Imagine you have a fleet management company, like Uber, and one of your key values is passengers’ safety. Of course, you may spend hours checking drivers’ backgrounds and instructing them on how to behave behind the wheel. Or…you may simply opt for an IoT (Internet of Things) technology and ta-da, you get the desired result in just a few clicks. For instance, with an IoT solution for fleet management you can even monitor drivers’ behaviors, emotions, and facial expressions to alert managers in case a driver just got divorced and can’t adequately respond to the traffic signs.
Businesses depend on such IoT fleet management technologies to enhance productivity, detect any issues, and save money. As the market witnesses stable growth, we can safely say that companies of all sizes are willing to access these benefits.
If you’re considering building your own solution from scratch, the JatApp team recommends entering the market today, before the competition gets crazy. Still not sure? Check out this blog post for a closer look at how IoT fleet management solutions bring value to modern businesses.
What is IoT-enabled fleet management?
Fleet management refers to operations and processes that must be implemented in order for a fleet to run without delay and at maximum efficiency. Fleet managers are in charge of controlling and keeping track of vehicles for maintenance, safety, energy consumption, and performance.
IoT is revolutionizing fleet management with the capacity to connect vehicles and deliver valuable data about cargo, vehicle performance, route, and passengers. IoT functions with the help of three major technologies: OBD, GPS, and RFID (Radio Frequency ID). While OBD and GPS offer valuable insights and statistics about vehicles in real-time, RFID control and monitor assets. These sensors give important information on cars’ position, speed, fuel consumption, engine health, tyre pressure, you name it.
This data is safely sent through a local gateway and transmitted to a cloud database. The software automatically generates reports and alerts fleet managers in case any issue pops up.
What are the benefits of fleet management systems?
Businesses spend much time, effort and money to manage their fleet by making sure it operates efficiently and meets all safety standards. Here are several ways IoT relieves companies’ headache and brings value to fleet management.
Preventive maintenance (PM)
Sensors-equipped cars transfer automated notifications and early alerts when the vehicle part requires maintenance or is close to breakdown. On top of that, notifications for coolant temperature and low battery also help to run cars safely and efficiently. With such an IoT technology, a driver isn’t likely to end up being stuck with a truck full of spoiled fish in the middle of nowhere, wishing they lost their sense of smell last time they had Covid.
Eco-friendly operations
The recent findings show that idling vehicles generate more than 30 million tons of CO2 annually. Keeping cars idle have detrimental impacts on the environment, not even mentioning additional fuel costs and excessive wear.
IoT sends automated notifications, helping to manage drivers’ behaviors that lead to fuel overconsumption. More often than not, the driving patterns tremendously impact the fuel efficiency. Embedded sensors allow managers to keep an eye on such things as average speed, breaking habits, unnecessary idling, and similar, so that they can work in cooperation with drivers to optimize energy spending.
Automation
Smart fleet management tools help operators automate a great deal of planning and processes. For instance, if a car breaks down, the software can send automatic alerts to service stations and a tow truck. Or if there’s a storm in the nearby area, drivers can receive automatic warnings, so that they will have enough time to reroute.
Based on the data gathered from IoT about traffic, route, number of passengers, and vehicle speed, these solutions generate notifications and show messages that assist passengers in planning their journeys. This automation helps not only to improve the riding experience but save costs, too.
Real-time data
Through different IoT sensors, fleet businesses gain valuable insights into how compliant their drivers are, what the vehicle speed is, and so much more. This real-time data can help the organizations make quick decisions that result in instant improvements. Besides, this information can help to manage the overall supply chain in a more efficient way.
Who enjoys these benefits?
From enhanced passenger experience to savings for insurance companies, IoT offers a wide range of benefits to different fleet management stakeholders daily. Let’s discuss who exactly takes advantage of IoT implementation.
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Telematics service providers
Service providers can make use of the IoT data to deliver premium services, like video solutions.
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Insurance companies advertisers
Companies pay off fewer insurance claims, if cars get into fewer accidents. Insurers also can tap into the data to create more comprehensive summaries for their underwriters.
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Passengers
When there is video surveillance, touchless ticketing, or Wi-Fi service, the passenger experience in public transport generally improves. IoT can also help to detect when in-cabin parts, like handles or seats, require replacement or repair.
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Advertisers
Vehicle infotainment companies can place their ads about their destinations or relevant services on IoT-based fleet management platforms.
IoT use cases in fleet management
Whether it’s driver monitoring or preventative maintenance, with the IoT technology, fleet managers can sleep well knowing that both drivers and vehicles are properly protected and managed. Let’s talk about key IoT use cases in fleet management.
Fleet maintenance
With IoT-enabled sensors, drivers can timely spot when there’s a need to change brake pads, oil, rotate tires, or replace a battery. In such a way, the maintenance staff can resolve issues before they lead to a serious vehicle health problem, like dysfunctional brakes or damaged motors.
Automile offers its clients the fleet maintenance solution in the form of a box that needs to be placed under the vehicle’s dashboard. The startup sells this device free of charge, but requires customers to pay for their services somewhere between $5.90 and $19 per vehicle on a monthly basis.
The most expensive subscription plan gets a client preventative maintenance and various risk reduction tools. Users enjoy paperless vehicle examinations that allow them to detect defects in seconds, take a picture to work with it, and add relevant notes.
Automile app functionality
Driver management
Advanced driver management solutions, such as backup cameras and blind-spot assistance, can notify drivers to people crossing the road, deer blocking the street, and other cars driving unsafely. In-cabin cameras can warn drivers and suggest when they need to stop and have a rest, when necessary. Video data can be saved as evidence in case of an accident.
Meet another startup, Aurora. Its IoT platform, Aurora Beacon, alerts drivers about such things as weather events or traffic conditions, helping them to optimize route as well as provides important updates for their missions.
Aurora Beacon app functionality
Along with Aurora Beacon, the company introduces a groundbreaking self-driving system called Aurora Driver. The IoT solution contains sensors, like long-range imaging radar, FirstLight Lidar, and high-resolution cameras, that allows it to provide a 360° view of what’s happening on the road in real-time. In this way, Aurora Driver is able to easily travel on highways, stop for pedestrians, and avoid any barriers.
Aurora app functionality
Asset and cargo management
Surveillance, temperature control, and vibration sensors help to make sure that the freight is safe during transportation. When the freight is kept at a set temperature, such things as medications or food don’t perish and stay consumable. Thanks to cameras and sensors monitoring cargo, managers know what should be on the vehicle and in what order. This helps to resolve cases, when cargo is stolen or lost.
In fact, there’s a lot of stealing that happens due to the lack of transparency. It’s not uncommon when the freight worth $300,000 is being embezzled by a driver whose monthly salary is no more than $300. Founders of a freight management startup, OnePort 365, which facilitates cross-border trade in Africa, thought that if they could track their parcel costing less than fifty bucks, why the guy sending $300,000 worth cargo couldn’t track where the vehicle is in Africa.
The fleet tracking and management solution they built makes cargo transportation a walk in the park. Typically, in order to generate a quote for a cargo shipment, traders needed to wait up to two weeks on average. Most of the procedures in the supply chain remained manual, taking much time to implement. With the OnePort 365 solution in place, the booking time has been reduced from 14 days to a couple of minutes. Traders can quickly contact inland transportation and shipping vendors, while controlling the whole process from the quote generation to payments.
OnePort 365 app functionality
Passenger information
Passenger information solutions can offer Wi-Fi or provide useful details about services and routes. They can also alert passengers when they need to follow social distancing guidelines on board or if there are seats available for people with disabilities. Fleet operators can benefit from video surveillance systems that deliver statistics about the number of passengers and other rules, like face mask usage. Moreover, riders often find it convenient when they can pay with Apple/Google Pay instead of cash.
Cisco Connected Mass Transit provides passengers with real-time information via the digital network. More specifically, each train, bus, and station has sensors that send data related to transit to riders and deliver video footage to security officers.
Revolutionize fleet management with us
When it comes to introducing IoT to the transportation sector, fleet management is one of the lowest hanging fruits. This technology helps to cut down expenses and improve fuel efficiency, while also enabling automation and real-time insights.
The future of fleet management seems promising right now, with IoT solutions flooding the transportation and logistics industry. To take advantage of this trend, you’ll need a software development company that specializes in building solutions for the transportation sector. JatApp has been delivering software for fleet management IoT for seven years now and has been recognized as the top local agency by UpCity. To tell the truth, we’re famous not only locally. Our agency has been honored to be on the list of top 1,000 B2B outsourcing companies in the whole world!
Want to build a solution with us? Don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll reach out to you as early as possible.
