EBOOK HEREThe North American fleet management software market size is on the rise and predicted to keep rising. There’s a good reason behind. Your fleet inspection software helps keep your fleet operations moving smoothly.
Fleet inspection software ensures that your fleet operates seamlessly and smoothly. However, a lot of fleet managers aren’t certain what they should get out of a fleet inspection software or the results and impact of choosing a particular fleet inspection software could have on their entire fleet.
This is because there are non-negligible features you must look out for when you are in search of a fleet inspection system for the first time or about to do an upgrade.
We’ll be showing you 5 of these unavoidable features.
1. Customizable Forms
Your inspection forms are dependent on the kind of vehicles that you use in your fleet. The inspection form for a tow truck for example will look very different from the inspection of a moving/delivery truck. So when you are in search of a perfect fleet inspection software ensure that the one you choose gives you the option to create customizable inspection forms that satisfy your current need. You have to be able to:
- Choose from templates
- Convert your physical checklists into digital forms that you can effortlessly share with all inspectors and drivers.
- Edit and duplicate your current forms,p especially the ones that have already been created.
With a completely digital system, your drivers don’t have to use lengthy and complex inspection forms, a lot of which have unnecessary and irrelevant information or boxes that don’t have to be checked by them. Rather, you want to use customizable forms where you can put only the checkboxes that are needed.
You also may want the ability to customize the standard form so that it is relatable to your team.
The feature of being able to submit your forms instantly via a cloud-based interface that lets managers access the inspection document in real-time from different locations is also crucial.
2. Capacity to Take Photos
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and when it comes to fleet inspection this is also true. Being able to take pictures during fleet inspection can radically and positively make a huge difference to the maintenance of your fleet.
Visuals help you to take charge of inspection integrity via mandatory pictures, which prove that the drivers are running inspections on your vehicles and recording the true state.
Pictures also give fleet managers and mechanics enough profitable and usable data when a driver finds it hard to articulate the perfect words to describe the vehicle’s defect. By having the ability to take pictures you can also boost the probability that defects that would normally get by unnoticed will be reported.
3. Must be Able to Submit Faults and Work Orders and Schedule Maintenance
The right fleet inspection software can radically change the way you access faults and work orders, ultimately ensuring that your drivers and others on the road are safe. The system should be capable of letting you know in real-time when your driver reports a fault regardless of if they’re (the driver) is sitting in the bay carrying out an inspection or they are on the road.
This doesn’t just allow you to know in real-time what you have to do about faults that could amplify danger to your drivers and those sharing the road with them but let’s you adequately manage the fault of each vehicle and schedule maintenance accordingly.
That brings us to the subject of maintenance scheduling, which is a very vital aspect for every automobile in your fleet. Certain repairs are impossible to plan for and unavoidable. However, a huge part of your fleet’s regular maintenance can be seamlessly scheduled beforehand.
Maintenance reminders featured in your fleet inspection system can give you a clearer idea of when the particular preventive maintenance is due. This ensures that you’re able to cut down on the number of unscheduled repairs since you’ve already taken care of maintenance before then and makes sure that your business stays DOT compliant.
Beyond all of these with your fleet inspection software featuring maintenance reminders, you can adequately schedule your mechanics and drivers and make sure that your fleet is in the best possible conduction. Because you get maintenance notifications early enough, you don’t have to bother about handling critical maintenance issues at the last minute. This means that your business would be able to keep functioning more smoothly.
4. Signature Options
In compliance with the North American driver vehicle inspection reporting (DVIR) your fleet mechanics have to sign-off on fixed faults. The signature informs you that your automobiles are ready and safe to get back out on the road. So when you search for fleet inspection software lookout for one that permits e-signatures.
This doesn’t just allow you to store the data in a single convenient location but you can effortlessly prove compliance or find out which mechanic signed-off on each vehicle. And receive real-time notification once the mechanic completes a repair.
Most times, this is extremely helpful in scheduling trucks, loads, and drivers and offers advanced levels of convenience.
Besides the above, the FMCSA demands that before putting a vehicle on the road the driver must:
- Go over the previous driver vehicle inspection report.
- Express satisfaction with the state of the vehicle and that it is safe for operation.
- Sign the report, if deficiencies or defects were mentioned by the previous driver vehicle inspection report have been fixed. This is to ensure that the current driver has gone over the report and has certified that the stated repairs in the previous report have been fixed.
So just like in the case of the mechanic signature the digital version of such forms provides enhanced convenience to the drivers and your fleet as a whole.
To view or review previous DVIRs, drivers can simply review a digital copy of the report and sign-off themselves. This ensures that all your paperwork is kept in a single easily accessible database. So if you have to check for previous reports whether to see who last signed-off on a particular vehicle or to prove compliance you can effortlessly access that information.
5. Easy to Use Manager Dashboard
As a fleet manager, you need to be able to have more access to your fleet’s information than anyone else as well as being able to access it in real-time easily and effectively to properly manage your fleet. So choose a fleet inspection software that features a managers dashboard, which makes it easy when checking for crucial information all in one location.
The right fleet inspection software managers dashboard should offer the following:
- Provide insights into your fleet’s current state.
- Give you access to data about your fleet as a whole and also individual vehicles.
- Gather data in an understandable manner.
- Assist you in making more informed and better decisions.
You want to go for a manager’s dashboard that puts all relevant information out there for you in an easy-to-view, logical manner, while giving you seamless access to more valuable information about specific drivers, mechanics, and vehicles.
Conclusion
If you’re searching for the right fleet inspection software that will help you to effectively and seamlessly manage your fleet then you need to pick one with the 5 unavoidable features listed in this article.
Talmage Wagstaff
Co-Founder and CEO of Redlist. Raised in a construction environment, Talmage has been involved in heavy equipment since he was a toddler. He has degrees and extensive experience in civil, mechanical and industrial engineering. Talmage worked for several years as a field engineer with ExxonMobil servicing many of the largest industrial production facilities in the Country.
Hey Talmage, great post.
The use of fleet inspection software guarantees that your fleet runs smoothly and efficiently. However, many fleet managers are unsure of what they should expect from fleet inspection software or the implications of selecting a specific fleet inspection software for their entire fleet.