Telematics: A Government Fleet Manager’s Premier Tool

Government fleets – whether state, local, or federal government, college or public safety—face special challenges, from stricter regulations to greater public scrutiny and more complex accounting standards.

To help reduce risk and liability, government fleets need GPS tracking tools and video telematics solutions like dash cameras to overcome these additional layers, while still ensuring smooth and efficient fleet management. Thankfully, GPS Insight government fleet solutions are specifically crafted to address these challenges and help drive success.

Telematics: Top Tool for Government Fleets

One of the most important technological tools in a government fleet’s toolbox is telematics. Tracking and telematics provide government fleets with critical data on fuel use and excessive idling, overall fleet and individual vehicle usage rates, plus maintenance management schedules to reduce expensive repairs. Along with displaying accountability to constituents, GPS tracking and telematics address fleet inefficiencies to reduce unnecessary expenses and repairs and help make room in the budget for other important initiatives. With current gas prices, every penny and every gallon counts.

Telematics solutions also provide fleet managers valuable insights and actionable data to improve safety, accountability, efficiency, and compliance. With the eyes of every constituent on fleet operations, telematics allows managers to proactively address issues and create clear paths for the future.

Improve Safety and Reduce Risk and Liability

For government organizations, it’s important to ensure not only the safety of their employees but the wellbeing of their citizens as well. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driver error causes 94% of all vehicle collisions. Along with the physical and psychological consequences accidents cause to all parties, they can also have far-reaching financial liability for your organization if your drivers are found to be the negligent party.

To help reduce the risk and liability, government organizations are turning to GPS tracking to enhance their safety protocols by monitoring driver behavior and enforcing safer driving habits. GPS tracking technology provides a wide range of information and analysis to help improve fleet safety performance across the board, from driver safety to vehicle safety, to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

GPS tracking and telematics provide government fleets with clear evidence when accidents occur. Government fleets are protected with hard data and information that can prove where vehicles were or how fast they were going, and in-cab cameras provide additional details that can be a huge asset in exonerating drivers. In addition, the data can be used to coach drivers on safer driving behaviors.

Greater Accountability to the Public

The public demands that government entities spend their tax dollars wisely. Those agencies that fail to do so hear about it—from the media and concerned taxpayers. That’s why many government organizations use GPS tracking technology to better track their fleet operating costs to eliminate unnecessary spending. Telematics delivers significant savings by helping fleets reduce fuel use and excessive idling, examine utilization to eliminate underused vehicles, and streamline maintenance management to reduce expensive repairs. Along with proving your organization’s accountability to constituents, reducing these unnecessary expenses makes room in the budget for other initiatives.

Efficiency & Sustainability

For both the common good and because of specific mandates, governments are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, institute more green initiatives and, of course, save money.

One key initiative on these fronts is replacing conventional vehicles with electric vehicles, which reduces emissions, but also cuts maintenance and operating costs. The federal government’s eGallon calculator shows that an EV costs less than half its gasoline counterpart to go the same distance. The calculator is based on residential rates: Public fleets that have their own solar or wind power will pay even less. There are also federal incentives to encourage the switch to EVs, which can reduce the higher purchase costs.

Sustainability efforts—demanded by the public and sought after by elected officials—are becoming more important than ever to government organizations. Green initiatives demonstrate that your organization is working to reduce the environmental impact of local service vehicles. Right now, motor pool vehicles are the first to go electric, but there’s no doubt that EVs are rapidly becoming an important part of current fleet operations and are driving future planning.

Since fleet operations can impact the environment due to excessive idle time, route efficiency, or regular maintenance is not monitored and managed effectively, it is often an important area of focus for sustainability initiatives. Fleet managers must rely on accurate telematics data to provide a starting point to develop the right policies.

Telematics also streamlines and improves pre- and post-trip inspections, reducing or potentially eliminating equipment breakdowns by discovering minor defects allowing for repairs before vehicles hit the road. This ensures less unplanned downtime and greater profitability for both the fleet service and drivers. It also helps keep defective equipment out of service.

Government fleet managers face challenges that are far different from the private sector. The sheer number of vehicles at their disposal and the vast number of citizens they serve require solutions that only detailed and up-to-date technology can achieve. It takes planning, innovation, and long-term vision, but GPS Insight can help maximize your fleet.