A comprehensive GPS fleet tracking solution with fuel card integration capabilities can make it easy to reduce fuel usage and fuel costs, say officials at NexTraq (www.nextraq.com), a provider of GPS fleet tracking and asset management solutions.
Overall, any such solution should provide a number of options to monitor fuel usage and provide actionable data to reduce fuel spending and increase fleet efficiencies, they say. The officials offer this additional advice on what to look for when deciding upon a GPS fleet tracking solution:
1. Does the GPS fleet tracking solution provide a full range of features that track, monitor and analyze fuel consumption? This information can improve efficiencies, reduce waste, account for fuel purchases and improve buying behavior.
2. As for the fuel card integration, it ought to give a complete view of fleet operations and fleet fuel consumption, plus incorporate gas card data, fuel card transactions and maintenance purchase information into the GPS fleet tracking solution.
This reveals how employees are spending and where they are purchasing fuel, identifying any excessive spending or inefficiencies, the officials say. In addition, with fuel card integration, dispatchers can identify fuel and service stations in the area, as well as in-network stations, allowing them to direct drivers to the closest merchant and save on fuel usage.
3. A GPS fleet tracking solution should provide detailed fleet reports, including reports on fuel efficiency, idling and vehicle activity. These reports provide a window into fleet operations, showing managers what works and what doesn’t, and detail any excessive fuel usage.
Fuel efficiency reports allow managers to compare expected to actual fuel consumption, while idle reports help reduce fuel consumption by reducing idling activity, say the NexTraq officials.
4. Does the fuel management solution provide features that assist with vehicle maintenance with maintenance alerts, reports, schedules and logs? This is important, they note, because a well-maintained vehicle is more efficient, uses less fuel and saves on future repair costs.
5. A GPS fleet tracking solution should include features that identify and reduce negative driving behaviors, such as aggressive driving, speeding and rapid acceleration, which burn excessive fuel, increasing fuel costs. This should be provided through driver safety reports, which monitor and alert a fleet manager if a driver needs coaching or improvement.
