5 ways real-time vehicle maintenance alerts can help fleet managers

Real-time maintenance alerts are an important part of a business maintenance strategy. There are different types of maintenance you can implement for your business, particularly if you have a vehicle fleet.

Your business is multi-faceted. Maybe it has multiple assets on-site, fleet cargo, industrious equipment, or high maintenance vehicles–which make up its innate structure.  

Maintenance management is an important part of building a healthy business ecosystem.  

With advanced IT systems, real-time monitoring and maintenance alerts can be available at your fingertips. There are numerous benefits and ways it can work for you positively.  

We are here to guide you, so you grab them with both hands and manage your business effectively. 

What is maintenance and monitoring? ‍

Whether you would like to receive maintenance alerts for your vehicle fleet or important assets at your premises– it all forms part of asset maintenance and monitoring, under the umbrella of asset management.

What exactly is Asset monitoring? It refers to the management and assessment of assets and equipment of an organisation, which incorporates the tracking of asset usage. 

The main purpose of asset maintenance is to ensure effective operations, create a safe working environment and protect your assets. Quality asset maintenance will ensure you get the most asset value and longevity for your business investment.

Real-time asset tracking allows asset-intensive companies to monitor the condition and usage of their assets. In order to monitor the efficiency of assets immediately, and receive maintenance alerts on the fly– we need real-time asset tracking through various technology and sensors.  

What is real-time monitoring?‍

In other words, we mean data monitoring– the route of real-time monitoring. 

Real-time monitoring is a process, enabled by IoT, where sensor-collected data is streamed continuously for immediate access and review, with zero to little latency between collection and delivery.

Traditionally, other monitoring solutions were used such as data loggers. These required costly installations creating data blindspots and issues. But with real-time monitoring, there are fewer gaps in data processing and interpretation due to continuous data streaming. In addition, you can use a time monitor for even extra visibility.

There are various administrative methods that can be used for data collection, such as fleet management. For example, real-time monitoring is important when it comes to fleet management and monitoring of cargo transportation. 

The sensor device can be placed in the fleet’s cargo. It will collect data about temperature, light, humidity, and much more– depending on the fleet manager’s requirements for data processing.

It will be interpreted by the vehicle provider’s software platform (such as Cartrack), where data points will be streamed in real-time. The business can consolidate the information with the platform’s comprehensive reporting tool. 

But let’s talk about how it can be fundamental for vehicle and asset maintenance. Now we are diving into real-time maintenance alerts. 

Real-time monitoring example  

What does real-time monitoring do? 

Say you own a country-wide food delivery company, with a robust vehicle fleet under your wing. Fleet management and vehicle cost-efficiency are a top priority. Vehicle maintenance is an important consideration to cut costs and ensure an effective production line.   

Fleet managers can make use of real-time data collection on vehicle health from a vehicle tracking company such as Cartrack, which will provide streamlined data and alerts relating to vehicle maintenance. 

Their fleet management platform uses telematics software to give you the necessary information, and real-time vehicle diagnostics.  

We will dive more into this later on.  

But let’s first look at some practical examples and benefits of how asset tracking and maintenance alerts can assist your business– an add-on service provided by a vehicle tracking provider. 

5 real-time monitoring business benefits:

1. Improved asset utilisation

Smart algorithms will alert you when your assets and machinery require servicing. Receive maintenance alerts on movable assets such as industrious equipment on your manufacturing site. This works through asset tracking to manage them better, increasing their durability. For instance, forklifts that aren’t managed and maintained on-site could break down causing more maintenance problems. Also, use monitoring to ensure the completion of equipment maintenance without delay.

2. Save costs

Reduce asset repair or replacement costs. Well-maintained equipment reduces the frequency or necessity of buying new equipment or replacing broken parts. It can also assist with stock inventory management. If equipment breaks down, this can affect production costs and supplies– impacting sales and customer retention.

3. Improve employee and workforce safety

If assets are maintained well, then staff will be protected from danger caused by equipment. If there is any danger on site, authorities will be alerted accordingly. You can also prevent situations that could threaten safety.

4. Asset and business management

If you are implementing asset maintenance management, you can go a step further and create a risk assessment to help identify equipment with high safety risks– based on maintenance reports. Once identified, the appropriate maintenance schedule can be implemented, to plan part replacements or upgrades. This will assist with managing your business more efficiently.

5. Improved admin processes

Streamline your administrative processes effectively and have everything you need in one place. Instead of using filing, paper trails and other manual tools- you can retrieve everything in one place. For example, access powerful reports on usage hours and costs for you to make maintenance decisions on your equipment.

Types of maintenance 

Part of vehicle and asset management is having a maintenance strategy in place to get the most out of software data and maintenance alerts. Maintenance tasks can involve a chunk of procedure, leaving us in a situation of not knowing where to start. Making it easier for you, we can break them up into predictive, preventive, or corrective maintenance. The difference between preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance lies in the data being analysed. 

Let’s unpack this a bit more:  

Predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance is an advanced form of planned maintenance that monitors asset conditions in real-time. It relies on monitoring and analysing data from the actual, current condition of the equipment in operation. Within predictive maintenance, there are condition monitoring tools used to detect equipment malfunctions and damages.

How does predictive maintenance work? 

Maintenance workflows are used to retrieve your asset or vehicle diagnostics, so you receive the necessary maintenance alerts. A vehicle tracking provider will usually already have this in place.

Sensors are connected to the asset being monitored, data is then collected from the sensors within identifiable baselines and set parameters. While the asset is running, the sensor will detect any performance abnormality and send out maintenance alerts. Maintenance will then be performed before running the asset as usual. Advanced warnings like this can save your business from excessive maintenance costs or worse, irreparable damage to your assets. 

Here are the tools and technologies that make it possible: 

• Condition-monitoring equipment 

These are sensors commonly used in maintenance, to pick up information and capture data from the asset, which is then communicated with the software to assess the state of the asset in real-time. As part of internal operations, Alerts can be configured into a cloud monitoring service for maintenance. You can configure single or multi condition-based alerts to notify you about problems that may require attention. When a condition-based alert is triggered, you will be notified through one or more notification channels. 

In addition to increasing the longevity of equipment. Machine condition monitoring supports a variety of goals for manufacturers, including:       

• Reducing and eliminating unplanned machine downtime
• Optimising machine health and performance
• Improving quality and reducing scrap parts
• Driving a maintenance performance programme based on accurate machine data
• Enabling automation based on real-time machine condition data 

There are various condition-monitoring sensors that detect environmental phenomena.  

Here are some examples for businesses to consider:   

• Vibration monitoring. Vibration patterns can indicate many different things. Monitoring vibration patterns can offer insight into part durability and changes to this pattern can indicate a failing tool, often 15 minutes or more than when a human operator can begin to see a problem.
• Temperature. Temperature is a strong sign of any potential problems in a machine. If temperatures deviate against the set parameters or standards, employees will be alerted about any impending machine failure, machine breaks, or even fires in hazardous environments. This could all pose major health risks too.
• Torque: A worksite might have assets operating using a twisting force around an axis, called a torque. Use sensors to identify anomalies in the rotational force of the machine, and develop an understanding of how it changes during job runs. Monitor its day-to-day functioning, and identify any correlation with scrap parts, machine failures, and broken tools. Site managers can integrate data retrieved into their maintenance strategy. 
• The Internet of Things (IoT) 

IoT refers to the way devices interact with one another. The role of IoT is to analyse and make sense of the equipment data. The different sensors collect and share the data working with other parts of IoT technology, such as user interfaces and connectivity within the central information system. 

• Predictive Formulas

From here, predictive formulas identify common equipment maintenance trends, including servicing, repairs, or a replacement. The formulas rely on predetermined algorithms that compare a machine’s current behaviour against its expected behaviour. Once the trend deters from the standard, there will be signals of gradual deterioration. The maintenance team can then take measures to prevent the equipment from failing.

[H1] What are the main industries using predictive maintenance right now?

The manufacturing industry benefits the most from predictive maintenance. According to Mckinsey Global Institute, the global manufacturing industry could save up to $630 billion by 2025, by using predictive maintenance. Manufacturers can use this maintenance strategy to manage plant floor equipment, boost operations, and improve workplace safety.  

Preventative maintenance ‍

Preventive maintenance relies on historical data, averages, and life expectancy statistics to predict when maintenance activities will be required. It includes taking the necessary precautions and actions to prevent equipment incidents or failures from occurring before they happen. 

The benefits of preventive maintenance will decrease business downtime and productivity resulting from equipment not working properly. It will also ensure all equipment and employees work only during scheduled hours, eradicating the need for paying staff overtime due to unforeseen machinery failures.

Real-time vehicle monitoring benefits

According to vehicle safety experts, all vehicles are subject to wear and tear and unless maintained at regular intervals, this wear and tear will eventually result in unsafe vehicles and vehicle breakdowns which could impact your downtime and productivity.

Regular planned maintenance is a critical step in preventing this. 

We know that for operational managers, on-site maintenance and management are necessary. The same applied to vehicle fleets, which is equally crucial. 

Here are some ways real-time monitoring is used in vehicle maintenance. 

• Increased driver safety as ill-maintained vehicles could cause life-threatening incidents on the road. 
• Seamless maintenance plans which are easily adjustable
• Avoid road breakdowns and accidents. Receive real-time alerts of any engine faults, worn brake pads, oil and water fluctuation, and other diagnostics, helping you pre-empt which vehicles need servicing.
• Instantly respond to maintenance needs. Schedule maintenance and warn drivers in advance via our app, and keep workflows undisrupted. Communicate directly with your driver the moment a fault is detected and let them know where to take the vehicle in real-time, helping you minimise downtime and future issues.
• Automated preventative maintenance. Our platform automates the maintenance schedules for each of your vehicles by using your utilisation hours and the time of the last service, hassle-free: 

• Cut your maintenance costs. A strong maintenance servicing routine helps prevent vehicle breakdowns, minimising major indirect and direct costs.
• Increase your vehicle lifespan. With proactive-maintenance schedules your vehicles will remain healthier for longer, ensuring you get more out of them. 
• Reduce unnecessary downtime. Prevent vehicle breakdowns and plan for your servicing in advance to reduce project disruptions.
• Improved maintenance workflows: For your fleet, you can use the Cartrack app, which will give you real-time maintenance alerts. As a result, you can streamline your process and workflows better. 

Other uses of a real-time monitoring application

• What is real-time Database monitoring? It is used to measure a database’s performance in real-time. Receive alerts to identify problems and other attributes which could cause future problems. 
• A real-time monitoring tool is useful in the healthcare industry. Real-time alerting for maintenance is crucial for a patient’s safety in hospitals.  
• Real-time monitoring call centre refers to the tools and software used by managers to oversee and track agent calls as they occur. Alerts can be more quickly routed to appropriate staff, or even to automated systems, for future mitigation. 

Use Cartrack to stay on top of your vehicle maintenance and/or asset maintenance and create a maintenance strategy that works for you.