Issues surrounding the environment have been high on everyone’s agenda in recent years thanks to stark realisation that our fossil fuel supplies are quickly running out. Alongside financial worries caused by the recent credit crunch, the environment is causing a particular stir amongst fleet managers and vehicle fleets as many find themselves faced with a difficult conundrum; do they look for ways to help lower their carbon emissions by investing in more environmentally friendly vehicles or should they try to save money and continue using their existing fleet vehicles? Or is it possible to have both?
The solution is in fact very easy with the utilisation of GPS tracking technology. Having already established itself as one of the most significant inventions of the 21st century, GPS vehicle tracking systems are now helping to bridge the void between environmental concerns and the ever rising costs of operating a vehicle fleet. As a result thousands of UK companies are now investing in tracking systems in order to help them meet environmental targets as well as keep fleet running costs to a bare minimum.
In order to explain how GPS vehicle tracking systems can prove so effective it is first necessary to explain where environmental and economical issues meet within a vehicle fleet. When you consider a large vehicle fleet that has multiple vehicles in national locations across the UK, moving in different directions at different speeds with drivers from all different driving backgrounds, you can imagine that keeping track of each vehicle is hard enough without even thinking about fuel usage and your company’s carbon footprint.
But this is exactly the challenge that fleet managers face daily and with the introduction of new ‘Duty of Care’ legislation and the ‘Corporate Manslaughter Act’ there is now even more pressure on transport companies to have a tight grip on every tiny aspect of their fleet, from working hours to unnecessary fuel usage. GPS tracking has however stepped in and come to the aid of many fleet organisations by combining most of these elements within a centralised software or Internet platform.
A GPS tracking device will record, monitor and relay data back to a central computer enabling fleet managers to see exactly where their vehicles are at any given time but also provides them with additional but equally important data concerning driver behaviour, MPG and route tracking information. Whilst on the surface this may seem like information fleet managers would have been using for years, advancements in vehicle tracking systems are now so sophisticated that they can even help managers save money on road tax and toll road fees.
When it comes to GPS technology the impact it can have on any vehicle fleet is immense, providing that the data is used efficiently by those in charge. Poor driver behaviour such as harsh acceleration, stops and starts, idling and so on can actually end up costing a company a great deal of money in both fuel expenses and vehicle wear and tear. GPS tracking systems can highlight where different drivers are going wrong leaving fleet managers with enough evidence to insist on further driver training and education.
In an economical sense GPS tracking of driver behaviour can help to reduce wear and tear saving money on maintenance costs, reduce insurance premiums thanks to no accidents or damage, and also reduce fuel costs which in turn should lead to less fuel being wasted thus contributing to cutting carbon emissions. It has also been suggested that vehicles in poor condition are also likely to be less environmentally friendly so keeping a track of miles travelled (MPG) and vehicle service dates can ensure that all vehicles are operating to the highest environmental standard possible. Taken literally this should also result in a more economically friendly vehicle with maximum MPG achieved and engines running more efficiently.
Another environmental and economical advantage of vehicle tracking systems is that sophisticated tracking systems can also guide drivers on the most direct routes from A to B allowing drivers to get more done and also saving money on those ever increasing fuel prices.
More money can be saved considering that new rules have been introduced with regards to road tax where by vehicles that use less fuel and are seen to actively contribute towards climate change will have to pay less road tax than those that do not.
GPS tracking then has many advantages both economically and environmentally and for most fleet managers it is not a matter of priorities but more a situation where less is more on both accounts, except for Miles per Gallon (MPG) that is!
By: David Tymon
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