The last-mile delivery buzz is reaching a fever pitch. Consumers are demanding that more products be delivered to their front door, and instead of hauling product across the country or state and handing it off to another carrier for front-door delivery, fleets have the opportunity to invest in medium-duty trucks and finish the job themselves. And telematics can help you make the leap.
The most common example of a technology that could enable a move toward last-mile delivery operations is routing software. Moving trucks through congested city centers while planning the most efficient route can be a headache for a fleet that has traditionally provided long-haul services.
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That’s where a routing solution comes into play. Offered by numerous technology providers, routing technology combines real-time GPS data with other routing information such as traffic congestion and even weather.
Look for solutions that allow you to edit routing maps, display different route options and even allow drivers to make their own notes. This gives you greater insight into where your trucks actually need to go as opposed to where a non-trucking oriented routing solution tells you to go.
Some telematics companies are also integrating real-time weather data so that you can see road hazards like rain, snow, sleet, fog, heavy winds and lightning. You could also see risk indexes that anticipate the likelihood of experiencing delays due to inclement weather or determine if a driver needs to be rerouted or pulled off the road altogether.
