A Comprehensive Guide to Non-Powered Asset Tracking Solutions & How They Can Transform Your Business

GPS Tracking can be used for various purposes and different types of assets by offering several benefits, such as reducing operating costs and improving productivity.

Non-powered asset tracking is one of the asset types benefiting from the features of GPS Tracking. Non-powered assets include trailers, water tanks, heavy equipment, trailers, bins and other types of containers. These types of high value assets are not equipped with a power source and so non-powered asset tracking is the perfect solution to streamline asset management.

 

What is Non-Powered Asset Tracking & Why is it Important?

Non-powered asset tracking is a method of monitoring and tracking assets without the need for an external power source. Utilizing a small, mountable battery-powered unit, companies can track the movement of their high value assets anywhere they may be. This allows fleet managers to keep track of their assets without having to rely on manual processes or more costly solutions.

 

By using a centralized GPS tracking software solution, your company can consolidate location and sensor data of your assets into a single portal to streamline asset management, improve productivity, billing accuracy, and reduce loss.

In addition, it provides you with full asset visibility, including location, status, usage history, and asset maintenance in a web-based dashboard. The software can generate reports for you to get insights into your assets and help you schedule maintenance at right time.

Non-powered asset tracking can help businesses save time and money by reducing labour costs, increasing efficiency, and improving accuracy in inventory management.

 

The Top Benefits of Non-Powered Asset Tracking

Non-powered asset tracking is a cost-effective and reliable way to keep track of valuable assets. It eliminates the need for expensive and complex powered tracking systems, while still providing the same level of accuracy and visibility. With non-powered asset tracking, businesses can benefit from improved efficiency, reduced costs, and increased safety. There are several advantages to using non-powered asset tracking;

 

Visibility

Asset tracking devices provide dynamic data on the location of your high-value assets and sensor data like temperature. With a cloud-based system and integrated mobile application, a fleet manager can get real-time asset tracking visibility with detailed reports on their location while field workers monitor key data like geofence status, fuel level or temperature.

 

Enhanced security

Lost or stolen equipment causes downtime resulting in loss of revenue for businesses that lease or own equipment. Asset theft is on the rise globally.

Using real-time geofence alerts to create a virtual boundary that triggers an immediate warning detects potential theft or unauthorized use. You can prevent potential loss and impact on your business by taking immediate preventative action.

 

Optimize productivity

With centralized data, managers can see quickly where they are wasting assets and money.

In addition, asset management solution can reduce paperwork, simplify workflow and optimize processes by collecting data in one application accessible anywhere anytime.

Fleet mangers can make quicker decisions with real-time insight into the company’s assets’ current location, status, and availability.

 

Enhance Asset lifetime management

When it comes to asset tracking solutions, it’s not only tracking, but also monitoring mechanical health and asset status based on usage indicators. It provides you with a clear insight into the asset status such as fuel level, temperature, speed, and other parameters. This helps manage key activities like scheduling maintenance or delivering fuel on time.

 

Options for any asset type

Choosing the best Asset Tracking Device for your business can be challenging. Especially when solutions and devices vastly vary between providers. Here are some tested and reliable options which meet different equipment needs;

 

For Construction & Trailers

Solar-Powered 4G LTE-M GPS Tracker

Topfly TLP2-SFB

This GPS tracking device is designed to track the location of assets with a large internal battery  and Bluetooth technology for wireless sensors. This is the best mount and go type device for heavy equipment because it is built to withstand the harshest environments, vibration, and dust.

For Reefers

Our Solar BLE GPS Tracker supports wireless BLE sensors for reefer and door open.  This is a simple, cost-effective solution, which doesn’t require any wiring or a costly installation.  This device is purpose-built for this type of application.

 

For Agriculture

ATrack AS11_Cover2

Our rugged tracker supports both powered and unpowered applications and comes with inputs, outputs, and an optional BLE radio for wireless sensors. With an IP68-rated casing, it is designed to operate under extreme environments against water and dust. It is also equipped with GPIOs for varieties of application expandability and flexibility by connecting to a wide range of accessories.

How to Choose the Best Non-Powered Asset Tracking Solution for Your Business Needs

Choosing the best non-powered asset tracking solution for your business needs can be a challenge. With so many options available, it can be difficult to decide which one is best suited for your needs. To make the right choice, you need to consider factors such as cost, scalability, accuracy, and reliability of the system.

With Astreon, we offer seamless integration with Asset Tracking management and devices. We provide tailored Asset Tracking Devices that are compatible with dozens of enterprise systems. Our Asset Tracking Management system also provides dynamic data including the location & status of assets in the field. By customizing the solution with specialty applications, you can customize the solution to your specific needs.

Learn more about our Asset Tracking management solution at Astreon

 

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Ways to Extend a Trailer’s Life and Save on Maintenance Costs

According to the data from INDEXBOX, U.S. Truck Trailer Prices rose 17% to $8,791 per unit due to the higher costs of raw materials that are used to make a trailer and labour shortages. This is causing challenges for the truck industry as inflation and lack of supply are causing haulage companies to extend their trailer life cycle beyond their normal operation.

 

What is the average lifespan of a trailer?

When you purchase a modern trailer, you can expect it to last at least approximately 8 years or about 40,000 engine hours. With proper maintenance, you can extend these averages significantly.

 

What can you do to extend your trailer’s lifecycle?

Every trailer has a maintenance schedule that should be followed. You should service your trailer at least every six months.

 

Tips on how to maximize a trailer’s longevity

Increase inspections and maintenance

In addition to the annual safety inspection and driver pre-trips, additional preventive maintenance inspections are recommended throughout the year. The more inspections, the less of a chance of a roadside breakdown and unexpected repair costs.

 

Check your tires regularly

Tire monitoring or inflation systems are recommended. Include a check of tire condition avoiding blowouts on the highway. These preventive measures save fuel, loss revenue from unexpected breakdowns, and lives.

 

Thoroughly wash your trailers

Always keep your trailer clean to reduce maintenance cost. A range of problems can be caused by unclean trailers including mold and mildew, cross- contamination, food borne illnesses, including rodent and insect infestation.

 

Lube it correctly

The correct lube in appropriate quantity is a must for proper trailer operation. Enough new grease must be added to purge the old grease. The debris that cling to old grease makes it ineffective. Adding new lube removes dirt and ensures safe operation.

 

Take time for brakes

The first sign that it’s time to replace your brake pads is if you hear persistent squeaking or squealing. Another sign is when you see the indicator light on, or when it’s taking longer to stop and the pads appear to be thin.

 

Ultimate Preventive Maintenance Measures

GPS fleet management

Combining more advanced digital tools and fleet management software will make monitoring your trailers easier. This will help extend their lifespan.

Astreon is one of the leading providers of fleet management solutions, such as GPS tracking, dashcams, ELD compliance, and trailer tracking.

We offer tracking devices purpose built for dry vans, reefers, flat beds, and more, helping you make the most out of your equipment.

Asset Management Software gives you deep insight into your assets. It enables you to control every aspect of your equipment from maintenance to fuel management and make use of cost-effective and reliable remote monitoring.

 

 

 

driveroo mobile maintenance

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Utilizing Big Data to improve critical fleet decisions

When it comes to the word “Big Data”, you might think of the following words: data science, engineer, or machine learning. It might seem like big data has no impact on your business. Big Data is a game-changer for you to improve critical fleet decisions.

Big Data is a common buzzword and bringing massive industrial changes across the board, especially in fleet management industries. Big data has transformed fleet industries from post-problem solving to proactive and predictive problem-solving measurements.

 

What is big data?

Big Data is a large volume of data that can be used to address business problems by analyzing and extracting information from said data. For fleet management companies and organizations that manage fleets, these data points are collected by GPS Fleet Tracking Platforms, IoT(Internet of Things) and integrated vehicle sensors. The information from those sources includes driver performance and behavior, vehicles/assets locations, fuel usage/costs, maintenance and other key telematics data.

 

Why is big data important for fleet management?

Big Data is extremely important for organizations and their fleets. Utilizing Big Data enables fleet managers to make informed decisions about daily operations, such as driver performance and behavior, vehicles/assets locations, fuel usage/costs, and maintenance. Big Data mainly helps cost savings, risk mitigation and driver safety. Thanks to this technology, Fleet managers no longer require relying on spreadsheets or paper records. All data, such as engine status, vehicle speed, vehicle location, number of stops, fuel consumption, trip history, tire pressure, ETAs and more are saved in a cloud-based fleet management platform. With this insightful data, you can perform predictive analysis to prevent any future risks and reduce costs.

What is predictive analytics and why you should use them?

Critical decisions for corporations are based on data today. Predictive analytics is one of the value-added features that make predictions about future outcomes using historical data with statistical modeling, data mining and machine learning.

Fleet management predictive analytics is an ideal tool for

  • Driving risk analytics
  • Equipment usage analysis
  • Fleet productivity schedules
  • Future maintenance schedules

How can fleet industries benefit from predictive analytics?

Most advantages of using predictive analytics are accident prevention and driver safety. According to Automotive Fleet, a primary cause of preventable fleet accidents is driver distraction, which accounts for 25-30% of all fleet-related accidents. Costs caused by accidents typically represent 14% of a fleet’s total expenses, not including soft costs such as downtime and lost employee productivity, according to Automotive Fleet. This is a huge opportunity to cut fleet costs and prevent future accidents by taking advantage of Big Data.

Predictive analytics can improve the following;

 

  • Improve driver safety and behavior

Combining Big Data with telematics enables fleet managers to monitor and manage driver behavior and safety. This data includes driving route, real-time location, harsh braking, harsh cornering, harsh acceleration, fatigue, idling and other risky driving behaviors.

Fleet managers can evaluate this data to see the drive’s pattern and behavior and provide additional coaching if needed.

 

  • Improve routes

Without accurate and detailed data, it is difficult to know why delivery is taking longer than expected, or why certain routes are consistently causing problems. Having real-time data, like traffic, weather, or accidents can help fleet companies save time, improve customer service, reduce vehicle idling/wear and reduce operational costs efficiently.

 

  • Improve maintenance and vehicle life cycle

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you know vehicle maintenance issues in advance and receive notification automatically when to act? That could be a huge help to save costs. By leveraging Big Data, you can monitor vehicle health and diagnostics such as engine status, fuel level, and mileage. With predictive analytics, your fleet management platform allows you to automate your regular scheduled maintenance work by tracking vehicle operation in real-time, by sending notifications to your team for a truly preventative and proactive approach. As the result, predictive analytics helps you mitigate the risk, assess costs, and manage fleets to reduces costs and improve life cycle management.

fleet manager monitoring fleet management software

 

  • Enhance fuel costs

Fuel costs are one of the largest components of total expenses. The fuel data collected from integrated IoTs’ sensors is transmitted to fleet management software and based on the data, you can detect fuel thefts or unreasonably large fuel burn incidents. According to the data from our customers, using fuel management decreases 90% of fuel thefts, 15% of fuel costs and optimize 30% of fleet efficiency.

enhance fuel cost fleet maintenance

 

  • Compliance

As of June 12th, 2021, fleet vehicles are required to use ELDs (electronic logging devices) to record driver duty information. These devices can be integrated into fleet management platforms and provide all data so that fleet managers track driver schedules and comply with the regulations.

Big Data needs an advanced and comprehensive fleet management software

Big Data is a huge benefit when being integrated with advanced and comprehensive fleet management platforms. Integrated sensors and telematics data don’t work on their own. An advanced fleet management platform sorts, analyze data and creates insightful reports which help with business decision-making.

Astreon offers the most Comprehensive & Advanced Fleet Management platform available for your Vehicles, Trailers, Machinery and Equipment, with over 2.9 million+ tracked assets globally. Our software is easy to use, fully customizable, and advanced. With our Fleet Management platform, you see all your assets on one screen in a simple to operate, powerful application. Our in-house development team is always developing leading-edge technology to allow us to exceed our clients’ expectations.

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Why you need to integrate Last Mile Delivery with your Fleet Management Software

E-commerce industry is booming as consumer buying behaviors have changed to largely online. Today, consumers expect cheap, free and fast delivery and this is becoming the standard in the e-commerce space. In order to meet consumer expectations and move past competitors, companies need to find a way to improve delivery efficiency but maintain their margins when funding their shipping logistics.

The most important part they need to improve is their last mile delivery process. Last mile delivery is where most logistics companies have the most room for improvement, mostly lacking tools or services that cater to these needs.

What is Last Mile Delivery?

Last Mile Delivery refers to the last leg of a journey of the delivery process when a package is moved from a transportation hub to its final destination, which is usually end-users.

This is the most crucial step in the delivery process because customers expect fast and free delivery, and this demand increases constantly in e-commerce as competitors constantly push these boundaries to maintain competitiveness. The faster and more efficient the last mile delivery process is, the more you can improve customer satisfaction which will ultimately boost sales.

What is the biggest challenge with last mile deliveries?

Have you had a package “out for delivery” but you felt it took forever, even spanning multiple days? That means the last mile delivery process is inefficient or inaccurate and the consumer suffers, not knowing when their package will arrive, driving unnecessary calls into call centres, and driving up frustration levels in consumers.

According to the report from EFT (eye for transport), customers are expecting the following services;

customer demands logistics

In order to meet those customers’ demands, companies have to find a way to improve the last mile delivery process. However, there are the last mile delivery problems for companies.

challenges with last mile delivery

Last mile delivery is both the most expensive and time-consuming part of the shipping process. Last mile shipping can account for 53% of a shipment’s total costs but this number is increasing as supply chain inefficiencies are becoming more costly (INSIDER). At this point, companies have to implement new technologies and improvement of the delivery process.

Technology solutions to improve last mile delivery

How can companies provide customers’ expected demands, such as next-day delivery, free shipping and full visibility?

Having an effective fleet management tool is a solid place to start.

Astreon’s Logistics Solution is a fully-featured and integrated module to manage tasks, pickups, drop-offs, destinations for all order management business needs. Planning, recurring tasks, routing, two-way communication, and a feature-packed mobile app are all included in this effective operating management tool.

Astreon’s Logistics Solution is the best way to improve last mile delivery process and efficiency.

Here are 6 ways Astreon’s Logistics Solution can solve your biggest last mile delivery challenges;

 

 

1, Delivery route planning

Your driver has to follow a route to deliver. Your driver could have multiple stops with few drop-offs in total, or face the congestion of traffic and in both cases, a lot of time and gas can be spent a lot.

With Astreon’s Logistics Solution, it optimizes delivery routes automatically considering time, location, vehicle type, traffic to recommend efficient routes. It monitors vehicles in real-time so any updates on traffic that could affect these routes are sent to drivers in real-time with new optimized routes and ETA. It also provides an option to visually compare planned and actual routes both being shown on the map so a dispatcher can decide the most efficient routes under a variety of situations.

logistics - Delivery route planning

 

 

2, Delivery process monitoring

A dispatcher needs to monitor all delivery processes to make sure all deliveries are completed and respond to any emergencies.

Astreon’s Logistics Solution enables dispatchers to track the delivery process in real-time and respond to emerging issues through phone calls or chatting with the driver so that they can act on any situation quickly and accurately.

 

 

3, Effective communication

Communication between dispatchers and drivers are important to make all delivery process fast and efficient.

With Astreon’s Logistics Solution, drivers can communicate with their dispatchers and notify them of any circumstances considering delivery via a feature-packed mobile app. It also allows drivers to add a comment and take a photo to let dispatchers know their delivery completion.

 

 

4, Customer notifications

Customers are not as patient as you expect. Remember, they want free, fast delivery. As the customer demands graphs show, Customers need next day delivery and full visibility. Keeping your customers updated is considered a key to improve customer experience.

Astreon’s Logistics Solution enables you to keep your customers updated by offering not only tracking status but also talking to the driver directly or SMS notifications. Customers will always be notified of the forthcoming delivery and can track couriers via locator links too.

 

 

5, Reports and notifications

Identifying weaknesses before it is becoming critical issues, as well as monitoring KPIs are important to improve last mile delivery process and efficiency. To identify the issues, you need data to analyze.

With Astreon’s Logistics Solution, you can monitor key metrics, such as service time, fuel consumption, mileage, routes and route costs, fulfillment time, delivery interval, estimated departure time, estimated arrival time by teams, drivers, day, week, or even by the hour of the day. You can also download or preview reports. By taking advantage of these insights, you can track your company’s last mile delivery supply chain and find time allocation and possible improvements.

 

 

6, Driver’s Mobile app

Astreon’s Logistics Solution’s mobile app is designed for couriers and delivery drivers. Making your smartphone a fully-fledged working tool is easy – install the app from App Store/Google Play, authorize via the driver’s phone number, and you’re ready to go. Through the app, drivers receive detailed information on orders, as well as their pick up locations and planned routes on the map. All additional details – attached files, clients’ contact data, etc. – are present as well. The inbuilt chat function allows to communicate with an operator through text messages and send images.

During delivery execution, a driver can set order statuses (confirmation/rejection), attach client’s electronic signature or add new photos to order.

 

Astreon Logistics – Dispatch Solution

Our service allows you to perform a wide range of tasks in the area of logistics and delivery – transportation arrangements, delivery route optimization and cost-saving. Astreon’s Logistics – Dispatch Solution comprises a web-version for dispatchers and a mobile application for drivers.

Web version is an effective management tool designed for order placement and editing, distribution processes control, route planning and optimization, delivery progress control, notification on the events on the route, and service configuration.

iOS/Android app for delivery personnel features a user-friendly interface where your couriers and drivers get detailed information on each order, planned routes and sequences of delivery points, a built-in chat for courier-dispatcher communication, and a status-based system for quick updates on the delivery progress.

Need more information? Visit our Logistics page.

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Why geofencing is crucial for fleet managers to save thousands of dollars

What is geofencing?

Many industries use geofencing technology. For example, geofencing is often used for marketing to send a targeted email to customers who are near geofenced areas or ride-sharing services can alert passengers when there is a driver in their area. Geofencing is also useful in freight and logistics industries.

Geofencing is a virtual border drawn on the map in a fleet management system. These virtual boundaries or areas can be drawn like a single-lane street, shaped size as a whole country, or outstretched as a highway to help fleet managers monitor and manage vehicles. These geofences are used as a trigger for alerts when your vehicle/asset enters/exits in or from the geofenced area. As soon as the GPS tracking detects the movement, it will send a fleet manager an alert. It helps fleet managers to automate and simplify fleet management.

geofence

How does geofencing work?

To leverage geofencing, fleet managers need to create a virtual boundary around a specified location in GPS enabled map-based software application. The geofence will then trigger a response when an authorized device enters/exits that area.

drawing geofence

How does geofencing help fleet managers?

Managing all your company’s vehicles and assets is a primary task for fleet managers but it is much easier if your company uses geofencing.

Utilizing a fleet management system automates the fleet manager’s tasks and creates more manageable operations. Below are the geofencing features fleet managers can benefit from to improve the efficiency and productivity of their valuable fleet assets.

 

Real-time alerts

With geofencing, fleet managers can receive alerts in real-time. When a driver enters/exits to/from the geofenced area, it will send you a notification. This helps fleet managers manage driver’s log time so that you can manage when a driver arrives or departs from the location. It also helps fleet managers monitor the fleet’s fuel and vehicle usage by checking how long a vehicle is outside or inside of the geofenced area.

Efficiency & productivity

Geofence provides you with valuable data and insights: the avg. time delivery duration, downtime, operational cost, fuel expenses and more. You can generate reports which contain various insights, like which vehicles are overutilized and vice versa, which routes are most expensive or efficient, and driver behavior like aggressive driving. These data sets help fleet managers make important business decisions, such as the timing of a worn-out vehicle replacement, frequency of vehicle maintenance, training for drivers, etc.

Communication & safety

Are you using manual confirmation when your driver reaches their destination? With GPS Tracking and Geofencing, you will be able to monitor the real-time location and be alerted when they enter the geofenced area.

Geofencing is the best tool when it comes to safety. As we mentioned earlier, if there are any unauthorized movements from geofenced areas, fleet managers will be notified and be able to monitor where a valuable asset is in real-time. You can prevent theft and act quickly against any unexpected emergencies.

Payroll management

Geofencing is not only tracking vehicles/assets, but also used for payroll management if you pay your drivers on an hourly basis. You can record accurate driver logs by creating geofenced perimeters around your job sites so that fleet management software can start recording the working hours. It gives fleet managers accurate logs of when drivers start/finish working and how long they worked.

This data can be used when your admin calculates payroll. It’s paperless, faster, and more accurate.

Improve customer service

Geofencing can help your company improve customer service by providing them with alerts and keeping them updated. Delivery on the time is a major factor to improve customer service. You can use GPS and geofences to optimize routes for faster delivery. Moreover, it allows fleet managers to ensure that employees are staying on task and meeting delivery objectives by setting alerts. This keeps fleet managers updated on how far your drivers are to their final destination.

Astreon Fleet Management System

Astreon offers the most Comprehensive & Advanced Fleet Management platform available for your Vehicles, Trailers, Machinery and Equipment, with over 2.5 million+ tracked assets globally. Our software is easy to use, fully customizable, and advanced.

Have any questions about Fleet Management System?

Contact us today!

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