What is Driver Tracking and Why is It Important?

The majority of companies never exploit their fleets’ full potential due to a single, simple mistake. In other words, the company owners still have faith in their ability to manually track the drivers, as they did at first. They start to feel the burden of manual paperwork as their business grows too. They flagrantly overlook the reality that driver tracking entails more than merely keeping tabs on your drivers. Additionally, the route they are traveling and how they are driving the cars are factors. 32% of companies that have begun employing driver tracking can see an improvement in ROI. This short tutorial will help you understand the importance of real-time driver tracking for your delivery business. 

What is Driver Tracking?

Driver tracking is the process of monitoring a driver’s whereabouts, actions, and driving style while they are on the road. That every assignment is finished on schedule is the aim. Additionally, it is important to keep an eye on driver performance to improve the overall driver fleet’s productivity, safety, and efficiency. Driver tracking is all about knowing where your drivers are, what they are doing, and whether or not they are performing the activities you want of them.

Why Is It Important to Track Drivers?

Driver tracking is important for various reasons. But the main purpose for tracking drivers is:

It allows you to track your drivers’ whereabouts as they complete the last mile of delivery.

This has various advantages for your company.

Dispatchers can get the following information thanks to driver tracking:

• What are your drivers doing?
• What is the next stop on their itinerary?
• What tasks have they completed?
• If they are following your directions
• How well they are performing, and whether drivers will complete all of their tasks on time?

This information can then be used by dispatchers to:

• Maintain driver schedules
• Predict more precise arrival times
• Improve your client service.
• Plan and time fresh deliveries
• Make changes to improve efficiency.
• This also provides your office teams with greater visibility and control over the fleet as drivers begin their journeys. This might assist you in developing a more dynamic delivery operation.

Historically, there were two approaches to tracking your drivers:

Is it Possible to Track My Driver Manually?

The answer is:

Yes. It is possible to track your drivers manually.

However, as your company grows, this becomes increasingly challenging.

Manually tracking drivers creates a communication bottleneck.

Dispatchers must be available to drivers throughout the day, providing information and directions.

As you expand, you’ll need to increase your distribution operations and grow your crew.

Another issue is communication itself.

Drivers may slow down if they are called to check their status.

This can also hurt their driving safety.

They’ll have to maintain communication with dispatch so that the office personnel can follow their location.

It can be quite difficult to manually track drivers, even with ten vehicles. Therefore, a common query is:

Also Read:- 7 Ways to Keep Your Truck Drivers Happy and Motivated

How can I keep Track of My Drivers?

You can track your drivers using one of two basic options: 

• Telematics devices 
• Tracking software

Telematics Systems

Telematics technologies are systems that track automobiles using GPS and onboard diagnostics (OBD). Telematics systems also referred to as GPS car tracking, gather data and transmit it over cellular networks. The term “black box” is frequently used to describe the onboard telematics device. The telematics device is made up of several essential parts, including a GPS receiver, an accelerometer, and an interface. You may follow the whereabouts, speed, and engine output of the vehicle in this way. Cost is the main issue with fleet telematics. Therefore, if you already utilize other gear, software, and mobile apps, you can now connect them to your open telematics platform.

Tracking Softwares

The word “tracking software” refers to a broad category of digital solutions used to track the positions of drivers, fleets, or vehicles. GPS and geocoding technology are used by tracker software to receive and access text-based data. It can then transmit the data to real-time map coordinates that are accessible through its interface.

Tracking software doesn’t require a specific gadget to function, in contrast to telematics systems. Instead, it may link to a variety of gadgets, including cell phones and GPS devices. nevertheless, telematics equipment. You must refit each fleet with a telematics device for telematics to function. This calls for a large sum of money. The fact that telematics was a closed system was another issue. But contemporary solutions now operate on an open platform. This qualifies it as an underpinning system for tracking applications that require greater complexity, such as fleet management software. Or a component of software programs like delivery management or routing programs.

Conclusion

Tracking software can only give you real-time (driver and vehicle) data about driving styles and driver behavior as fleet management. All of these data points, however, will be for naught if you do not actively apply better driving regulations and route planning tactics.