Whoever it was who said that the best way to make a million bucks in the trucking business was to start with two million was probably exaggerating. But if you own or manage a trucking or freight shipping company no doubt you’ll know all about the challenges the industry faces in today’s marketplace. There is no shortage of competition, and ever-tightening deadlines mean you always feel as if you’re in a race against the clock. At the same time, you have to deal with rising operational costs for labour, fuel, insurance and, well, just about everything you can think of. Add that all together, and it can make fleet management feel like quite a balancing act.

But you don’t have to face these challenges alone or unaided. At Intercon Messaging, we have a selection of services for your business that can put you and your freight transportation business back where you belong – in the driver’s seat.

GPS Monitoring

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. GPS uses satellite technology to exactly pinpoint the location of a moving vehicle and is accurate to within a few feet of pretty much anywhere on the planet. It’s an incredibly useful tool. Using the data collected from your GPS system, you can not only determine exactly where any one of your vehicles is, but you can also quickly calculate what direction the vehicle is travelling in and at what speed.

If you’re not already using GPS monitoring on your vehicles, then you’re missing out. It’s simple, really. A monitored GPS system helps to keep your trucking business moving in the right direction, both literally and figuratively.  Here’s a taste of what it can do.

GPS tracking can help you become more responsive to the needs of your customers. Think about it. With GPS tracking, you can quickly and easily figure out which is the closest vehicle to any job site or pick-up location. When time is tight, and the clock is ticking, you can give your customers a live up-to-date and accurate estimated time of arrival based on real-time information. If your driver is held up in traffic or by construction, you will know about it almost as soon as it happens. And if your driver is lost or has gone off track somehow, you’ll know that too. GPS takes all of the guesswork out of your business. It lets you offer your customers the most precious commodity of all: reliability.

Right, what’s next? Purchasing and maintaining your vehicles is your single biggest expense. You need to do everything in your power to protect that investment.  A GPS monitoring system can help you do that in a number of ways.

Fleet Management

Knowing exactly where your vehicles have been and how they have been driven will make it easier for you to schedule regular maintenance at the most appropriate time. Do that, and you’ll eliminate any unnecessary work and be confident that the work that is needed to prolong the life of your fleet is done promptly.

If one of your trucks is stolen, you can quickly find out where it is and what direction it’s heading in. And the fact that it’s fitted with GPS makes it less likely to be stolen in the first place. These two factors combined can also lead to lower insurance costs and anything that means lower insurance costs has got to be a good thing.

Numerous studies have shown that drivers are less likely to fall into bad driving habits such as speeding or excessive idling in a vehicle equipped with GPS. This is not a criticism of your drivers. Bad driving habits are something that we are all guilty of sometimes. But we also all know that reduced speeding means less wear and tear on your vehicle and lower fuel consumption. And that means lower expenses overall and more money left in your pocket at the end of the day.

Journey Management

Here’s another thing to think about. With a GPS monitoring system, you’ll know when your vehicle has arrived at a job site, you’ll know how long it stays there, and you’ll know what time it leaves. That means you can reliably log the hours worked on service calls, eliminating the risk of human error or the dreaded “guestimate.” Once again, we’re talking about being able to offer your customers reliability, accuracy and credibility.

So let’s wrap this up. A GPS tracking system will allow you to maximize productivity while reducing the stress and paperwork on your drivers and the wear and tear on your vehicles. It will help you reduce operating costs and eliminate inefficiencies. You can be confident that your fleet is always travelling by the shortest and most efficient route. You’ll enjoy increased safety and security for your vehicles and for your drivers because you will always know where they are. GPS will show you how you can both reward hard work and eliminate bad driving habits. You’ll see operational efficiencies such as reduced overtime and a reduced risk of inefficient routing. And you’ll save significantly on both fuel and insurance. With GPS tracking, you’ll get your cargo where it has to go and your driver home safely.

Lone Worker Monitoring

If you’re operating in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island or Saskatchewan, you probably know that there are provincial laws in place which require specific monitoring for employees who work alone. There are similar laws in both Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.  These laws are designed to ensure the well-being of those whose work takes them away from colleagues, co-workers and the general public.  And yes, that does include truck and delivery drivers. The idea behind the legislation is to make sure those workers are monitored in case of a medical emergency, traffic accident or any other mishap. While you hope that’s never going to happen, it’s best to be prepared.  Intercon Messaging can administer your work alone monitoring, ensuring that you meet or exceed all of the legal requirements while recognizing and mitigating the risks your employees may encounter on a day-to-day basis. Our trained customer service representatives will work with you to make sure that your employees are safe, whether they’re picking up a load in downtown Edmonton or heading to a service call.

Call Management

As with any business, you don’t always have the time or the manpower to fulfill all of the tasks that come up during the day.  That can include something as simple as answering the phone. But you never know if that call is important or not. Our call answering service will make sure you get those important messages quickly and accurately while filtering out those that are lower priority. That leaves you free to focus on running your business without unnecessary distractions.  We can act as an extension of your company, answering customer queries, scheduling appointments and more. An answering service is more personal than voicemail. It helps your business sound more professional and can operate on your behalf 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or just at those times when you feel it’s needed.

It doesn’t matter whether you manage a large national freight carrier or own a small local trucking company, many of the challenges you face are the same. At Intercon Messaging, we offer the services to help you meet those challenges head-on and drive your trucking business to a prosperous future.

Want to know more? Intercon will work with you to determine what works best for your business and develop a system that works for you.

Let’s Connect

For more information, call us at 1-866-605-2558 or schedule your free consultation below.