Advantages and Disadvantages of TrackoBit’s Driver App

Your favourite fleet management software, TrackoBit, is now not only for fleet managers, but also for drivers! Improve your fleet’s connectivity with seamless data integration!

Fleet management can be a complex and challenging task. 

However, the latest technology has made it easier to streamline operations and manage resources efficiently. From data collection, integration, and analysis, everything is now easily done through software. 

So, we brought our fleet management software, TrackoBit, into the market with the intention of solving all problems a fleet manager could face and  bringing further automation and optimisation to the existing systems. 

However, our constant R&D and customer feedback pointed us to a new direction. 

We realised the need to build a way of improving communication, strategy and visibility from the driver’s end. And this is when we came up with the idea of a Driver App – something that we will talk extensively about in this blog post.

What is Our Driver App?

At TrackoBit, we believe in automation and optimisation on all types and levels of a fleet-centric business. Therefore, we came up with a Driver App that is designed for drivers. It is meant to help them manage their routes, waypoints, attendance, visibility, expenses, and much more. 

The app enables drivers to receive real-time notifications on their smartphone regarding trips and relevant updates. It also helps them better communicate with their fleet managers. 

Our driver app is becoming increasingly popular among our clients. That is because it offers a wide range of features such as trip management, and expense management that can optimise fleet functions. 

Moreover, the driver app is also a great platform for fleet-centric businesses to further optimise their tracking game. After all, the app collects locational data from the driver’s smartphone, while TrackoBit-run GPS trackers already collect data from the vehicles. Therefore, on combining this data, managers can get a more accurate and verified tracking experience.

What Does TrackoBit’s Driver App Do?

The primary purpose of the Driver App is to close communication gaps, enhance driver and operational efficiency, and take a step forward towards fleet automation. 

The app offers features that make it easy for managers to track and manage drivers’ tasks and other functions seamlessly in real-time. This is done while also making information viewing and sharing simpler for drivers. 

Some of the features of the TrackoBit driver app include:

Seamless Data Integration

While this might not be a feature visible to anyone, data integration is the basic purpose of the driver app. Through this feature, all relevant information, whether on the web portal or the driver app, reflects on both ends easily.

Driver Trip Management

The driver app makes it easy for drivers to check the trips assigned to them along with the start and end points and time, waypoints, and trip status. Because of this app, managers receive automatic PODs and drivers receive trip cancellation notifications to avoid confusion.

Attendance Management

The driver app is the right source for drivers to log their attendance in. Through this platform, drivers show their availability on the field to help managers assign trips to available drivers only. All attendance records are verified and well-transferred to the web portal.

Maintenance Checklists

Drivers can also use the driver app to improve vehicle management in fleets. Before any trip, they need to perform a complete vehicle check and enter any defects into the driver app along with pictorial proof. They can also add these problems on trips as and when they occur to facilitate quick repairs.

Expense Management

On-trip expense reimbursements are made much easier by the driver app as they add every expense they make in real-time along with receipts. Drivers can add remarks for each expense and managers can rest assured that there are no faults in their reimbursement records.

Real-time Tracking

The app uses GPS to track the drivers’ device location, providing real-time updates to fleet managers. This feature enables fleet managers to monitor their drivers’ movements and respond quickly to any issues that may arise.

Route Optimization

The app provides drivers with optimised routes, reducing the time spent on the road and increasing productivity. To make things much more automated and streamlined, the drivers are also notified in real-time to avoid confusion later. The platform also gives drivers information about any special rules to be followed on the route.

Advantages of Using Driver App

We built TrackoBit’s Driver App keeping in mind all the benefits that our clients could gain from them. It is the next big step in the world of fleet management systems; something that has the potential to change the way fleet-centric businesses work forever! 

• Improved Communication: The driver app enables managers and drivers to share data with one another in real-time at ease. Therefore, a lot of manual and misunderstanding issues are mitigated from the root. When the managers and drivers enter information on their respective portals/apps, the software leaves no room for mistakes. 
• Increased Productivity: Manual trip assignment and explanations can take up a lot of time from both the managers and rivers’ productive hours. Therefore, correct data sharing and the newfound ability for drivers to view this data themselves saves time and increases productivity.
• Cost Savings: With the driver app, managers can maintain a better understanding of their vehicles’ conditions and on-trip expenses. Therefore, the possibility to improve vehicle efficiency and planning while keeping on-road expenses in mind can save a lot of money in a fleet-centric business.
• Compliance: When trips are assigned according to the drivers’ schedule and HOS, there will be much less compliance issues. Moreover, the vehicle heath checklists allow drivers to also keep compliance in mind.
• Driver Retention: The driver app can help retain your best drivers as all their activity is duly noted and hence, can be appreciated. Moreover, easier reimbursement reports and more autonomy for drivers over their assigned trips allows them to feel more connected to your fleet and business, making them stay with you for a longer period.

Disadvantages of Using Driver App

Nothing in this world is free of faults and neither is our driver app. While the driver app itself has been a great addition to our suite of fleet management solutions, it can still come with the following shortcomings:, 

• Driver Resistance: Even though the purpose of driver apps is to fight micromanagement (if any) in fleets. However, drivers might retaliate to the app’s adaptation because initially they might find using them cumbersome and intrusive. However, this is nothing a good training session cannot resolve. 
• High Investment: The implementation of driver apps can be expensive, especially for small fleet management companies. Fleet managers should carefully consider the costs associated with implementing driver apps and ensure that they are getting a good return on investment.
• Infrastructural Challenges: The use of driver apps requires a reliable internet connection, and any disruption can lead to operational difficulties. Fleet managers should have backup plans in place to ensure that operations can continue in the event of any technological or network issues.

Do Fleet Businesses Use Driver Apps?

We developed and designed the Driver App keeping in mind the multiple use cases that come to us with the need to fill multiple gaps between drivers and managers. Therefore, yes, we recommend that you should definitely use the Driver App to make your fleet business much more efficient.

However, instead of only listening to us, you should also look into the market trends. 

A report by Grand View Research, states that several businesses using fleet management software will have to use Driver App to enhance in-house communication productivity,and customer service. To quantify this fact, the report also mentions how the global fleet management market size is expected to reach USD 55.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2020 to 2025. 

To further quantify just how important it is to use a Driver App, In addition, a survey conducted by Fleet Owner found that 69% of fleets are currently using telematics, inclusive of driver apps, and an additional 24% plan to implement it within the next two years. 

Since most businesses are already using or planning to use fleet management software, why should your business lag behind? And when you are already using the tech required to make your fleet efficient, why not give your business the best it deserves by adopting fleet management software as well?

Conclusion

After writing this blog, we can easily surmise that for the best fleet management software experience, you need to use both apps – the main portal for the manager as well as the Priver app. After all, automation and the best efficiency comes when all segments of a fleet are in sync and can produce the desired results together. 

The driver app is the best example of additional (but important) technology helping fleet managers hit the right sports to get the right productivity out of their employees.