We all know that trailers haul things from point A to point B. But more than modes of transportation, your trailers are valuable business assets that can have a significant impact — negative as well as positive — on your bottom line. Which is why it’s important to choose a trailer tracking system that recognizes and maximizes the business value of your trailer assets.

More than a trailer tracking system, you need a trailer and asset intelligence solution, one that empowers you to identify and capture opportunities for saving costs and improving operational performance. This solution should connect you with the actionable business intelligence you need to:

• Lower maintenance-related costs
• Enhance customer service and satisfaction
• Reduce risk and liability
• Reduce the cost of renting, leasing and buying more trailers
• Improve trailer productivity
• Do more with the trailers you already have
• Make faster, smarter, more profitable business decisions

Okay, so now that we’ve determined what your trailer and asset intelligence solution should do, how do you go about finding one? There are a lot of trailer tacking systems out there. Here are the 7 top must-haves to look for when choosing a true intelligence solution that will generate rapid and real ROI.

1. Real-time visibility

Beware the trailer tracking system that provides once-a-day snapshots of your trailer inventory. This kind of system leaves you with limited, inaccurate views of your fleet and data that quickly becomes old news.

Instead, go with a solution that provides continual, real-time access to business intelligence allowing you to:

• See exactly where any trailer is at any given time
• Redirect underutilized trailers to locations with higher demand
• Get accurate views of idle time
• Ensure route compliance
• Know when a trailer arrives and departs a location
• Accurately predict arrival and departure times
• See delays and their causes
• Monitor and positively change driver behavior
• Proactively manage your trailer fleet
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2. Scalability

The more scalable your GPS trailer tracking solution, the better. Look for a system that easily scales to accommodate any size fleet, whether you have one trailer or several thousand. Make sure it also scales to any type of fleet — your trailers, trucks, haulers and other vehicles and assets. Last but certainly not least, the solution you select should scale to meet the requirements and needs of your specific environment.

3. Modularity

Modularity is a must. Modular trailer tracking solutions configure more easily and quickly to reflect your specific requirements and environment.

4. Ease of Use

Web-based intelligence solutions come with a number of advantages that simplify your life while conserving your costs:

• No complex hardware or software to purchase or maintain
• An intuitive graphical user interface anyone can understand
• A dashboard feature for at-a-glance information
• User-friendly, up-to-date mapping features
• Easy-to-understand reports and alerts
• Minimal training requirements
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5. Business Intelligence

Data is good. Intelligence you can easily and quickly understand and act on is even better. Avoid trailer-tracking systems that overwhelm you with a flood of irrelevant data. Instead, choose a solution that connects you to actionable business intelligence with:

• Flexible, customizable reports for various users
• Reporting features that provide a big picture or drill down to the smallest detail
• The right information delivered to the right person at the right time
• Automated scheduled reports
• Exception-based reports and alerts
• User-defined geographic boundaries
• Alerts when trailers enter or leave those boundaries
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6. Established Company

While researching solutions, be sure to research the companies that develop them. Look for solution providers that have:

• Deep fleet industry experience — 5 or more years
• Established client base
• Financial stability and growth
• Ongoing investment in innovating their products
• Proven methodology for demonstrating ROI
• The required industry patents and certifications
• Responsive customer service and support
• Proactive, collaborative approach to product development
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7. Professional Services

Make sure the solution provider you choose doesn’t plan on disappearing once deployment is over. Look for a partner who provides services and value beyond just supplying the technology. These should include:

• Installation services
• Training for your staff
• Ongoing support
• Regular product updates
• On-site visits
• Business process assessments and recommendations
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Show me the ROI.

Once you’ve found a trailer and asset intelligence solution that meets the above criteria, be sure you ask for hands-on demonstrations and product tours. Test drive their dashboards, reporting features and mapping features. Then ask the solution provider how they plan to demonstrate ROI on your investment, and support you in the decision-making process.

FleetLocate is ready to show you how we demonstrate ROI, and meet your check-list for intelligence solution must-haves.
- Steve