Increase productivity

Main fleet activities

As your company is operating on a very competitive market, you want your drivers to be able to execute as many jobs as possible, without infringing legal or recommended restrictions or exceeding suitable driving patterns. At the same time, you want to keep your vehicles available, avoiding downtimes and unproductive trips. So basically this is what you need to focus on:

Use the most adequate vehicles and drivers

If you already have route planning software and it works well for your company, that’s great. You just need to make sure that information is sent to your drivers and communicated to Frotcom, using the available API (application programming interface), so that Frotcom is able to monitor the execution of planned jobs.

If you still do not have route planning software and the size of your fleet and complexity of its operations already requires such planning, contact us. We will recommend you route planning software that fully integrates with Frotcom.

You may also find that the size of your company’s operations does not yet require route planning software. In that case you probably just want to be able to select the nearest available vehicle for each new service. Road transportation usually also requires choosing a vehicle whose driver has enough driving time left to be able to proceed to the next service without exceeding their available driving time for that day, week, month, etc. which means you need to communicate with the driver and send him or her instructions for the new service to be executed.

Recommended Features

Use dispatching and communication tools

Once you know which driver to assign to a service, you’ll want to do it in a way that is effective, error free and traceable. You need a dispatch tool.

Frotcom provides just such a tool called Workforce Management, with which you can notify drivers of new services, sending them all the necessary information, and then automatically create the mechanisms to monitor the execution of those tasks.

Drivers will use an onboard tablet to follow through the execution of tasks, informing the office of each stage of execution. Navigation and customizable forms are included as well, so that you can receive all the information you need from the field, including proof of delivery.

This reduces the probability of human error and allows your drivers to complete more orders without extra stress – and better manage their time.

Additionally, you will automatically document every step of the way – collecting forms from the field at each milestone: proof of delivery, refused jobs, refueling, waiting, etc.

If you want a more basic solution, you can also use Frotcom’s Integrated Navigation module, which allows you to send messages and destinations to onboard Garmin navigators. Although not as powerful as Workforce Management, this offers an alternative for some companies wanting an entry-level solution for job dispatching.

Recommended Features

Integrate with other software

In order to optimize your productivity, you may need to integrate Frotcom with other software packages used in the office, e.g. route planning, ERP, invoicing or human resources.

By integrating Frotcom with other software, you ensure that there is no need to retype information, thereby reducing resources needed and inevitable human error.

Recommended Features

API (integration with external software)

Use driving times efficiently

You cannot expect your drivers to drive 24/7, even if customers expect service 24/7. There are recommended or legal maximum driving times ( maximum continuous driving time, maximum driving time between daily rests, maximum driving time per week, etc.).

Obviously you do not want to breach these maximum times by asking drivers to pick up new cargo, for instance, when they are already about to reach their allowed limits.

You need to be kept updated of each driver’s driving time. You also need to have mechanisms that help you find the nearest available vehicles and drivers that will be able to meet the time and distance requirements for your next job.

Recommended Features

Foster efficient driving

Efficient driving is the most economical and ecological form of driving that still allows your driversto execute the plan.

In other words, once you assign a certain destination to a driver, you want that trip to be executed in such a way that gas consumption is as low as possible, but also the vehicle arrives at the destination within the scheduled time window.

This requires that drivers are clearly informed of their scheduled arrival time windows and that each trip is monitored closely in order to detect any deviation from the plan. That way, you can request that a driver take steps to rectify the situation or, if necessary, you can change the plan accordingly (e.g. in the event of traffic jams).

Recommended Features

Avoid incorrect routes

To maximize productivity, you also need to make sure that each trip is executed by following the best possible route. This isn’t necessarily the shortest or quickest route. It may, for instance, be a route that uses national roads and avoids highways and toll costs.

Basically, you need a way to plan the best route for each trip and then make sure your driver sticks to the plan.

Recommended Features

Avoid vehicle downtimes

Vehicle downtimes can severely jeopardize your planned services and decrease productivity. Sometimes downtimes can affect a single job, whereas at other times you may find out that your fleet will be a vehicle short for a whole week or month.

In order to minimize downtimes, you firstly need to make sure you perform all the necessary preventive maintenance operations as prescribed by the manufacturers.

Secondly, you want to monitor driving parameters and make sure that they are not stressing the engine, tires or other essential parts of your vehicle.

You can monitor driving behavior as well as both observe and rank vehicles and drivers according to parameters such as harsh acceleration and braking, excessive RPMs, etc.

By keeping driving behavior within recommended limits, you not only reduce fuel consumption and the probability of an accident, but also the probability of downtimes due to vehicles wear and tear.

"The company is saving more than one hour per day, with Frotcom. Since we are controlling the fleet through Frotcom and accessing key information about our fleet, we definitely saved money while running our fleet more efficiently."

Carlos Gutiérrez

Traffic Manager

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Bion Logística y Transporte - Spain

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A complete fleet management solution

Frotcom is a complete package. Our software contains all the features you need to manage your fleet, whatever the industry you work in. Discover how we can help.

Comply with legislation

Control your fleet’s operational costs

Increase safety

Provide a good service to your customers

Provide operation traceability

Scale up your operations