Fleet Management Software

Buyers guide

Fleet management software is a collection of different applications used by distribution firms and logistics departments of manufacturing firms to:

• Track overall fleet efficiency and fuel costs;
• Assist with international fuel tax compliance;
• Assist with route planning and optimization for multi-delivery routes;
• Track and monitor driver behavior;
• Keep tabs on fleet maintenance and vehicle health;
• Dispatch drivers and schedule trips.

We created this guide to help buyers like you navigate the fleet software market and identify the best solution among the many available.

Here's what we'll cover:

What Is Fleet Management Software?
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Market Trends to Understand
Recent Events You Should Know About

What Is Fleet Management Software?

Fleet management solutions help users track assets and inventory, optimize delivery routes and schedules and reduce risk factors associated with fleet management. Ultimately, this can lead to reduced operational costs.

In contrast to fleet maintenance software, which is focused on tracking the materials, parts and labor used for vehicle repair, management is a broader system meant to keep the overall fleet operating smoothly.

Common fleet software functionality includes:

What Type of Buyer Are You?

There are many different types of buyers who seek fleet management systems—ranging from long haul shippers, to local delivery fleets, to healthcare transportation services, to heavy machinery movers and public services fleets (e.g., law enforcement, public transportation, city utilities or waste management).

Some types of buyers have unique needs based on the nature of their operations. A few common buyer types include:

Third-party logistics (3PL) firms. 3PLs oversee logistics operations—typically, everything from transportation to warehousing—for clients. 3PL firms are growing in popularity, according to industry reports, as more shippers are outsourcing their logistics operations to them. As such, these firms typically need full suites (bundled packages of related applications) of trucking, warehousing and inventory control applications.

For-hire carriers. Trucking companies that transport cargo for other businesses will likely want a suite that offers full functionality in operations and business management for the freight and logistics industry. Pay careful attention to the accounting and inventory control capabilities, especially if you deal largely in less-than-truckload (LTL) rather than truckload shipping. LTL specialists will also want strong scheduling and dispatch capabilities, and may wish to consider customer relationship management (CRM) software if they have a large customer base.

Private shipping fleets. If you represent the transportation wing of a company whose core business is something other than transportation, you’ll need a different type of solution than a for-hire carrier. You may wish to consider an enterprise suite that’s targeted less at trucking and dispatch and more at the company’s core business, yet still includes trucking management capabilities. If you do decide to focus on trucking management, make sure the inventory control and accounting functionality integrates with the company’s other systems.

Freight brokers and forwarders. Freight brokers are intermediaries that match shippers with carriers. As such, they require specialized suites of software that have strong scheduling, quote management and CRM capabilities (CRM will help organize customer databases). Freight forwarders are similar to freight brokers, except that forwarders take physical possession of shipments in order to make the most efficient use of the carriers’ cargo space. Therefore, they typically have similar needs to those of freight brokers, in addition to software that features load optimization, inventory and warehousing functionality.

Local delivery services and courier services. Local delivery fleets may transport anything from food to equipment to chemicals. Delivery vehicles see strong benefits from GPS tracking applications that allow the real-time tracking of vehicle locations. For fleets with vehicles that make many stops, route optimization is also a key functionality.

Car services. In the case of taxi, limo or car fleets, the client is the cargo. Dispatching and scheduling applications are key for these fleets, as are GPS tracking applications.

School districts. School systems often need solutions that offer a significant amount of accountability and insight into school bus routing. Districts can also use these tools to better manage fuel usage and scheduling.

Market Trends to Understand

You should be familiar with the following market trends as you evaluate fleet management software products:

Environmentally friendly logistics. With environmental consciousness at an all-time high, consumers are starting to take notice of where their goods come from—and how they got there. Despite the substantial carbon footprint of the shipping industry, fuel-saving measures implemented in a fleet can add up. Routing software allows users to save fuel by determining the most efficient routes, and maintenance applications can ensure that a truck is well maintained, thus preventing fuel loss.

Business intelligence. More and more fleet management systems offer intelligent analytics that identify areas where money can be saved in a fleet’s operations, based on internal and external data and the company’s historical trends. For example, this data can optimize scheduling and dispatching operations, determine the most fuel-efficient routes and make the most effective use of cargo space. This trend is likely to continue as big data becomes even more prevalent—and valuable—in transportation industries.

Mobile devices. Mobile applications present a strong value proposition for fleet companies. They allow drivers to stay in constant communication, call ahead with estimated delivery times, upload delivery verification nearly instantaneously, provide dispatch notes and countless other benefits.

Recent Events You Should Know About

Uber launched UberFLEET. This is an Android app that will help fleet owners manage their driver performance in 29 cities across India. This app aims to improve the overall fleet productivity by making the process of managing drivers more efficient and reducing driver downtime by tracking their performance, including daily and weekly trips, hours online, earnings (cash and non-cash), ratings and cancellations with the help of detailed reports.

WorkWave fleet management software solutions acquired the SMB-targeting telematics company, GPS Heroe. This acquisition will help WorkWave expand its telematics offerings among SMB customers, increase the number of channel relationships and grow its range of fleet management products.

Omnitracs launched a web-based game. The game, called Zombie Dispatch, highlights the role of trucking and truck drivers in the economy as well as showcases fleet management technologies and solutions. The role-playing game allows people to complete various truck-driving missions and makes them aware of new technologies—from electronic logging devices and navigation apps to route planning software and sophisticated big data analytics. The game aims to improve fleet efficiency and driver satisfaction.