In Lagos, effectively managing a fleet of vehicles is a herculean task. From ensuring drivers are cautious on the road to checking mileage, fuel usage, and idling, fleet management is a time-consuming and expensive task.
Fortunately, telematics technology exists to optimize driver management, helping fleet managers save time and money and make data-driven decisions.
In this blog, we will discuss ways in which fleet telematics improve driver management in Lagos and why fleet managers need it in their toolbox.
What is fleet telematics?
Fleet telematics is a system that uses ICT (information and communication technology) to monitor a vehicle’s real-time location, speed, and performance, as well as other important data needed for decision-making.
Using GPS technology, a telematics system stores, sends and receives information that helps control the vehicles.
With fleet telematics, you can
- Track the location of vehicles.
- Reduce fuel costs.
- Optimize routes
- improve customer service
- Prevent theft
- Manage driver behavior
How Can Fleet Telematics Improve Driver Management in Lagos?
Kehinde, the operations lead at his company, had been complaining about his company driver’s use of fuel for some time. Every week, between Thursday and Saturday, a full tank of fuel was used, but the car didn’t appear to be used very much. He began to suspect the driver wasn’t buying the correct quantity of fuel. After conducting a probe on the driver that didn’t yield any results, Kehinde decided to use fleet telematics technology to track the driver’s behavior and gain insight into what was going on.
Thanks to telematics, he was able to detect that the driver was over-speeding, taking longer routes to avoid arriving at the office on time and making unauthorized stops.
With this information, Kehinde was able to devise a plan to effectively manage the driver, optimize routes, and ultimately reduce fuel costs. His efforts not only saved the company money but also enabled him to make sure the driver was always following the proper protocols.
Just like Kehinde, you can use fleet telematics to track and monitor your vehicles to gain insight into their performance and driver behavior. Data gotten from these insights can be used to find efficient routes, manage fuel costs, and know when a driver needs extra training to improve safety. Additionally, fleet telematics can provide alerts and notifications to keep you in the loop of things as your drivers proceed on a journey.
Best Practices for Utilizing Fleet Telematics in Lagos
To effectively utilize fleet telematics, you have to:
- Make sure your fleet is in compliance with Nigerian laws and regulations to avoid fines.
- Always monitor driver behavior and have review sessions with them.
- Invest in driver training programs.
- Always identify the most efficient routes to take before the drivers leave the office.
- Reward drivers who follow driver safety policies.
- Regularly review telematics data to ensure the fleet is running at its best.
Using fleet telematics for driver management is a necessary step toward improving the overall efficiency of your operations. Not only does it help drivers adhere to best practices, but it also increases vehicle lifespan, making them last for longer while also requiring less maintenance.
By making the most of telematics solutions like Citracks, you can effectively manage your fleet and drivers and see to it that your business operations are optimal, bringing in the desired result.
Get started with our all-in-one vehicle tracking solution provider today.