TrackoBit Dictionary: Fleet Management Software Terms Users Must Know

Every industry has a set of jargon that nobody from the outside seems to understand. However, without that jargon working within the industry can be tricky.

The fleet industry is no different. If you do not know some jargon, you might not be able to work with fleet management software systems. 

Are you new to the fleet industry and want to know what everyone has been talking of? You’re in the right place! In this blog, let us talk about some of the most commonly used terms you should know from the fleet management industry.

Fleet Management Software 

Fleet management software is a cloud-based software that allows you to keep track of your vehicle’s geospatial and operational information. With fleet management software, you always know your vehicle’s whereabouts, engine health, and operational efficiency. Its primary function is to streamline, optimize, manage, and cooperate vehicles in a fleet from a centralized platform. 

With the tools in fleet management software solutions, you can supervise drivers, operations, vehicles, and consignments from anywhere. Fleet management software is a culmination of efficiency-boosting features such as real-time tracking, fuel monitoring, driver analysis, and report formation.

GPS Tracking Software 

GPS tracking software is a platform that helps you check where your assets are in real-time. With the help of GPS tracking software, you can track the exact location of your fleet down to lat-long information, direction, and speed. 

With the help of GPS tracking software, you can see all your vehicles as dots on a map. Therefore, you can relax knowing that your vehicles, drivers, and consignment are safe on the field. 

Have you heard GPS tracking software and fleet management software being used interchangeably? Here’s why that’s incorrect!

Real-time Tracking 

Live tracking or real-time tracking is the most basic yet important feature in fleet management. The term is pretty self-explanatory; it means tracking (vehicles) down to a second. This means, that wherever your vehicles are at that exact moment, your GPS tracking or fleet management software will reflect. 

Real-time tracking is a term mostly used in the premise of locational data. However, it can also be used in the context of tracking operational data such as tire pressure, fuel consumption, etc.

Estimated Time of Arrival and Proof and Delivery 

With real-time tracking on any fleet management software, you can get accurate Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). This means, that when your vehicle is running, you can tell in real-time when is the best possible time that it will reach its destination. 

Fleet management systems also help you get accurate proof of delivery (POD) through geospatial information. PODs can even be more authentic with the help of digital signatures, OTPs, or code scanning.

Video Telematics 

Before video telematics, let’s understand what vehicle telematics is. Telematics is simply the way vehicles and computers share information. Through telematics software, vehicles can share diagnostic data with software and software can share instructions with vehicles (for automated functions such as immobilization). 

Video telematics is adding visual devices such as front and rear dash cams onto the fleet management system. This way, you can always keep an eye on your vehicle’s interior and exterior. 

Driver Behavior Monitoring

Driver behavior monitoring or driver management system is the way of supervising how your drivers are driving your vehicles. It is through driver behavior analysis that you can tell which drivers are being naughty or nice. 

Through video telematics, OBD data, and geospatial information, you can tell when drivers are distracted or are resorting to risky driving. 

Geofence and Point of Interest (POI)

Good fences make good neighbors and that is exactly what geofences are for! 

Geofences are virtual boundaries and perimeters that you can set over physical locations through GPS tracking software.

Points of Interest serve similar functions to geofences. However, instead of being flexible boundaries, they are standalone points that cover the nearby areas to a specific radius. 

Both geofences and points of interest are wonderful for letting fleet managers know whenever vehicles enter or exit specific areas through alerts. 

On-board Diagnostics

On-board diagnostics (OBD) is a system that allows vehicles to self-diagnose their internal functioning such as engine health, odometer reading, etc. OBD systems allow vehicles to share such information with drivers so that technicians and managers get an idea of the internal condition of a vehicle. 

OBD data helps maintain vehicle health for optimum performance and efficiency in a fleet. It also helps generate insightful data reports that can help you get a closer look into your complete fleet’s functioning. 

Fuel Management

Fuel management is tracking and managing the inflow and outflow of fuel in all the vehicles in your fleet. This means that fuel management systems help you get insights on how frequently and how much you feed your vehicles and how long it takes them to consume all that fuel. 

It is through fuel monitoring systems that you get a detailed understanding of your vehicle’s mileage and similar metrics. Therefore, you can accurately decipher fuel economy and maintain the balance between operative costs and gains.

Eco-Driving

Eco-driving is the driving practice that keeps your vehicles on a healthy diet so that they consume less fuel and emit fewer carbons.  

There are several eco-driving practices included in eco-driving. These include maintaining ceratin speed and accelerating and braking normally. 

Vehicle Idling

Vehicle idling is a big no-no for eco-driving and fuel consumption cutting. It is when your vehicle’s engine is running but the vehicle itself is not running. This could be for several reasons such as traffic, stop signals, or irresponsible driving. However, whatever may the reason be, vehicle idling leads to massive fuel wastage. 

Route Optimization

Route optimization is devising a route from a vehicle’s beginning and destination points so that it consumes the least amount of fuel and time while covering all midpoints. It is using geospatial information to map the directions your driver should follow to conduct their task(s). 

Route deviation, on the other hand, is a term used for when drivers deviate from the optimized route planned for them. Through your telematics software. You will receive route deviation alerts so that you can keep your fleet efficient through proper supervision. 

Advanced Driver Assitance Systems 

Advanced Driver Assitance Systems (ADAS) are vehicle automation systems that help drivers prevent collisions on road through strong vehicular communication. 

ADAS needs video telematics and V2X communication so that telematics software can detect when there are pedestrians, other vehicles, infrastructure, or road signals on the way. ADAS is the next step to vehicle automation that will help actualize self-driving cars. 

Sim-based Tracking 

GPS tracking systems track vehicles’ whereabouts with GPS devices and the GNSS network. However, sim-based tracking does the same through your device’s mobile network. 

Therefore, for places where GPS systems might not work, fleet managers use sim-based tracking to know where their vehicles are. All they have to do is place a sim or sim-based device in the vehicle and start tracking through their fleet management software. 

IMEI Number 

International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is a crucial element for sim-based and GPS vehicle tracking. It is a unique 15-digit number assigned to each device like its fingerprint. It is the device’s IMEI number that helps manufacturers and managers track mobile or satellite phones.