The Top Two Asset Tracker Every Fleet Should Look Out For

Nearly all industries and businesses are striving to achieve high performance and efficiency. For fleets, they are required to do this while using asset trackers. If managed incorrectly, these assets may become liabilities for the business, as over time performance and efficiency can dip, resulting in an excess of resources being used and costs increasing.

The 6 Benefits of Continuous Tracking 

1. Operating expenses will reduce because fleets will be able to choose the best and shortest routes for their vehicles. It will help reduce fuel consumption and unnecessary overtime costs. 

2. Fleets will also save on time because assets getting stuck in traffic will reduce and managers will be able to better guide their drivers to avoid the busy streets in real time. 

3. There will be a reduction in downtime because implementing a live tracking solution will help fleets make informed decisions and schedule trips with upkeep and maintenance in mind.

4. Vehicle utilization will be maximized because fleets can use the data and analysis obtained from the asset tracking solution to eliminate idle time, reduce over speeding and decrease fuel consumption. More information on this will be outlines in a case study below. 

5. Fleets will also be able to better optimize their financial management. With the data obtained, they will be able to make a comprehensive profit and loss analysis and allocate their budget accordingly. 

6. Vehicle asset tracking makes it possible to help fleets locate their lost and stolen vehicles in no time.

If fleets are looking to improve with the following benefits, a live asset tracking solution should be considered. But depending on what challenges your fleet faces the most, the best asset tracker for you to implement will differ. For example, one risk for fleets is working outside of cellular coverage and general asset monitoring problems. Below we discuss this risk in depth and provide a premier solution to use in addition to what to do if cellular coverage is not a concern.

Tracking Assets Outside of Coverage

When it comes to going on trips where an asset will have to be outside of cellular coverage, fleets have no way to know where the fleet is during that time. There won’t be any communication between assets, drivers and fleet managers. This is commonly seen in various industries such as:

• Long haul transportation where deliveries stretch across long distances 
• Construction where worksites are located either permanently for large projects or semi-permanently when individuals are required to complete off-site repairs

Normal asset trackers won’t be of any use if implemented as most of them run inside cellular coverage. This problem requires an asset tracker that can operate even outside of cellular coverage. 

Operating Outside of Cellular Coverage: ZenSatellite 

Designed for managing powered, non-powered, fixed and mobile assets, the ZenSatellite is a solution for tracking asset location, reporting unauthorized movement, engine runtime reporting, major fault monitoring and much more. Each ZenSatellite is configured to track its assets specific needs and provide intermediate and emergency alerts via email or text, so fleet managers can make the necessary steps required as soon as possible. 

What Makes The ZenSatellite Stand Out

Built to be a low maintenance device and having up to 10 years of battery life, the ZenSatellite drastically reduces maintenance time and cost for labour and parts. Also, its wide range of reporting capabilities include GPS location reporting in four modes: geofencing with configurable range setting, stationary or in-motion reporting, reduced messaging mode, theft recovery mode and data transmission from external sensors. Making it ideal for long haul transportation or delivery where routes stretch across far distances. 

The ZenSatellite can be line-powered, or in the absence or interruption of external power, can automatically switch to a lithium battery back-up. If solar energy is a viable option in terms of availability, the ZenSatellite Solar is a great solution for low maintenance with up to 10 years of battery life. There is no need for external power or antennas because it’s equipped with rechargeable batteries that heavily reduce maintenance time and cost for labour and parts. It can improve the operational productivity through reliable, remote asset performance monitoring, safety and compliance, smart metering and data visibility. Making it ideal for construction fleets where worksites are remote for an ongoing or semi-permanent basis. 

An Example Case Study – Rising Fuel Costs

A truck company had a contract to haul oil in Europe. Shortly after beginning to move the oil, the fleet discovered that their trucks were using an average of 30% more fuel than expected with every delivery. This raised costs per truck by €1000.00. 

There was inconsistency in fuel usage by the trucks. Even identical trucks taking the same route were using different quantities of fuel. The fleet was looking for answers to understand how their trucks were performing and what outside factors were contributing to the loss of fuel. This issue was addressed with implementing satellite trackers which could help with monitoring the behavior of the driver including harsh braking, acceleration and even idling times which would negatively impact the fuel consumption of the vehicle. 

The solution offered two-way communication between dispatchers and drivers. It also provided a way to send routes to drivers by implementing electronic forms that could be filled out at the time of refueling. The satellite tracking solution also allowed fleets to set up geofencing so they could be aware of drivers leaving areas unexpectedly.

The fleet’s initial investment in the satellite tracking solution was recouped almost immediately by the amount of fuel savings in just a few months. The ongoing investment in the solution helped the fleet identify all the factors attributing to lost fuel – including that they were losing almost 4 liters of fuel for every hour their trucks were idle. Satellite tracking also contributed to a reduction in accidents as driver performance and efficiency improved through the report cards and dispatcher interaction. The cost savings in fuel consumption and unexpected benefit of performance saved the company well over €1050.00 each month. 

But what if cellular coverage is not a concern? 

Operating Inside of Cellular Coverage: The ZenRemora

If working outside of cellular coverage isn’t a challenge, then ZenRemora would be the optimal solution. Designed for tracking non powered assets where super long battery life is required without sacrificing update frequency and accuracy performance. No matter the weather conditions, its lithium thionyl chloride (LTC) batteries will offer continued operation in extreme temperatures. 

The ZenRemora – A 360’ Solution For Asset Monitoring

The ZenRemora is famous for offering 10 years of battery life at one daily GPS ping and 5 years of battery life with one ping an hour. If questions like ‘what if the asset tracker is removed out of the asset?’ are concerning, fleets can remain assured that the tamper detection system will alert them if the ZenRemora is removed from the asset. 

An Example Case Study – Challenges With Accountability

A fleet works hard to provide repair, maintenance, upgrade and installation services for electrical and telecommunications projects. Unfortunately, the fleet was using an asset tracking system that wasn’t meeting expectations.

The fleet only used excel spreadsheets to manage its assets, and this frequently led to confusion, lack of preparedness and even loss of items across the company. It was challenging due to the rows and rows of hard-to-find data, and the fleet wasn’t even sure who the assets on the list were assigned to or if the assets were unavailable. Therefore, accountability was a major challenge. 

The fleet also dealt with a tight budget so implementing a better asset tracking solution was tough. After implementing the ZenRemora, the fleet saved countless hours throughout the week knowing where the assets were at all times. Another great feature was how notifications were an important feature the fleet could set up to ensure assets, machinery and various other assets weren’t out of date and were regularly maintained. 

Overall, the fleet now saves about a full day each week thanks to the ease and efficiency of the ZenRemora. This means the company saves at least 32 work hours per month, and sometimes even more when jobs take longer than expected or random emergencies popup that the fleet must add to its repertoire of projects. 

Final Words About Implementing Asset Trackers

The ZenRemora and ZenSatellite are great choices for fleets looking for a quick and affordable improvement in terms of efficiency, safety and maintenance management. To learn more about which solution would work best for your fleet and the one that gives you the best return on investment,  contact us now.