How 5G can revolutionize Fleet Management

• By Esda Ril
• 30-01-2023
• Technology

The positive impact of 5G technology on industry and its reverberations can be felt across many quarters, especially in the business of transportation and logistics. 5G has presented an opportunity for many businesses to evolve and embrace the digital revolution. Many businesses are also using the incredible potential of 5G technology to upgrade the way they run their operations, management, and communication with customers as well as employees.

Telecom operators in many countries have already begun offering 5G services and plans with new-age 5G SIM Cards and 5G compatible handsets being made available. Soon, consumers and businesses will be able to experience the full spectrum of 5G services and gain their benefits.

5G continues to drive progress in all areas of business and help realize formerly hypothesized solutions and inventions such as smart factories and warehouses, AI-powered customer service, the Internet of Things (IoT) and self-driving cars. One such immensely beneficial application of 5G technology lies in Fleet Management, and how 5G could potentially transform the operation and management of the entire supply chain and logistical networks altogether.

What is Fleet Management?

The term Fleet Management refers to an integrated process that involves a wide range of duties that broadly involve looking after the effective tracking, operating, and maintenance of a large number of vehicles owned by an enterprise. These vehicles could be commercial automobiles such as trucks and cars, aircraft, ships, and any other type of commercial vessels like rail cars, excavators, cranes and more.

Monitoring of location, duration of the journey, maintenance time and cost, optimization of the supply chain management and any other activities that can determine and influence the functioning of the entire fleet and their assigned roles are all tasks involved in the process of Fleet Management. These are under the purview of the Fleet Manager and when carried out efficiently, can greatly affect the productivity and performance of the fleet, labour, and organization.

In this day and age, fleet managers depend greatly on the internet to make their jobs much easier with the help of accurate data and information for location and tracking, route management, uninterrupted communication, real-time updates, and improved security. All these activities make a significant contribution to making the process of fleet management more efficient, more productive, more secure, and cost-effective at the same time.

What are the benefits of 5G technology?

While the benefits and features of 5G technology remain largely the same, it is the application of these attributes that differs from person to person, business to business and, industry to industry.

5G offers peak internet speeds that are many times faster than 4G LTE and any of its predecessors. With 5G, information can be accessed, content streamed, filed downloaded and more actions can be taken on any 5G-connected devices within seconds.

The ultra-low latency of 5G technology is also incredibly beneficial for consumers and businesses alike. Whether you are playing your favourite online mobile game, using the GPS in your vehicle, collaborating with your colleagues over a conference call, designing an AI chatbot to answer your customers’ queries, or undertaking just about any activity that requires real-time interaction, low latency is what makes all these experiences smooth and lag-free.

5G also offers better connection density meaning a considerably higher number of devices can be connected to the 5G network per sq. kilometre as compared to 4G LTE. 5G is a highly reliable network, it manages to reduce battery consumption, offers better device mobility and network coverage and has a wide array of positive features that improve upon the performance of 4G LTE.

How does 5G benefit Fleet Management?

By embracing the possibilities of 5G technology, enterprises and business organizations can empower their fleet managers with the tools to execute their duties and responsibilities better. Here are some of the ways that 5G may benefit fleet management in the future.

• Improved tracking and real-time updates

5G can enable fleet managers to monitor and track the real-time location of vehicles and other assets such as cargo more efficiently and accurately. Access to the real-time location of the vehicles also provides fleet managers with regular updates and necessary information pertaining to driver performance such as speed, engine idle time, disruptions and any other crucial data and insights.

The entire supply chain management can be streamlined and made more efficient with the help of real-time location tracking and updates. When fleet managers have more visibility over their fleet, they can better control the operations and eliminate unexpected delays, disruptions, and any other problems.

• Better communication and connectivity

High-speed internet allows two or more parties to communicate and stay connected without any interruptions. Now while this technology has limitless applications in all walks of life and all areas of business, it is particularly beneficial for fleet management.

One of the crucial benefits of 5G for fleet management is that it can enable fleet managers to have access to uninterrupted communication with the drivers in their fleet. Whether it is audio or video communication, or surveillance of the assets and cargo, improved communication and connectivity do grant more control and security to the fleet manager, and thereby the organization.

High-speed 5G internet and low latency of the technology also allow the vehicles in the fleet to be connected to the fleet managers’ office. Advancements in technology powered by 5G and its revolutionary new features can also potentially help enterprises establish a network that lets all the vehicles in the fleet stay connected to each other.

• Dynamic navigation and route planning and re-routing

With the ability to monitor and have uninterrupted access to the location of the entire fleet, 5G for fleet management presents an immensely useful application to enhance efficiency, save fuel costs and time, and ensure assets are delivered on time. Fleet managers can analyse traffic conditions and receive real-time updates to employ a dynamic navigation system for their drivers, and also help re-route the vehicles in case of emergencies, accidents, or any other types of disruptions.

• Advanced data analytics

Over time, all the collected data and information can be used to create a robust system and put a process in place to help increase efficiency, devise the best travel routes, create a repository of information about the vehicles and drivers and get even more valuable insights to tweak the organizations’ fleet management to a tee.

Even activities such as preparing schedules and allocating shift timings to ensure vehicles are well-maintained, drivers are well-rested, the fleet is dispatched on time and their traffic routes are optimized can all be smoothly conducted when fleet managers have access to the necessary data. 5G helps bridge this gap and ensures that fleet managers have every bit of information they require within seconds.

• Proactive fleet maintenance, software integration and updates

Fleet managers can harness the potential of 5G to avoid any unexpected disruptions, breakdowns, and other issues by integrating the necessary software programmes into their fleet of vehicles to allow predictive maintenance, instantly flag any challenges and compile a history of maintenance for the vehicle.

Ensuring the optimal health of the fleet helps alleviate excessive fuel costs, repair costs, logistical issues, and other problems. 5G provides the required bandwidth and latency for software updates to be performed in real-time, and immediately alerts drivers about any problems with their vehicles.

• Driver safety management

Fleet management can be made easier by 5G technology by presenting the right network infrastructure, internet speed and latency that enables software integration into the fleet. Uninterrupted communication, data collection and analysis, and real-time location tracking can help prioritize driver safety and protect the fleet from any unfortunate mishaps.

Software integration into the vehicles enables data collection and analysis that can help fleet managers track, identify, and flag any safety issues such as erroneous driving habits, speeding, unusual behaviour and more. One of the key responsibilities of fleet management is to ensure the safety of the drivers and the fleet by avoiding any unfortunate mishaps and correcting practices that aren’t aligned with the organization’s code of conduct.