Safe, Distraction-Free Entertainment for Fleet Drivers on the Road-Impac Fleet

Safe, Distraction-Free Entertainment for Fleet Drivers on the Road

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For fleet drivers riding solo when traveling, boredom can become a minor setback–eventually leading to drowsiness. 

Because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suggests fatigue to be the cause of over 20,000 fleet accidents per year, it is important for fleet drivers to find safe and distraction-free methods to stay entertained and focused while on the road.

Apps

Smartphones provide limitless entertainment opportunities for drivers on the road, like Pandora or Spotify to listen to music. In addition, Voice Text Pro can be used to safety drive and text or write novels, and audio book apps can help drivers stay occupied while driving. 

Collecting

Fleet drivers sometimes travel vast distances. When stopping to refuel or grab a bite to eat, pick up a small souvenir from each new location to remember each destination when traveling. 

Exercise

According to the National Institute of Health, more than half of fleet drivers are obese. In order for drivers to maintain a healthy weight, staying active is important. Every time a driver stops for fuel or decides to pull over at a rest stop, hike a simple trail and conduct leg stretches to rejuvenate the body and mind.

Reflection

Many fleet drivers enjoy utilizing the solitude of driving for a time of self-reflection. Not only can drivers have ample time to reflect on their life, but it’s a great method to keep their minds occupied and help pass time. 

Safe, Distraction-Free Entertainment for Fleet Drivers on the Road-Impac Fleet

There are many ways for drivers to stay entertained on the road while remaining distraction-free. To help fleet managers ensure their drivers are performing safe, compliant behavior, Impac offers a comprehensive fleet fuel card program and a robust GPS tracking and reporting system–aimed to optimize all fleet operations.

To learn more about how our systems can provide improved safety to your fleet, contact Impac today.

Are Fleet Fuel Cards Worth It-Impac

Are Fleet Fuel Cards Worth It?

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Are fleet fuel cards worth it?

Within the fleet industry, each fleet company is unique in business efficiencies and operations. However, many are alike in the fact that the significant question at-hand is pondered at least a few times throughout the duration of business practices.  

Both fleet fuel cards and bank-issued credit cards offer fleet managers the ability to track and set controls on their fuel expenses. But the similarities cease there.

Although tried and true, bank-issued credit cards do not offer the ability for fleet managers to distinguish an itemized list of purchased products from a location–allowing fleet drivers to abuse or misuse their cards for unauthorized purchases. 

To avoid this, fleet managers could set their purchase controls to “island reader only”, which shuts out stations that do not offer pay-at-the-pump service. However, this results in a set of new problems and excludes drivers from making acceptable purchases. 

On the other hand, fleet fuel cards provide a more in-depth range of transaction data, greater flexibility, and tighter controls than bank-issued credit cards. 

These cards allow fleet managers to customize card controls on dollar-spend at the transaction level, including limits on daily and weekly dollar amount limits, fuel quantity, and time frame of purchase. 

Fleet fuel cards provide instant alerts of suspicious behavior and easy-to-read reports for managers to wish to review their business expenses in full and take immediate action.

Are Fleet Fuel Cards Worth It-Impac

 These cards are fuel specific, while bank-issued credit cards open up the fleet to any merchandise that may be available at a certain retail channel.A

Impac offers the most comprehensive tracking and reporting system in the industry through an innovative fleet fuel card program. Our flexible point of sale prompting, card level exception reporting, purchase control parameters and innovative reporting products allow fleet managers to manage their fuel programs with ease.

If you’re still unsure if fleet fuel cards are worth it for your fleet business, contact Impac today to speak with a professional. A

Stay Proactive: Equipping Fleet Trucks for The Upcoming Winter Months-Impac

Stay Proactive: Equipping Fleet Trucks for The Upcoming Winter Months

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Stay Proactive: Equipping Fleet Trucks for The Upcoming Winter Months- ImpacAs the weather changes throughout fall into winter, the hazardous conditions of the roads pose a greater risk for accidents. Because of this, it is important for fleet companies to remain proactive and ensure all of their trucks are properly equipped for complied performance.

 1. Use winterized fuel. To avoid the refusal of trucks from starting when temperatures dip below zero, invest in seasonally-enhanced fuels will. These fuels will operate in below-freezing temperatures and may also increase horsepower and fuel economy up to five percent.

2. Replace filters. In the winter, water can turn to ice in fuel storage tanks and filtration systems–plugging filters during the first couple of cold fronts. To avoid damaged fuel pumps and startup issues, replace water-absorbing filters and regularly rain the water separator.

3. Perform maintenance. Before winter hits, replacing worn belts, hoses and brake pads can save money on costly repairs down the road. In addition, it is important to test the battery and clean all connections to eliminate the destruction of wearable components.

4. Check fluids. To ensure all engine oils are properly utilized, check and top off coolant, power steering, brake and windshield washer fluids. For easier cold cranking and truck startup, refer to the owner’s manual for manufacturer cold-weather viscosity recommendations.Stay Proactive: Equipping Fleet Trucks for The Upcoming Winter Months- Impac

5. Ensure appropriate tires are used. Depending on the type of perception present, special tires may be required during winter months. In addition, a drop in ambient temperatures can drop a tire’s air pressure significantly. Perform regular pressure checks on every tire for all trucks to ensure consistent appropriate levels.

6. Check the truck’s interior. During the winter months, fleet drivers need to be safe. For optimal safety and comfort, check heater and defroster operation and equip every truck with an emergency kit containing water, road flares, a fire extinguisher, reflective triangles and jumper cables.

To sustain optimal safety and cost savings this winter season, contact Impac to learn about our fleet fuel card programs and GPS tracking and reporting systems.

Route Optimization: How to Transform Your Fleet Company-Impac

Route Optimization: How to Transform Your Fleet Company

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Route Optimization: How to Transform Your Fleet Company-ImpacRouting has evolved into a sophisticated fleet function that touches every aspect of the overall operation. Fleet organizations and companies are increasing recognizing the significance of fleet route optimization for improving business efficiency while reducing costs.

 Become Efficient

Proficient routing allows fleet managers to determine the best and most cost-effective route options for a workforce. Seeking this specified route allows for reduced overall driver time on the road, therefore, reduced truck mileage–resulting in decreased fuel and maintenance costs, and time planning routes.

Become Safe

Not only does the advancement in route optimization heavily contribute to the drastic reduction of fuel use, vehicle wear and liability exposure for a business, routing helps make drivers safer while getting the vehicle and driver routed correctly and efficiently.

Route Optimization: How to Transform Your Fleet Company-Impac

Become Reputable

Route optimization ensure that drivers arrive at a destination in a timely manner. This allows fleet companies to tighten service windows given to customers and increases the on-time arrival rates throughout the business. Through these punctual efforts, customer satisfaction results in a reputable company.

Become Productive

As route optimization influences drivers to manage their time well, drivers can potentially increase the number of jobs that are completed each day–substantially increasing company profits. As discussed above, routing allows drivers to reach destinations in a timely manner, therefore, allowing the number of jobs per day to increase in a safe and sustainable way.

With advances in fleet management technology–such as fleet fuel cards and GPS tracking and reporting systems–routing has become more three dimensional and dynamic. Impac offers innovative fleet solutions through comprehensive fleet fuel card programs and robust GPS tracking and reporting systems–ultimately providing a true fuel simplification solution in the market.

Contact the professionals at Impac today to learn more about our products and how they can contribute to your company’s route optimization strategies.

Tips for Effective Fleet Maintenance for Improved Safety-Impac

Tips for Effective Fleet Maintenance for Improved Safety

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Tips for Effective Fleet Maintenance for Improved Safety-ImpacStrong maintenance planning in the fleet industry is a preventive track towards improved safety. Unscheduled checkups, like unexpected truck malfunctions, involve costly repairs and significant company down time due to stalled trucks. However, regular scheduled maintenance checkups on fleet trucks can prevent, detect and repair minor problems before they become serious and expensive issues.

With the tools and technology available today, developing and implementing a strategic plan is easier than ever–saving a company valuable time, money and frustration.

Here are a few tips to keep your fleet and maintenance plan running smoothly with the goal of ultimate safety:

Tip #1: Develop a comprehensive maintenance checklist for vehicles. Based on fleet needs and requirements, routine preventative checklists will consist of diversifying items. However, some essential yet common needs include engine oil and filter changes, tune-ups, seatbelt checks, braking system reviews, fuel system verification, and exterior and interior lighting functionality.

Tips for Effective Fleet Maintenance for Improved Safety-Impac

Tip #2: Develop a schedule that works for your fleet. To determine when the appropriate time that maintenance checkups should take place, review the following within all fleets: miles traveled, engine hours, fuel usage, calendar time, and emergency repairs. Tracking these factors accurately could reveal patterns to help establish a timeline on maintenance efforts.

Tip #3: Track and simplify record keeping. To simplify record keeping within a business and reduce time-consuming tactics while improving production, take advantage of today’s innovative technology by upgrading systems. Telematics allows fleets to examine driver performance–therefore, making it easier to know when to have scheduled checkups take place.

Impac offers start-of-the-art fleet fuel card programs and GPS tracking and reporting systems targeted to ease maintenance plans and improve overall safety. At Impac, our professionals strive to simplify all the processes embedded in a competitive, complex market.

Contact Impac today to discover turnkey fleet solutions delivered by unmatched customer service!

Do Driver Scorecards Work-Impac

Are Driver Scorecards Effective in the Fleet Industry?

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Do Driver Scorecards Work-ImpacMany companies in the fleet industry today are implementing improved safety measures to increase all-around business efficiency.  One of these safety measures includes the utilization of driver scorecards.

Driver scorecards help measure risk and safety scores based on various key driving behaviors performed by fleet drivers–such as speeding, harsh breaking and after-hours vehicle use.

Designed with advanced safety technology, both fleet users and managers can gain valuable insight to driver behavior and alter company practices accordingly–ultimately increasing the company’s productivity.

Due to the fact that lack of safety can be crippling to a fleet business, some companies may experience higher insurance costs, maintenance costs, fuel costs and negative business reputation as a result of their drivers’ performances. However, using the detection and tracking data that driver scorecards present can help keep drivers safe–nothing has a greater impact on operating expenses than driver performance.

To get the most out of your current scorecard system, or if you’re considering implementing driver scorecards in your business, follow these action steps:

• Post a weekly driver scorecard report for your drivers. To allow efforts in improving driving habits, allow self-evaluation.

• Define penalties and standards around unsafe driving.

Do Driver Scorecards Work-Impac

• Evaluate current liability costs and set goals for improvement based on the current baseline measurements of driving habits.

• Implement driver training and safety programs for high risk drivers.

Impac is dedicated to promoting both business success and driver safety within the fleet industry. At Impac, we understand the shifting demands and focuses of the fleet industry. Our fleet professionals strive to offer the most comprehensive tracking and reporting solutions on the market, via fleet fuel cards and GPS systems, to ensure business productivity is never compromised.

To start improving your day-to-day business operations, call Impac today.

Improving Fleet Productivity-Impac

How Fleets Can Effectively Improve Fleet Productivity

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Improving Fleet Productivity-ImpacFleet professionals often have a lot on their plates. As fleets can feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks they are required to address for proper operations, fleet productivity may suffer.

However, there exists a plethora of practices and tools that can be implemented into day-to-day routines to increase overall fleet productivity; therefore, increasing revenue.

• Utilizing telematics. Telematics not only has the ability to track drivers, but the data provided can compile and be turned into actionable concepts to improve fleet productivity. With telematics, fleet managers can learn ways to optimize driving routes and reduce unnecessary driver behavior–pinpointing where the company needs improvements.

Improving Fleet Productivity-Impac

• Maintenance programs. Staying aware of fleet maintenance needs, like when to cycle out older vehicles, could cause fleet companies to be more productive. In the case of a faulty accident, improperly maintained vehicles causing major injury or fatality could result in a costly lawsuit.

• Safety as a focus. Safety metrics is a key aspect of fleet productivity. Focusing on driver safety could close any windows that may be leading to myriad issues that will hinder fleet productivity. It is important to push for proactive strategies as opposed to being reactive to issues that arise.

•Factoring fuel. As fuel is the largest expense for fleets, tracking fuel expenses by utilizing a fleet fuel card can significantly cut fuel theft and unauthorized employee spending. With this technology, spending limits and restrictions can be set to ensure the company is driving towards the optimization of fuel costs versus sedentary measures.

 Impac offers innovative GPS systems and fleet fuel cards aimed to optimize business operations. For over a decade, Impac has been dedicated to working with fleets of all sizes to ensure increased and sustained productivity throughout operations–offering a true turnkey solution.

Call us today to learn how we can increase the productivity of your fleet.

Growing A Successful Fleet-Impac

Growing a Successful Fleet

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Growing A Successful Fleet-ImpacCreating and growing a successful fleet is no small nor easy task. However, with careful pre-planning and inside knowledge, fleet managers and operators have the ability to grow and build a successful fleet business. By taking the proper steps, growing a successful fleet may be less of a challenge:

Prepare Finances – Fleet owners and managers must prepare their personal and business finances prior to beginning a fleet business. Managers must be capable of relieving employee payroll and maintenance costs–along with other underlying costs involved–that are required to run an efficient business.

Find the Right Trucks/Drivers – Before purchasing trucks, it is wise to find a team of trustable drivers. In the hiring process, allowing them to co-drive at first may give the fleet manager a good idea on how they drive, the work environment that may transpire, and offer the opportunity for immediate correction of any issues.

Growing A Successful Fleet-Impac

Create an Entity – Creating a strong entity where a business permanently resides could potentially result in loyal clientele and profitable sales–ultimately growing a successful fleet business.

Plan a Business Structure– Along with deciding how daily operation will run, an important thing within the fleet business to implement methods to cut costs. Utilizing comprehensive GPS tracking systems and universal fleet fuel cards can both save a business substantial amounts of money and time.

Whether an individual is beginning a startup fleet business or an existing company desires to alter business practices, Impac strives to help clients of all sizes grow and maintain a successful fleet. Through the utilization of our comprehensive fleet fuel card program and innovative tracking and reporting GPS system, business costs can be minimized while business operations can be optimized for a more promising future.

Looking to grow a successful fleet while eliminating unnecessary costs? Our professionals can help. Call Impac today.