App-based tracking – What Is It And How Can It Benefit Fleet Management?

For vehicles that are not part of your core fleet, like a rental vehicle for a salesperson that’s traveling, installing fleet management hardware doesn’t always make sense. It may be because of the cost, the amount of time it would take to install the hardware, or the fact that you might not have permission to do so. But, if you want to take fleet management seriously, you need to keep an eye on your drivers no matter which vehicles they’re driving or where they are so that you can continuously monitor driving performance. However, there’s an alternative to installing fleet management hardware and it’s called app-based tracking (like that which MyMiX Tracking app offers).

App-based tracking (or mobile fleet management) only requires that a driver download an app to their devices and switch on their location tracking. From there on out, a fleet manager or supervisor can track the driver’s exact movements in real-time and also monitor their driving performance. You still get the benefits of fleet management software intelligence without the need to disrupt operations by going through the hardware installation process.

With an automated GPS tracking app, fleet managers can detect when a trip starts and ends while also monitoring positions, distance, duration, and driving events (such as harsh braking, speeding, harsh acceleration, harsh cornering, and mobile phone use while driving). While a driver is driving, fleet managers can send notifications to the smartphone that alerts them when, for example, they’ve triggered a driving event. What’s more is that, once set up, a tracking app runs silently in the background. This means that it won’t distract the driver while still tracking location and performance data.

A tracking app benefits fleet managers in numerous ways. Aside from the fact that it’s very affordable and easy to use, this type of app offers you the ability to maintain full visibility of all vehicles even when they’re not a part of your core, everyday fleet. Also, using a tracking app gives you the same opportunity to optimize driver performance and safety through monitoring and notifications. Your drivers do not need special training to use it, which lessens the time needed to get started. Also, if you haven’t yet installed a full fleet management solution in your core fleet, a tracking app can be the perfect way to trial the benefits of tracking and fleet management before making a decision. Lastly, it can be used as an effective driver coaching tool by showing exactly what a particular driver’s weak point is and then giving you the tools to correct it on the go.

It also benefits drivers to use a vehicle tracking app. They can classify their trips as business or personal (perfect for drivers who use their private vehicles for work), get real-time tracking feedback on their performance, have more context into why they are getting a specific driving score, and feel more engaged in the overall process. Drivers who are more engaged will be more satisfied in their job and driven to succeed.

No matter what the circumstances, every fleet should be gathering driver and vehicle data for fleet management. This type of data helps guide you toward what your fleet and driver goals should be and how to achieve those goals. With the flexibility that app-based tracking gives, you can now scale your fleet according to your immediate needs while still maintaining the visibility that full fleet management hardware provides.

Check out how MyMiX Tracking helps meet your dynamic fleet needs: MyMiX | App-Based Fleet Management | MiX Telematics - MiX Telematics North America