Records show that in 2021, 7 million commercial cars were purchased in the United States. Regardless of the industry or sector, businesses all rely on transportation of some kind.
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Whether it’s for an essential function, such as a taxi company like Uber, or for a company that requires the dispatching or delivery of goods, business vehicles are an important feature. Proper fleet and vehicle management is therefore key, as it can save a business an enormous amount of money in the long run.
Before starting any fleet management plan and getting to know the technologies that assist with this plan, an important consideration is the type of vehicle being purchased. The vehicle must suit the company. For example, an Uber rental service won’t need large commercial trucks, nor will a construction company require a small sedan. Companies need to assess their needs, budget their purchases, and explore different classes of cars before eventually deciding to buy or lease their company car.
Technologies That Enhance Business Vehicle Management
Aside from purchasing the correct class of car for the needs of your company, Forbes advises that proper fleet and driver management could save plenty of money in the long run. There have been various technological innovations introduced into this market for exactly these reasons.
Learning to embrace the following technologies can have major monetary benefits to a small to medium-sized business.
Telematics Devices
Telematics devices have been a huge positive for companies that deal with multiple vehicles and drivers. They are used to track key driving statistics such as acceleration, braking, and mobile phone usage while driving. This can be very helpful in monitoring fuel usage and reckless driving complaints, should they arise.
Telematic devices are thus useful for drivers and vehicle management.
Stolen Vehicle Recovery Devices
SVR devices were introduced into the market to help prevent theft and to assist companies when their vehicles were stolen or went missing. These devices comprise mostly of tracking and GPS/location devices that can also be used to ensure that drivers are not abusing company gas by using the vehicle for non-business-related activity.
Dashboard Cameras
These can be used by drivers to demonstrate that they are driving capably and correctly and can be useful for companies looking to weed out underperforming and incompetent drivers. They are also extremely useful for capturing factual information about road incidents and can see whether the company driver was at fault or not. This footage can then be used in insurance claims.
Tech Paves The Way
For an SME, business vehicles can become a major overhead, and in the wake of rising gas prices, proper management is crucial. The technologies mentioned above assist companies in the management process, cutting out unnecessary costs from the running of the business.