Businesses that rely on trucks and deliver goods across North America are facing a period of rapid change.
High fuel prices, supply chain disruptions, layoffs, tighter environmental regulations, and driver shortages are all complicating fleet management. Operators of all sizes are realizing that improving efficiency is no longer an option just to trim costs — now it’s a matter of survival.
It is part of a growing trend of corporations turning to platforms that offer a single point of access to the various services required to keep their fleet operating. Radius North America, which does business in this sector, is an example of a company that provides this platform: a unified “network of networks” that connects businesses to services like telematics. By working with a provider like Radius, businesses can enable their operations without having to maintain a direct relationship with multiple service providers for the same.
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The Importance of Telematics for Your Business
One especially hot segment of the market is telematics. The reasons are numerous — first, it’s no longer large truck fleets investing in it in North America. While larger fleets have been users for a decade, smaller and regional operators have also begun to leverage the technology. Even small organizations with fewer than 4 or 5 trucks are getting in on the improvement opportunities of telematics.
Telematics systems make it possible to manage a host of vehicle functions in real time, from vehicle location and monitoring driver behavior to observing fuel usage and tracking maintenance needs. For operators, that means knowing where their vehicles are at all times, ensuring that they’re being driven safely and efficiently, and being able to address maintenance issues before they spiral out of control. For drivers, it can mean getting where they need to be on time without getting stuck in the middle of the road for reasons that are both tied to the operator and completely out of their control. And when profit margins are as close as they are for any organization that relies on a fleet, small improvements like these matter just as much as the big ones.
Adopting electric vehicles and following more stringent regulations for lower emissions is another concern. While many opportunities exist to move that effort forward — and both U.S. and Canadian leaders have made their nations’ positions known about reducing emissions in the transportation sector — both regions will also hold businesses to a higher standard.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency holds resources that provide some “rules of the road” that fleet operators can follow, while this one serves the same purpose in Canada.
- Making Sure a Fleet Moves at All
- Ensuring That Vehicles and Teams Are Compliant With Environmental Rules
Parting Thought
In the end, effective fleet management in North America comes down to remaining agile. Companies that invest in connected resources, transparency around data, and the infrastructure flexibility to adjust to the challenges of increased costs and regulation are better positioned to roll with the changes on the road, literally. By focusing on operations efficiency and safety, and strategic planning for the long-term, organisations that rely on a fleet can ensure that they will stay on the move irrespective of what lies ahead.
