Mobile apps and technology and their place in fleets

Smartphones have never been more popular than they are in 2018. In fact, it’s predicted that by 2020, 80 billion mobile devices will be connected to the internet.

As such it’s no surprise that fleet managers and drivers alike are harnessing the power of smartphones and mobile apps to assist them in the day to day running of their fleets.
There are a number of reasons to integrate mobile apps into the running of your fleet. We’ll take a look at the current state of smartphones in fleet tracking and the benefits that they offer.

The current state of mobile apps in fleet management
With the baby boomer generation inching closer and closer to retirement, the workforce will soon be composed of people that are internet savvy and competent using mobile apps. This shift is already beginning. Let’s take a look at some of the figures:
44% of respondents in the UK with 100 or more employees in their companies find that mobile apps are a useful fleet management tool. As do 27% of smaller organisations.
53% of respondents do not use smartphones or tablets to manage company vehicles, while 3% of respondents plan to.
As mobile apps and technology become more and more ubiquitous, the need to integrate it into fleet management will become even more apparent. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that mobile technology can benefit fleet management.
Benefits of mobile apps and technology to fleet management
There a number of benefits to the use of mobile apps and mobile technology at large in fleet management. Some of these include:
Faster Accident Response
If you were to be notified as soon as an accident took place, it would mean a much quicker response time. This means that the chances of fatality or serious injury are decreased.
Vehicle Health
If you’re constantly aware of the health of your vehicles, you will be able to conduct consistent maintenance, rather than having to conduct a costly repair once something finally breaks.
Improved Driver Behaviour
Mobile technology lets you keep track of how your drivers are driving. Incidents such as harsh breaking, speeding, driving without a seatbelt and other dangerous activities can lead to serious incidents. Your vehicles could be damaged, or worse yet, there could be a terrible accident. Using mobile technology to monitor driver behaviour allows you to prevent these issues before they have a chance to properly manifest.
Route optimisation
Mobile apps and mobile technology allows you to optimise your routes to save on time, petrol and money. This means that you’re always able to pick the most efficient route to get to a destination.