Samsaraâs redesigned fleet management dashboard simplifies workflow for its systemâs dispatch, maintenance, safety and compliance data.Fleet management software developers, especially those with cloud-based platforms, regularly update their systems but perhaps the most noteworthy updates are those that simplify fleet administration.
At least two suppliers took major strides in this direction over the last week.
Samsara redesigned the dashboard of its mobile fleet management system to give individual users and teams better workflows across the board, from dispatch to maintenance, safety and hours-of-service compliance.
A vertical navigation bar was added to the left-hand side of the dashboard for users to quickly scan features grouped by category according to their job responsibilities. The feature also helps to maximize screen space.
All dashboard features are accessible in a new Samsara Fleet app. Samsara says its customers can setup text and email alerts for the app to review and respond to a variety of events, such as reviewing HD dash cam footage of risky driver behaviors for coaching. From the app managers can also send messages directly to their drivers using the Samsara Driver App.
Smarter fuel taxes
At the Omnitracs Outlook user conference in Las Vegas, Feb. 16-19, the fleet management technology provider announced a new automation tool for reporting and filing International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) and state highway mileage taxes.
The new tool, Omnitracs Tax Manager, will be available on the Omnitracs One platform in March 2020 to take mileage and fuel data from telematics devices and automatically file taxes for all states and jurisdictions. The application reduces manual processing by utilizing AI-enabled machine learning technology to cross-reference driving history and fuel purchases.
A new âguidedâ experience walks customers step-by-step through their filing preparation, the company says.
Book it Now
The ongoing digitization of broker-carrier communications reached another milestone with Truckstop.com and Knight-Swift Logistics completing phase one of integrating their freight matching technologies. A new âBook it Nowâ feature will allow Knight-Swift Logisticsâ owner-operators and third party carriers to move freight more efficiently.
âIntegrations like this will help us to quickly deliver more load options to our independent truckers at the click of a button,â said Shannon Breen, senior vice president of Knight-Swift Logistics and Intermodal.
The first phase of integration is for Truckstop.comâs Book It Now feature in Knight-Swiftâs logistics environment, which allows Knight-Swift Logistics to post a rate and allow its preferred partner-carriers to instantly book loads and receive automated confirmation for the loads they choose.
During the second phase of the integration, due in March, Knight-Swift will bring a large contingency of owner-operators to the Truckstop.com load board for Truckstop.comâs customers to tap into.
Customer conversions
The video telematics market still has plenty of room for expansion as the largest company in this space continues to accelerate its growth. Video telematics provider Lytx shared results from 2019 that include surpassing 4,000 fleet customers in all sectors and sizes. Most noteworthy is that nearly 25% of the new customers it signed last year switched from another video or telematics provider.
Lytx increased added more than 100,000 vehicles to its network and increased its subscriptions by a record 32% year over year. The company also added more than 20 billion miles of analyzed driving data, bringing that total to 120 billion miles.
