An earlier article
introduced us to some of the algorithms and models in fleet management as
applied to different problem spaces which included Vehicle routing and
scheduling, dynamic fleet management, city logistics, urban public transport,
Dial-a-ride transport, air-transport, Maritime transport and Rail and
intermodal transport,
This article surveys the contemporary automations and
software available from the industry. We start with the open source which
appear to address and automate complex software processes that include dispatch
management, GPS-based vehicle tracking, route optimization, vehicle
maintenance, and fuel management. Open source is particularly relevant to low-cost
deployments. Everlance, Kuebix and Odoo are our picks for comparison. Everlance is a mileage tracking and expense
management software solution for businesses with small and large fleets. It
uses GPS tools to keep a record of the trips taken by drivers to ensure
location accuracy. Drivers can keep Everlance to track and report mileage rates
on the field. Fleet Managers can track trip frequencies and suggest optimized
routes to drivers. Everlance offers cloud-based deployments as well. Kuebix is
a transportation management solution that enables fleet manager to keep track
of dispatches. It features include dispatch management, fleet management,
routing, shipping, and carrier management. Both cloud based and on-premise
deployments are available. Odoo app suite is a customizable open source
software suite that provides business solutions to a variety of industries,
including fleet management. Odoo allows users to save service records,
contracts, vehicle tags, and the make and model of the vehicles in their
fleets. The reporting module has graphs and charts for visualization. Cloud
based deployments as well as mobile applications are available.
Most usages of fleet management software such as the open
source mentioned above are in the areas of food delivery, emergency services,
utility companies, construction, landscaping, public transportation, courier
and package delivery services. The users use these software to reduce labor and
gas costs, remain in compliance with state and federal regulations, locate and
track fleet vehicles, manage vehicle maintenance, improve fleet and driver
safety and optimize cost savings.
Commercial fleet management software like the Autosist is
primarily a fleet inventory management system with a platform that charges per
month per asset if paid annually. They
offer flexible pricing options no matter the size of the fleet which entices
small businesses. With the focus on process automation, commercial software
provides proprietary software resources and policies for fleet management.
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