisions.

For all your green fleet vehicle tracking needs, choose Track Your Truck. Our end-to-end solutions provide fleet managers with the customized solutions they need to manage and optimize their EV fleets. With Track Your Truck services, you’ll be able to track your EV in real-time, record driving behavior and be alerted to driver habits that impact fleet performance. With a comprehensive reports feature, fleet managers will have the critical data at their disposal to ensure that their EV fleets are deployed intelligently and efficiently.

For more information on how Track Your Truck can help with your EV fleet transition, request a quote today.

Your vehicles and equipment are one of your company’s most valuable assets, so you should adequately track and care for your fleets. Effective fleet management is a vital part of increasing fleet productivity so your company can cut costs, protect its drivers and provide optimal service. By evaluating your needs, you’ll be able to optimize fleet performance with the right tracking system

Discover fleet management best practices to increase customer and employee satisfaction and maximize your profits. 

Analyze Data

Fleet management software collects data that helps you manage your fleet to boost productivity. Proper data collection and analysis allow for fleet utilization for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Maintaining your current fleet by tracking data expands the capacity of your existing resources so you can accept new business. 

You can use telematics to optimize fleet performance. Telematics deals with monitoring fleet logistics by gathering data about driver and vehicle performance. Telematics helps you understand the bigger picture of how a vehicle operates and how it may be costing you money. 

Telematics tracks multiple metrics, including: 

  • Driver behavior, including reckless or non-efficient driving practices 
  • Vehicle location, route and distance traveled
  • Vehicle usage hours 
  • Idle time
  • Fuel level and efficiency 
  • Vehicle status and maintenance

Track Your Truck’s fleet management software records and keeps historical data about a fleet for up to one year, graphing information so you can see patterns to predict future trends. Examining historical data with telematics can help you target and address specific problem areas and establish clear fleet management policies to share with drivers. 

Explain to drivers why you’re implementing the new policies, and ensure your team understands the consequences of violations. Making sure drivers clearly understand policies derived from telematics data can help them more efficiently complete tasks and drive fewer miles. For example, if you and your drivers know the locations of vehicles, you can more effectively route drivers to customers. 

Analyze Data

Consider Fuel Costs 

Fuel is the leading expense of managing your fleets. Inefficient routing or poor driving behaviors can lead to fuel waste. Drivers who quickly accelerate, brake hard, excessively idle or speed lower their gas mileage by 30% on the highway. Other drivers lack knowledge about best practices to minimize fuel usage.

For example, some drivers may think that turning off and restarting their engines will waste more fuel. However, idle commercial trucks waste 0.44 gallons of diesel per hour or 0.84 gallons of gasoline. Full delivery trucks waste even more fuel at 1.1 gallons per hour. Overall, idling engines waste more than 6 billion gallons of fuel annually

Educating drivers about practices that lead to excessive fuel use and having a fuel conservation plan and spending program can help ensure you’re maximizing fuel efficiency to cut costs. Assign each driver a company credit card to pay when filling up their tanks so you can track how much each driver is spending and how often they’re stopping to fill up. Company cards will also help you track how much your company spends on fuel each month to prevent overspending. 

Improve fleet management and minimize fuel costs further by monitoring vehicles with GPS tracking software. You’ll be able to route drivers to their destinations for maximum fuel efficiency. Shorter trips tend to waste more fuel. However, tracking software can help ensure you’re planning long enough routes. Further, you’ll be able to identify and correct bad driving habits, which use more fuel than necessary. 

Tracking software can also monitor when vehicles require maintenance or when a fleet is at the end of its lifespan and needs replaced. When replacing older vehicles, consider choosing fleets with better mileage or one that would better serve your company’s specific needs and particular geographies. If you’re not ready to make replacements, maintaining your current fleets will help extend their lifespans and save more fuel. 

When packing vehicles, ensure you include as little weight as possible, as excess weight leads to inefficient fuel use. A general rule of thumb is that for every 100 pounds you remove from a vehicle, you’ll increase fuel efficiency by 1-2%. 

Consider Fuel Costs

Go Green 

Striving to make your fleets more eco-friendly and use less fuel will save your company money while limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Fleet tracking systems allow you to find the most efficient routes, encourage positive driving habits, monitor maintenance to expand a vehicle’s lifespan and identify which vehicles are least fuel-efficient. 

  1. Plan: During the planning stage, your company should evaluate its goals to establish a strong fuel usage reduction plan. Your company’s multi-year sustainability strategy should include overall fleet management goals, quantifiable targets and a plan to acquire vehicles that emit lower levels of greenhouse gases. 
  2. Collect: To implement your plan, first gather data about your fleet with enterprise vehicle tracking. Telematic data should inform your decisions and help you better understand your fleets by making a fleet profile. 
  3. Strategize: Analyzing fleet data will let you identify both fleet management best practices and areas for improvement. Consider whether a vehicle is the proper size for a particular task, how to reduce the number of miles a vehicle travels and how to increase fuel efficiency. You may even want to consider using alternative forms of fuel, like biodiesel or electric. 
  4. Implement: The implementation stage is where you put your plans into action. Teach drivers sustainable habits and create a strong company culture that supports a sustainable fuel infrastructure. As you implement your strategy, be sure to refine your methods as needed. 
Go Green

Perform Regular Maintenance 

Regular fleet inspections help give you peace of mind that your vehicles are performing at their full capacities, preventing malfunctions and mitigating costly extensive repairs. Everyday wear and tear and corrosion decrease a truck’s productivity. Regular maintenance inspections will identify corrosion, a major cause of engine problems. Rather than waiting for issues to arise, preventative maintenance and performing vehicle diagnostic tests are key in saving your company time and money. 

Perform Regular Maintenance

Keeping up with maintenance comes with multiple benefits, including: 

  • Increased safety: Regular preventative maintenance and repairs prevent malfunctions and mechanical failure, increasing driver safety. You could lower insurance costs and the risk of liability while improving employee health. Improving safety also saves your company money, as you can avoid the costs associated with accidents. 
  • Reduced costs: Regular maintenance can help predict and minimize repair costs. Maintenance efforts like providing clean fuel filters, changing old tires and adding fresh oil help expand your mileage. 
  • Higher team member morale: Your drivers will know you care about them when you provide them with safe, clean and properly maintained vehicles. Reliable trucks will also help drivers feel less frustrated by breaking down less often. 
  • Positive company reputation: Reliable vehicles lead to more satisfied employees and customers, as vehicles are more likely to arrive at a location at the scheduled time. Happier drivers are also more likely to engage with customers pleasantly, reflecting positively on your company. Your company will earn a reputation of reliability. 

Schedule monthly checkups for your vehicles. Conducting regularly scheduled maintenance will ensure driver safety and repair minor malfunctions before they evolve into significant damages. Technological advances like GPS tracking software automate maintenance scheduling and reports to help maximize productivity and ultimately profit. 

Ways tracking software enhances maintenance scheduling to optimize fleet performance include: 

  • Alerts: Fleet tracking systems can alert you when it’s time for preventative maintenance by notifying you of factors like the total number of miles driven in a specific period or how many hours a truck has been on the road. Systems also send reminders before inspection time to keep you on track with your maintenance schedule. 
  • Record keeping: Keeping maintenance reports to analyze will help you monitor historical data and identify any inconsistencies. Records will also provide proof for warranty claims for uncommon damages and help determine whether repair services were actually rendered.
  • Driver habits: Poor driver behavior can take a significant toll on vehicles, leading to inefficient performance. By tracking which drivers have the most aggressive practices, you can better predict repairs and identify which drivers need further training. 
  • Regular schedules: Optimize your maintenance schedules by identifying patterns in the data. Establishing a maintenance schedule will also allow you to perform services outside of a vehicle’s regularly set maintenance time. 
  • Automation: Tracking systems automate repair notifications, record keeping and scheduling, so you can focus your attention where it’s needed most while still keeping up with maintenance schedules. 

In addition to performing regular preventative maintenance, you should also establish a vehicle replacement program. When vehicles require frequent repairs, you should replace them. Keeping fleets past their lifespan can lead to increased maintenance costs and even mechanical failures, costing your company more time and money. You should maintain a fleet portfolio and analyze historical data to establish replacement schedules and determine which vehicle models frequently fail.

Increase Driver Safety

Increase Driver Safety 

Safe driving is a crucial fleet management best practice. Helping drivers develop safe habits will save on fuel costs and wear and tear, ensuring your vehicles can last as long as possible. Having safe drivers and properly maintained fleets will help your company build and sustain a positive reputation. 

You can take the following steps to increase driver safety

  • Establish a strong safety culture: Safety should be at the forefront of all fleet operations. You should present drivers with clear safety policies. Create a strong company culture of safety by performing proper driver background checks, limiting driver hours to prevent fatigue and encouraging team members to report risky behavior. Tracking safety data also allows you to incentivize and reward employees who are practicing safe driving habits. 
  • Monitor driver behavior: You can use fleet tracking systems to monitor drivers for reckless behavior. Driver tracking systems identify where each driver is and their actions. Unsafe driving practices like sharp turns, sudden braking, speeding, distracted driving, jackrabbit starts or fatigue from not taking the required breaks could cause accidents and harm drivers and others. Using driver tracking technology also supplements timesheets and identifies which drivers could benefit from driver safety training programs. 
  • Implement driver training programs: After identifying which drivers need special attention, you can implement driver safety education programs. Programs should focus on preventing reckless driving and the importance of preventative maintenance. Accidents lead to injuries, lawsuits, drug tests, job rescheduling, late deliveries, paperwork and possible termination, all of which impede your productivity. 
  • Find the safest routes: Tracking can help you see which routes are the safest. Determining which routes are safest overlaps with efficiency, as you can map out which roads drivers should use and where they should stop for fuel. Tracking how long the engine is running can demonstrate if drivers are taking appropriate breaks, and efficient routes can discourage speeding. 
  • Keep up with maintenance: Maintenance saves you money by saving on fuel costs and preventing costly repairs. It also increases driver safety by preventing major malfunctions and potential accidents. Systems will alert you when it’s time for regular maintenance and develop records stored in the cloud to identify historical trends. 

Covert tracking can help you discreetly monitor and target negative behavior without the driver even realizing. These trackers keep drivers from disabling the devices and prevent accidental unplugging. Because covert trackers are hidden, they can also alert you to theft and help you recover the vehicle or notify you when a vehicle is being used outside of approved times. 

Efficient route planning with fleet management software helps drivers feel less rushed — and therefore less stressed — and keeps customer satisfaction high by safely delivering products or services on time. Some drivers are prone to speeding due to an inefficient route or a failure to plan for factors like traffic, breaks or construction. Using a vehicle speed tracking system can help you plan the most efficient routes to prevent speeding, set boundaries in particular speed limit zones or set alerts when drivers exceed a certain speed. 

Maintain Compliance With Federal Regulations and Licenses

Maintain Compliance With Federal Regulations and Licenses 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires drivers who must keep records of duty service to have an electronic logging device (ELD)ELDs virtually log fleet data and driver hours to ensure drivers remain compliant with hours of service (HOS) laws and stay alert while driving. You’ll want to ensure you stay compliant with the ELD rule, as penalties can cost thousands of dollars.

ELDs are proven to increase compliance with HOS laws by automatically recording how long an engine is running, whether a vehicle is moving, how many miles a driver traveled and whether a driver took the required breaks.

ELDs come with a variety of benefits, including: 

  • Driver availability: Dispatchers can track HOS to see when drivers will be available and when they are taking mandatory breaks. 
  • Accountability: If law enforcement officials pull drivers over, electronic logs are easy to read and are accurate, keeping drivers accountable. 
  • Record keeping: While paper logs are easy to falsify, ELDs allow for more accurate record-keeping. Rather than relying on the driver to keep track of copious amounts of paperwork, all data is stored electronically, saving you time and ensuring accuracy.

Fleets are also subject to state and federal regulations. You should stay on top of preventative maintenance to give your drivers more confidence during inspections and have a higher compliance, safety and accountability (CSA) score. You should also ensure you’re up to date with licensing requirements to avoid paying late or non-compliance fees. 

Track Your Fleets 

One of the most effective fleet management techniques is tracking your trucks with fleet management systems. You can find the most optimized routes for improved customer satisfaction and provide more accurate arrival estimates by checking how long each delivery takes and evaluating the effectiveness of different routes. Maintaining high customer satisfaction helps customers stay loyal to your company. 

Track Your Fleets

Fleet tracking comes with a variety of other benefits, including: 

  • More control: GPS tracking gives you more control over routing and helps you plan future routes with features like NetTrack’s Map Replay. The map shows the vehicle’s direction with an arrow icon. When you click on an icon, you can see how long a driver was at a location, the vehicle speed, its cardinal direction and the location’s street address. 
  • Mobile apps: Mobile apps empower you to monitor vehicle location and activity in real-time. You can easily monitor information like driving habits, fuel use and speed to detect which fleets are most productive. Apps have also streamlined fleet management, taking care of tasks like mapping that you previously had to do by hand. Because they efficiently store data in a paperless digital format, you’ll be able to clear up space at the office.
  • Customer service: Accessible digital data facilitates conversation between managers, drivers and customers, so you can provide customers with more accurate arrival times. Plus, GPS tracking’s ability to help you efficiently route drivers will get them to customers efficiently, leading to faster delivery times.
  • Employee benefits: Fleet tracking systems benefit employees by automating processes like timesheets and safety data that drivers previously had to fill out by hand. Plus, the information in the tracking system is more accurate than manual methods. These systems also help keep drivers safe by identifying dangerous driving habits and maintenance notifications. Fleet tracking systems optimize fleet performance so you can spend more time and resources addressing your drivers. 

When selecting a tracker, you’ll want to consider your particular organization’s needs. Factors to consider when choosing a tracker include:

  • Tracking or updates: You’ll want to determine whether you want real-time tracking or periodic updates. While real-time trackers allow you to keep a closer eye on vehicles with constant updates, periodic trackers send updates once to several times a day. 
  • Assets you need to track: Determining which assets your company needs to track will help you determine what type of tracker to select, as different models are designed for different vehicles and purposes. 
  • Metrics: After deciding which vehicles you’re going to track, you should then determine what information the tracker needs to record. For example, you may want to track driver safety or monitor the temperature of your shipments. 
  • Types of trackers: You’ll want to consider which tracker style will best serve your purposes. A GPS plug-in fleet tracker plugs into an OBDII port to track location and speed. GPS hardwired trackers provide more frequent updates to monitor driver activity and fleet location.
When selecting a tracker, you'll want to consider your particular organization's needs.

Optimize Fleet Performance With Track Your Truck 

Because your fleets are a valuable asset to your company, you’ll want to practice effective fleet management. Track Your Truck’s fleet tracking systems can ensure you’re properly maintaining your fleets to maximize productivity and profits. Our software will scale with your business, with all programming updates and changes done in-house, individualized customer support and access to a customer service site with training materials. 

Contact Track Your Truck today to request a free quote and learn how our fleet tracking systems can help you optimize fleet performance! 

Optimize Fleet Performance With Track Your Truck

If you want to outfit your fleet’s cars with GPS tracking devices, you might not know where to install them to get the best performance. While there are various kinds of tracking devices on the market and different placement options for them, you’ll generally want to ensure they’re easily accessible and hidden from view. As you look to install GPS trackers in your fleet’s cars, you can maximize their value by placing them in the ideal location.

How to Install a GPS Tracking Device in a Car

When you’re looking to install a GPS tracker, you’ll find plenty of options. While you can place these devices in various locations, it’s often best to have a mechanic install them under the vehicle’s dash, where they can connect to a power source. Other options, like our plugin models, easily plug into a vehicle’s OBD-II port and are ready to go within minutes.

What Are the Best Places in the Car to Install a GPS Tracker?

While you can install GPS trackers in various areas of your car, the best place for them is in a location away from the driver’s sight but still easily accessible by installers and mechanics. By keeping it out of the driver’s view, you can avoid cluttering up their car or obstructing their ability to drive. Besides hiding it from the driver, it’s also wise to keep the device hidden from those outside the vehicle to prevent tampering.

In most cases, your mechanic will install the GPS tracker under the vehicle’s dash. Installing the tracker there also gives you plenty of space to hide it and keep it out of your driver’s way. Alongside hiding the tracker from view, the dash will allow GPS satellite signals to easily pass through the vehicle’s windshield and be seen by the tracker.

How to Install GPS Trackers in a Car

If you’re interested in GPS installation for your fleet, you’ll often have the choice between plug-in vehicle trackers and hardwired GPS trackers. Plug-in vehicle trackers don’t require any wiring, as they plug directly into an OBD-II port. In contrast, hardwired GPS trackers require a wired connection to the vehicle. 

Whatever option you select for your fleet, you’ll likely want to know how to install it properly. Review the main steps to installing hardwired and plug-in vehicle trackers.

Installing Hardwired GPS Tracking Devices

hardwired GPS tracking device from Track Your Truck is our most popular choice for vehicle tracking. In most cases, you will want to have a professional installer or mechanic do this for you, although we have outlined the basic steps below. While prices vary depending on your location, we find most mechanics charge ~$100 per vehicle to install. All our devices come ready to install, letting you get your monitoring capabilities running a few minutes after installation. Review the three steps to installing our hardwired GPS tracking devices.

  • Mount the GPS tracker: After you and your mechanic identify a location that’s easily accessible but still out of the driver’s and any potential thieves’ view, your device will be mounted in the vehicle. Mounting is quick and straightforward and is typically done using zip tie straps or 3M VHB tape to secure the device.
  • Connect your power source to the device: After mounting the device, you’ll need to connect it to a power source. The device features three different-colored wires you’ll want to attach in the right order. You’ll begin by connecting a ground point to the black wire. Next, you’ll attach the red wire to your vehicle’s 12-volt power supply. Finally, you’ll connect the white wire to your car’s 12-volt switched ignition source. 
  • Confirm proper installation: With your device’s wiring plugged into a power source, your hardwired GPS tracking device should start working. You can use our NetTrack Installer Check to confirm a successful installation. Park the vehicle outside where it will have a good signal, start it, then let the car run for five minutes before turning the engine off and starting it up again to begin your test. Follow the Installer Check’s instructions to complete verification.

Installing Plug-In Vehicle Trackers

Our plug-in vehicle trackers offer quick, straightforward installation. Since these trackers are ready for immediate use after delivery, all you have to do is take a few minutes to plug yours in and put it in place – no mechanic needed! Learn more about the steps to install our plug-in vehicle trackers below.

  • Install the tracking device and Velcro tie strap: Since our plug-in vehicle trackers connect directly to a car’s OBD-II connector, the first step is to find the connector. Next, you’ll install the Velcro tie strip above the connector in a gap. Finally, you’ll secure the tracking device to the Velcro strip and plug the device into the connector. By securing it, you keep your driver safer while traveling, as the device won’t become dislodged.
  • Use the extension cable: If you don’t want to place your plug-in tracker directly into the OBD-II connector, you can use our optional extension cable. This extension cable gives you more room to place the device in another location, such as tucked under your car’s dash. All you have to do to use the extension cable is plug it into the tracker and the OBD-II connector.
  • Begin tracking: With your device plugged in and secured to the Velcro, you’ll want to drive your vehicle into an open space where it has a clear view of the sky. Once you start your car, the tracker will begin tracking. Keep in mind, it’ll take five minutes after installation for the device to begin registering data.
  • Verify installation: After you turn your vehicle on and start tracking, you can verify your tracker is working by using our NetTrack Installer Check to ensure you’ve installed your device properly. You’ll want to use this checker after you’ve let the device run for five minutes and switched off your vehicle before turning it back on. Next, you’ll follow the Installer Check’s instructions to verify successful installation.

Choose Track Your Truck for Your GPS Tracking Devices

At Track Your Truck, we offer some of the best GPS tracking devices on the market today. With our devices’ easy installation and in-depth tracking abilities, you can receive real-time information about your fleet vehicles’ location and performance. We offer hardwired GPS tracking devices and premium GPS plug-in vehicle trackers to give you the flexibility you require to receive the best tracker for your fleet’s unique needs.

Learn more about our GPS tracking devices. If you want more information, please feel free to request a demo or a free quote.