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Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas, who discusses subjects such as home security systems, writes extensively for San Diego-based Business.com.

Dave Thomas has written 101 articles for SB Informer.

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Keeping Up to Speed with Your Employees

Dave Thomas

June 13, 2012

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With a challenging economy still confronting many small businesses, tracking where your employees go with company vehicles proves more important than ever.

In order to maintain oversight of your employees when they are using company vehicles, more and more businesses are using GPS fleet tracking systems. Not only do they make economic sense, but they also instill a sense of responsibility in one’s workers.

Among the positives to using fleet management software in your company vehicles is:

Prevention of excessive mileage usage which in turn leads to lower gas bills;
Cutting down on speeding and other driving practices that can lead to accidents;
False reporting of time sheets for when employees clock in and clock out using company vehicles;
Unauthorized usage of business vehicles.

If your small business has yet to institute a GPS fleet tracking system, keep in mind that it is much easier than you probably realize to institute.

With the GPS fleet tracking system, you can oversee your vehicles and drivers’ allowing you to monitor information that at one time was not known. You can check on the routes employees have driven, start and stop times, daily miles driven and more.

Another positive feature is the ability to put in place speed thresholds for your vehicles, making sure drivers are meeting the necessary safe driving practices. Speeding drivers not only present a risk to others, but also stand to be a liability hazard for companies. According to various studies, drivers are close to 100 times less likely to break the rules when they know fleet tracking software is monitoring their movements.

In the event you decide to deploy a fleet tracking program with your employees, there are some best practices you should follow. Among them:

Be up front with your employees – It is important that you share with your employees that you will be deploying a new fleet management system. The technology permits your business to stay competitive, improve efficiency, and provide a positive impact on the company’s bottom line;
Detail the system and how it functions – Inform your team on how the system will work and what is to be expected of them. Let your workers know about the benefits the system will provide, including smaller insurance premiums and greater route management;
Provide updated numbers – Show your employees over time how the system is benefitting your company, including reduced expenses and better vehicle maintenance;
Promote feedback among employees – Some employees may take issue with being monitored while out on the road, but encourage them to provide constructive feedback. In the event some or many employees do not want their names attached to the comments, offer them the ability to provide feedback in an anonymous manner;
Expect some resistance – Not all employees are going to fall head over heels in love with the system, so expect some challenges at first. If you are up front and open with your employees, you stand a much better chance of successfully deploying the system;
Offer up some incentives – With the fleet tracking program in place, you can not only measure employee performance, but also make available new productivity incentives available for your workers. By doing so, you stand a better chance of getting employees to accept the program.