6 min read
GPS telematics, short for Global Positioning System (GPS) and telematics technology, is a system that combines GPS tracking with data collection and transmission capabilities. It is used to monitor and manage vehicles, assets, and equipment in real-time.
GPS provides location data through satellite signals, while telematics systems gather and transmit a wide range of information, such as vehicle speed, engine diagnostics, fuel consumption, and more. This data is invaluable for various industries, including the dump truck industry.
There are many benefits to GPS telematics for dump trucking. Some of the more obvious include: asset security, maintenance and diagnostics, fuel efficiency, compliance, and safety. But there are several other equally important benefits to telematics and tracking that you might not be thinking of. Read on to learn more about how GPS telematics impact the following areas you might not be aware of:
Customer Satisfaction and Efficiency
DISPUTE MANAGEMENT
Real-time tracking of trucks is what usually comes to mind when thinking of the benefits of GPS for dump trucks. And while that’s certainly true, the historical data that it creates can be just as important and valuable to your organization - and for multiple stakeholders.
No one likes it when there’s a disagreement over critical details about the delivery of a load. Not only can it cause ill feelings and the possibility of ending a good working relationship, it can sometimes result in being charged for hauling services you did not receive (or not getting paid what you are owed if you are the hauler). GPS tracking enables verifiable and accurate data regarding each and every delivery. A full, time-stamped route history ensures the fleet owner and or organization hiring dump trucks are getting what they are paying for. Are trucks taking the most efficient routes from the start and end destinations? Are they punching in at the start and punching out at the completion of their shift, or are they punching out well afterward (even if unintentional)? With GPS tracking, all parties will know the time of pickup, the time of delivery, the wait time, and the location of the delivery.
GPS telematic data provides delivery confirmation of every load at your customer’s job site. This ensures both parties are aware of the delivery time and location relative to the target/drop zone for every load of every order.
And finally, GPS data provides a single source of truth in the event of disputes. This replaces subjective disagreements with objective facts to effectively eliminate disputes (or at least resolve them more quickly) and protects all parties involved, including the truck driver.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTOIN AND EFFICIENCY
Real-time tracking ensures you can seamlessly and automatically communicate accurate delivery projections to your customers, boosting their trust, satisfaction, and ultimately their likelihood to engage with you for repeat business. The fact is this capability has become the baseline expectation for much of the industry today - your customers expect to have almost complete order visibility without having to pick up a phone and try to find the “right” dispatcher. And let’s face it, that old paradigm costs your dispatchers productivity and increases your costs as well!
Understanding the ETA of each truck en route to/from the job site is a critical part of keeping the job site running efficiently and projects running on time. But understanding what happens once the truck has arrived on site can be just as important. For how long has each truck been waiting on site, and what is the average time throughout the day? The job site can now keep track of this for each load that is on site.
Real-time tracking has a spill-over effect of helping the job site (your customer) improve their efficiency by giving them tools to monitor and maintain a consistent flow of trucks into and out of the job site. By understanding real-time delivery velocity and job site turn times, your customer can avoid costly traffic jams and prepare the job site to receive deliveries.
YOUR CELL PHONE
The traditional way that fleets track their trucks is by purchasing and installing a physical tracking device (a puck) and placing it in each truck they wish to track. But this can be an expensive proposition, and good luck getting your third-party/subcontracted haulers to agree to putting one of those devices on their truck - to say nothing about paying for it. But third-party haulers are an important part of your extended fleet, and you need to be able to track them too for all of the benefits outlined in this article. That’s where a cell phone comes in.
Almost everyone has a cell phone with them at all times, including truck drivers. With Trux, a cell phone IS a telematics device! GPS tracking through the Trux Drive mobile app is activated as soon as a hauler punches-in and remains so until the time they punch-out or at the conclusion of the last load of their last assignment.
Using the Trux Drive app for GPS tracking has benefits for haulers too. While Trux Drive doesn’t offer native turn-by-turn directions, it does make using your favorite navigation app easier. With all of the job details, including start and end locations, right there in the app, haulers can simply tap a button to launch their favorite GPS navigation app with the address pre-populated. No more toggling back and forth between screens to copy and paste, or worse, typing in the address!
GPS tracking also cuts down on wait time and increases revenue opportunities for haulers as outlined in the next two sections.
COST SAVINGS
You’ve no doubt heard (and probably used) the saying “time is money.” That certainly applies in the construction industry where delays negatively impact your bottom line. And these delays can quickly compound to the point where the entire project timeline is at risk.
We previously mentioned how real-time delivery tracking can help improve the flow of traffic and avoid costly delays on the job site. Beyond the cost of project delays, maintaining a smooth and consistent flow helps your project avoid paying potential wait time penalties that many contracts include for haulers. The Trux Delivery Tracker helps your customers see exactly how long each truck has been waiting on the job site since entering the drop zone/geofence.
This real-time feedback can be the key piece of information that your customer needs to monitor and avoid penalties.
MORE REVENUE FOR ALL
As a material producer/supplier, the main goal is to sell and deliver more material - essentially increase throughput at the plant/quarry. This goal is shared by haulers for whom more loads can also mean more money.
GPS telematics enable the plant to know when haulers are in the area and available to take more loads without having to pick up the phone and start calling for available trucks. In fact, with Trux, haulers average one extra load per day!
Schedule a meeting with one of our experts to see how Trux can help you get the most out of GPS telematics for ALL of your trucks - both those you own and those you hire.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How accurate is the data provided by GPS telematics systems?
A: Modern GPS telematics systems provide highly accurate data, often pinpointing vehicle locations within a few meters. This ensures that managers receive reliable, real-time information to make informed decisions.
Q:How does telematics improve the overall efficiency of dump truck operations?
A: Telematics systems offer real-time and historical data that dispatch can use to improve their efficiency and monitor delivery progress as well as real-time data and tools to improve traffic flow and efficiency at the job site.
Q: Do I need to purchase additional, expensive hardware for each dump truck in order to make use of GPS telematics?
A: No. The Trux Drive mobile app makes use of what most all haulers already have in their truck - a cell phone - to capture GPS data. This not only means that you don’t need to purchase expensive hardware and equipment for each truck you want to track, but it also means you will have GPS data on third-party trucks that you hire to haul material.
Q: How can real-time tracking improve customer relations in the dump truck industry?
A: Real-time tracking ensures that customers are constantly updated on delivery or pickup times. This transparency enhances trust, reduces potential disputes, and leads to a higher level of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
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