Category: Blog

Whether you are a fleet owner or manager, you know how important the right technology is when trying to keep up with the costs of running multiple vehicles. Taking an objective look at the fleet management equipment you have in place is crucial when trying to figure out whether it is outdated. Business owners spend millions of dollars replacing outdated fleet technology annually.

In the past few years, wireless carriers have started to phase out the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems. These companies now use Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks to provide better service to their customers.

If the onboard equipment you are running uses GSM or CDMA networks for connectivity, it is time to make a change. Below are some reasons why upgrading to LTE-powered equipment is beneficial for fleet owners/managers.

Avoid Using Technology That Will Soon Be Obsolete

One of the main concerns fleet owners/managers have is reducing costs. The long-term cost of using outdated onboard technology can be quite substantial. Since most wireless carriers are moving away from CDMA and GSM networks, it is only a matter of time before equipment that uses these networks becomes obsolete. Waiting until your equipment is completely outdated to replace it can lead to downtime and higher costs.

This is why you need to view your move to LTE-powered onboard equipment as a necessary investment. With an investment in LTE-powered equipment, you can somewhat future-proof your business. By future-proofing your fleet, you should have no problem taking advantage of what this technology provides both now and in the years to come.

Increased Bandwidth is a Must For Modern Fleets

Investing in onboard fleet technology is a great way to keep an eye on what is going on out in the field. This technology should allow for the flow of information from drivers to the businesses they work for. However, if you are using outdated technology, the transfer of information from your drivers will be slow and cumbersome.

One of the main reasons why LTE networks have become so popular in the world of fleet management is because of the data transferring speeds they provide. On average, an LTE network is capable of transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than CDMA and GSM networks. With faster speeds, your drivers will have no problem sending and receiving the information needed to keep them productive.

LTE Networks Provide Better Coverage

Do your drivers go into remote areas with very little coverage? If so, then investing in LTE-powered onboard technology is a great idea. The LTE network provides better coverage in remote geographical areas, which is why it is becoming so popular with fleet owners/managers around the country. While this connectivity is offered by satellite-based solutions, LTE solutions are far less expensive.

Are you interested in upgrading your existing onboard equipment? If so, the professionals at M2M in Motion can provide your business with the assistance it needs.

Businesses depend on being able to track using GPS, especially those that involve transportation and delivery. Moreover, tracking helps companies keep track of their inventory at any given time.  

 

Why is tracking of assets important?

Tracking is important, even essential to a business’ success. It ensures accountability and customer satisfaction by way of efficient and safe business practices.  

Efficiency: As shipments are sent from one location to another, customers are entitled to know where their much-awaited parcel is and its expected arrival time. The ability to deliver on time, every time brings in repeat customers and improves the bottom line. 

Safety: Tracking keeps the sender of shipments aware of the route and the route’s specific rules to help the driver navigate in compliance with the service hour laws. It also helps the sender know of any hurdles that may crop up for the driver of the vehicle bearing goods. Monitoring the driver of the shipment through an effective GPS helps address any unlawful behavior or erratic driving based on road regulations.

 

Is tracking of non-powered assets possible?

Yes, through solar power. Non-powered assets are those that do not have their own source of power. A few non-powered assets are shipping containers, horse trailers, and any item that moves around in areas without a direct power source. 

However, these non-powered assets also require tracking if only to assure the customers that their package is safe and will arrive on time. Strategically placing solar panels close to these assets will give them enough power to enable tracking. 

In this way, solar power also becomes a mobile source of energy that collects the tracking data and sends it to the centralized data warehouse. 

 

Why use solar devices?

Solar-powered devices are eco-friendly simply because they use the sun as the source of energy. Sun being a renewable resource is a far better option than fossil fuels that have been in use for a long time. Therefore, it makes sense to use devices that receive their energy from solar power and fulfill the purpose of generating electricity. This works through solar panels made of solar cells as they absorb the heat from the sun during the day and can store sufficient power in the battery.

 

As solar-powered energy is becoming increasingly popular and accepted because it is cheaper and environment friendly, it is bound to become more effectively used. Companies that offer solar-powered products are also preferred over other suppliers as they join the bandwagon of eco-friendly service providers even as they improve their bottom line. 

The biggest value offered by video telematics is the ability to see things you couldn’t in the past. It doesn’t matter if this is blind spots on the road or exact data and numbers; telematics provides visibility and insight into what is happening across your fleet. Just think about it – what could provide you with more visibility than cameras?

Today, more fleet managers than ever before use video telematics programs powered by solar energy to implement cameras into their vehicles. Most programs will record video, then send it to the fleet if the parameters (set by the fleet manager) have been met. This lets the manager review what happened, such as in a hard braking event.

With this information in hand, it is possible to save on accident-related litigation costs, which has proven extremely beneficial for fleet managers in Florida.

The Potential ROI of Modern Video Telematics

The technology sounds cool, but you may wonder – “how will this benefit me?”

The video footage recorded will usually provide exoneration from any wrongdoing in legal cases. This is, without a doubt, the most significant ROI offered.

In fact, according to one study, up to 70% of the fleets that used video-based safety programs had proof of who was at fault. This proof saved on litigation, downtime, and more, providing an unmatched ROI for the entire company.

In most situations where the video footage is needed, it is not just about proving the driver innocent and ensuring they are not financially responsible. It is also helpful in keeping drivers in their seats. Without video proof of what happened, accidents usually result in drivers being terminated.

Additional Benefits Offered by Video Telematics

You will see several other benefits offered by adopting video telematics, too. Some of these may be hard to see in the short term, but they go a long way in helping the fleet in the long term. You begin to establish a safety culture when you implement the use of video in your fleet. You can even discover some bad habits that your drivers have developed through the years of driving unmonitored, bring attention to these, and ensure they correct their actions. This can improve safety for the driver and protect productivity for the fleet.

For some users, the ROI will be seen in the longer term. It will help to reduce the frequency of incidents and help promote accident avoidance.

While this is true, some companies agree to be able to exonerate a driver from fault for just one non-preventable, catastrophic accident makes it worth the investment. It doesn’t’ matter what your fleet goals are; to promote a culture of safety or reduce accident costs, and you will see an ROI from the implementation and ongoing use of video telematics in your fleet.

This technology is also continuing to improve, which means you can invest in real-time tracking and monitoring for your fleet drivers, too. This helps you promote ongoing safety regardless of the situation or driver.

In designing state-of-the-art fleet management and package tracking solutions, solar power can play an active and vital role. These systems can be set up in various ways and customized according to clients’ needs. That’s a big part of what we do as we support firms in modernizing and meeting the challenges of today – and tomorrow. 

 

The Big Picture

 

In general, solar power is harvested via two different processes – solar photovoltaic and solar thermal solutions. Many battery types have to do with solar photovoltaic harvesting and apply to non-powered assets that are used in different kinds of tracking systems.

 

How does that work? Well, in general, solar devices typically sit at a point where they can harvest energy and then deliver it to sensors and other non-powered devices or assets in the system. That means engineers have to think about proximity, as well as specific energy transfer protocols.

 

Building Tracking Systems

 

Some engineers would describe some types of solar devices as being “on top of” non-powered assets. Suppose, for example, you have sensors deployed in a physical space to catch motion, or track an object and send that information to a centralized data warehouse where it will be delivered through the cloud to end users. If those sensors are not actively powered, a solar device that is well-placed could provide them with some adequate amount of power to do their jobs.

 

The Internet of Things

 

Even a few years ago, experts were predicting many billions of Internet-connected devices as part of the Internet of Things revolution toward automation and technology advances.

 

In a way, solar power is the mobile energy source for the Internet of Things. As these networks get distributed over physical footprints, solar devices can be strung along to collect the energy that’s needed and pass it on into the system.

 

This is just the start of imagining what you can do for package tracking, fleet tracking and more. We offer different types of fleet management including maintenance and vehicle evaluation modules, as well as geographic services like package tracking and vehicle GPS.

 

How does all of this work? Spend some time on our site and you’ll see. We’re a thought leader in applied IOT and automation technologies, with the experience and know-how to help you get your projects done. Our customization projects can also tailor a solution to your needs. You don’t have to settle for second-rate technologies anymore – connect with a stakeholder that understands how to power for the 21st century!

At M2Min Motion, we have put a lot of thought into helping our customers to manage fleet operations.

Fleet management is one of those industries that’s been best served by new technology – the types of logging and tracking functionality that have been invented in the past decade or so are perfect for this industry in a variety of ways. That said, fleet management also benefits from some specific design principles. Think about these when you’re trying to figure out how to best administrate a transport business or some other kind of enterprise that operates a fleet of vehicles on a regular basis.

Keep It Simple And Affordable

This is our first philosophy of business with M2M In Motion. It means controlling costs, and it also means providing a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Fleet management is, like other kinds of management services, a digital dashboard type of business. It’s done on computers, and so the interface is the ecosystem that people encounter when they start learning how to use tools and resources.

We know from experience that interface design makes all the difference in the user’s experience and how they are able to benefit from a certain type of software. For instance, think about your favorite operating system over the years. What did you like about it? You probably liked how its controls were set up, which made it easy to find things. Then when Microsoft changed to something else, it became frustrating to maintain business as usual.

That’s the same kind of strategy that applies to fleet management software or any other kind of software, to help modern users tackle the learning curve and become more comfortable with the tools they use each day.

Great Customer Service

This second philosophy is one that applies to almost any kind of business, not just fleet management.

However, it does specifically apply to fleet management for some pretty important reasons.

Think about your typical software emergency. You’re putting together a plan to use the software on a daily basis, and some feature just doesn’t work right. Or you’re missing some key documentation that’s going to help you plan. Or you just have one super important question that needs expert advice.

Now think about calling, and whether or not someone picks up on the other end of the line.

There’s a reason why the best companies offer 24/7 support and customer service that stands out from the crowd. It’s because they know that value to customers – that the transaction doesn’t end when you sell a piece of software – that it’s often well after that point when quality makes the most difference.

Fleet Intelligence, Simply: Consolidated and Converged Systems

This third philosophy is different from the first one. It’s the idea of consolidating services into one networking platform, so that software does more with less complexity. So in that sense, it does also make the interface easier to use. But it’s a specific kind of building design that some people talk about as unified communications as a service. For example, we put our fleet tracking, package tracking, maintenance and compliance tools all in one single package, which helps our clients – a lot.

Learn more on the web site and see about how M2M In Motion can work for your fleet.

Our state-of-the-art fleet management tools help our customers to succeed in crafting sophisticated business plans. Today’s shipping industry runs on digital efficiency and data-driven micromanagement. Companies cannot afford to try to innovate with yesterday’s tools.

 

Here are three aspects of modern fleet management that most managers will agree companies can’t do without.

 

 

Dash Cam Services

 

This aspect of fleet management is the ‘eyes’ of the remote management system.

 

Without dash cams, text data can tell you certain things about packages and shipping, but there are many things that it can’t tell you – about specific events like accidents and collisions.

 

On the other hand, a dash cam is like a black box on an airplane. When an event happens, that triggers the recording, and the recording gets sent to the stakeholders who need it. This in turn shows investigators the visuals of what happened at a particular time, which can be so valuable when it’s time to figure out accidents or losses or anything else.

 

Fleet GPS Tracking

 

GPS tracking is the birds-eye view of your fleet management system.

 

You may have read in the early days of GPS about enormous shipping efficiencies gleaned through looking at a vast trove of GPS data. For instance, we heard about how UPS decided to cut out left-hand turns, which resulted in improved delivery times.

 

This is the type of crucial data that you get from GPS fleet management services. Many municipalities also have some version of this, not just for vehicles, but also for equipment and tools. No matter what you’re deploying, the locational data is paramount. You need it in your archive in order to make the best decisions about business every day.

 

Asset Tracking

 

Then there are also asset tracking features built into the platform to help stakeholders to know where everything is, and how it is being used.

 

In other words, in addition to location, the status of an asset is important. Resources can be utilized or spent in different ways. How do you know what’s going on, unless you’re on the ground? You don’t – unless you are behind one of these cutting-edge dashboards that will essentially tell you.

 

Broadly, some types of micromanagement are cutting-edge in terms of managing freight. For example, now, in covid19 times, specimens of vaccine have to stay below a certain temperature. How do you make sure that’s the case? Or how do you plan for cold logistics for food and perishables?

 

You do it through these modern fleet management and shipping management tools. Ask us more about what we provide for everything that moves in your business model.

Our state-of-the-art fleet management tools help our customers to succeed in crafting sophisticated business plans. Today’s shipping industry runs on digital efficiency and data-driven micromanagement. Companies cannot afford to try to innovate with yesterday’s tools.

 

Here are three aspects of modern fleet management that most managers will agree companies can’t do without.

 

Dash Cam Services

 

This aspect of fleet management is the ‘eyes’ of the remote management system.

 

Without dash cams, text data can tell you certain things about packages and shipping, but there are many things that it can’t tell you – about specific events like accidents and collisions.

 

On the other hand, a dash cam is like a black box on an airplane. When an event happens, that triggers the recording, and the recording gets sent to the stakeholders who need it. This in turn shows investigators the visuals of what happened at a particular time, which can be so valuable when it’s time to figure out accidents or losses or anything else.

 

Fleet GPS Tracking

 

GPS tracking is the birds-eye view of your fleet management system.

 

You may have read in the early days of GPS about enormous shipping efficiencies gleaned through looking at a vast trove of GPS data. For instance, we heard about how UPS decided to cut out left-hand turns, which resulted in improved delivery times.

 

This is the type of crucial data that you get from GPS fleet management services. Many municipalities also have some version of this, not just for vehicles, but also for equipment and tools. No matter what you’re deploying, the locational data is paramount. You need it in your archive in order to make the best decisions about business every day.

 

Asset Tracking

 

Then there are also asset tracking features built into the platform to help stakeholders to know where everything is, and how it is being used. 

 

In other words, in addition to location, the status of an asset is important. Resources can be utilized or spent in different ways. How do you know what’s going on, unless you’re on the ground? You don’t – unless you are behind one of these cutting-edge dashboards that will essentially tell you. 

 

Broadly, some types of micromanagement are cutting-edge in terms of managing freight. For example, now, in covid19 times, specimens of vaccine have to stay below a certain temperature. How do you make sure that’s the case? Or how do you plan for cold logistics for food and perishables?

You do it through these modern fleet management and shipping management tools. Ask us more about what we provide for everything that moves in your business model.

FMCSA audits can strike fear into the hearts of any fleet management company. The stress of being audited is natural, but it is essential to remember that these types of compliance reviews can occur for many reasons at any time. While audits may occur randomly, various factors can lead to your company presenting a ‘red flag’ to the FMCSA, which can trigger the review. Understanding these potential triggers can help you better prepare for an audit with less stress.

Accidents

Any time a vehicle in your fleet is involved in an accident, the FMCSA may be alerted and conduct a compliance review. Whether or not your fleet was at fault in an accident is beside the point, and if an accident occurs, you should be prepared for scrutiny. The FMCSA provides notice of accident audits in time frames consistent with the severity of the accident. The more severe the accident, the more prompt the FMCSA will conduct the audit, so ensure you keep records detailed and up to date to be prepared.

Failing The New Entrant Safety Audit

The FMCSA closely monitors companies that failed their NESA. Your best bet is to have a firm grasp of safety regulations from the start, ensuring that your company quickly passes its NESA, keeping you out of the crosshairs of a future FMCSA audit. Not only is fully understanding safety regulations in your best interest regarding audits, but it also keeps your fleet safe and accident-free. This way, you can stave off compliance audits from both NESA failure and accidents, a win-win scenario.

Out Of Service Violations

It stands to reason that the more roadside inspections in which your fleet incurs violations, the faster your track is to an FMCSA audit. Violations such as moving violations, hours of service, mechanical, or otherwise, can all lead you down the path to being audited. The FMCSA wants to ensure that your company complies with its regulations; therefore, any out-of-service violations will prompt them to conduct reviews.

Taking Charge Of Fleet Operations

At M2M In Motion, we help our clients with a full range of fleet management tools designed to simplify your operations while increasing your fleet’s productivity and safety. Our FMCSA compliance technology platform gives you the resources needed to conduct operations within regulatory guidelines and allows you to have greater control of compliance standards. Don’t conduct business panicked by the thought of FMCSA audits; take charge of your operations with M2M In Motion today.