Commercial fleet operators need to keep up with the times if they do not want to be left eating dust. Efficiency and safety are key elements that technological development can help improve. The logistical capacity of a company is one of the key areas that can be streamlined in order to save costs. Here are some of the most important technological developments in the world of commercial fleet operation.
Vehicle Trackers
Many commercial vans and lorries are now fitted with some kind of vehicle tracker. These trackers help fleet operators to assess the efficiency of their operations and to even out areas that impact said efficiency. They can also enable operators to collect data on driver safety, route use and route overlaps. Vehicle tracking technology is now considered to be an industry standard.
Electric Vehicles
The fossil fuel industry is doomed. Industry leaders have known this for a very long time indeed. Fossil fuels are finite, damage the environment and fluctuate wildly in price according to global conflict and political developments. More and more companies are aiming to switch in part (or in whole) to electric vehicles. Although electric vehicles are currently somewhat limited in range due to the lack of charging infrastructure in the United Kingdom, this is rapidly changing. Major fleet operators like Amazon and Virgin Media are already well on their way to a partial electrification of their vehicles. The technology behind electric vehicles is also improving rapidly – leading to more practical solutions with longer range and higher payloads.
Fuel Cards
Fuel cards are not exactly a new technology, but they are seeing an increasing amount of use due to the sheer volatility of petrol and diesel prices around the country. Every petrol station charges a different amount for fuel according to the location in which it is based. While this used to not be a massive issue for commercial fleet operators, the daily fluctuations in price as a result of the war in Ukraine and disastrous government bungling exacerbate the impact of these regional changes. Fuel cards often guarantee commercial fleet operators fixed rates across the country, provided that they ask their drivers to collect fuel from a certain provider. Fuel cards also make the administration of fuel payments far easier for fleet operators as they do not charge instantly but rather at a set point every month.
Predictive Telematics
Modern AI and machine learning technology are allowing commercial fleet operators to be savvier about the routes their vehicles take. Predictive telematics programs assess massive datasets in order to perform a risk assessment of any given route. The most advanced examples can work out the likelihood of a traffic jam on any given route and offer drivers the ability to avoid high-risk areas. Large fleet owners can cut down journey times for their drivers (and therefore their goods) drastically using this technology. Expect AI-based predictive telematics technology to make a very big impact on commercial fleet operation in the near future.
