4 Great Apps That Can Help Your Fleet Management Business

Boryana Gramatikova illustrates mobile app opportunities and shares her thoughts on the 4 particularly useful ones to the logistics industry

Like it or not, people these days are getting more and more attached to technology. Mobile apps, in particular, have become an absolutely irreplaceable part of our everyday lives. Even most businesses have started using them to make their workflow easier.

According to research by the app analytics provider Flurry, users are now spending 2 hours and 42 minutes per day on mobile devices. 2 hours and 19 minutes of that time is spent on mobile apps. Application usage has grown by 6% compared to last year.

The use of apps is also on the increase within the logistics industry. According to Frost and Sullivan’s 2013 North American Mobile Enterprise Applications report, 71% of businesses (including fleet management companies), added more mobile apps to employee devices in 2014.

Managing the day-to-day operations of fleets ranging all sizes is no easy task. Fleet managers who need to direct administrative staff, report to the directors, and develop administrative standards and vehicle operation policies could certainly use a hand. The following apps would help any fleet manager keep all of their tasks organized and their workflow operating smoothly:

 

#1 Fleetmatics

Cost: Free

Available for download from: Google Play

Description: Fleetmatics is a fleet-tracking app. It allows you to check if your drivers are starting on time, if they are taking the most efficient route and whether or not they are wasting any fuel. The app uses GPS tracking, which is why you have anytime access to real-time data. With Fleetmatics, you can stay in touch with each vehicle’s performance, compare it with your benchmarks, receive alerts, and investigate incidents.

The fleet management app can also help you find the closest vehicles for urgent dispatch, view animated vehicle journeys in Route Replay, display Geofences on a map and abort a trip on the driver’s Garmin device, if needed.

 

#2 Toodledo

Cost: Free to $2,69

Available for download from: iTunesGoogle Play, BlackBerry World

Description: Since fleet management requires a great level of organizational skills,Toodledo might be the ideal app to make your job much easier. It is essentially a very well structured to-do list. It uses folders, tags, contexts, subtasks and more, to organize, search and sort through your tasks. To remind you of approaching task deadlines, the app uses hotlist, customizable alarms, and sortable online to-do lists.

If you work in a large team, you have the option of sharing projects and files with Toodledo’s collaboration tools. If you have used a task manager before and want to switch to Toodledo, you can import tasks from all kinds of sources. The app is also highly customizable!

 

#3 Scania Fleet Management

Cost: Free

Available for download from: Google play

Description: Scania Fleet Management allows you to manage vehicles and other equipment, as long as you have access to the Internet. In order to use the app, you first need to register. The process only takes a few minutes.

Once you have registered and logged in, you will be able to create fault reports for vehicles and other equipment directly in the Fleet Management app. You can use the app to take pictures of the faults and attach these to the fault report.

Depending on the role you have, on Scania Fleet Management you can also see the position of your vehicles on a map, current data from the vehicles and detailed data on the drivers’ driving times and activities. You can use the app to contact your drivers directly via SMS or phone.

The Scania Fleet Management app is available in English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese.

 

#4 Gas Cubby

Cost: $1.99

Available for download from: iTunes

Description: Gas Cubby is an app developed by Fuelly, LLC and it is a fuel economy and service log. It allows you to track gas mileage and vehicle maintenance. Drivers can keep tabs on their MPG, gas prices and expenses. The app also tracks service expenses and provides customizable service reminders.

To install Gas Cubby, you need to have at least iOS 5. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and is optimized for iPhone 5.

 

Conclusion

The bottom line is that while apps can certainly be fun to use, they can also be a real asset to your fleet management business. They can help you keep track of all of your vehicles simultaneously, check up on their progress, follow their fuel consumption and look for ways to optimize it. Apps can also be helpful in times of crisis, as they can locate the nearest technicians and have your vehicles repaired and back on the road in no time.

 

Photo credit: Cristiano Betta / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

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