Technology is playing an increasingly important role in keeping supply chains running. Today, most fleet managers and those in other critical positions in trucking fleets – such as dispatchers, route planners, drivers and safety and terminal managers – rely on technology solutions to optimize the day-to-day operations of companies their. However, as the industry continues to evolve, choosing the right fleet management software can be daunting.

HERE Technologies teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ABI Research to conduct a survey and publish a white paper dedicated to understanding how industry leaders view fleet management software and the benefits and challenges that come with adopting these technologies.

More than 80% of the fleet managers HERE surveyed said that at least half of their fleet operations are already digitized. This illustrates a continued march towards greater technology adoption in the logistics industry as a whole.

One of the key benefits of digitization is gaining better insight into overall performance through operational data. With a significant amount of digitization already occurring in the industry, most respondents indicated that they already have access to large amounts of data.

However, actual use of this data is lacking. Survey respondents indicated that it often comes from disparate sources and is not integrated to give fleet managers a holistic view of operations. This undermines the usefulness of existing fleet solutions.

“As a result, data analytics is a key area of ​​investment today. This can give fleet managers a better understanding of how to use data to optimize operations,” said HERE Senior Manager of Market Intelligence Nina Hallquist.

In addition to data analysis tools, fleet managers, leaders and other employees are deeply interested in adopting fleet management software that directly helps them improve their operational performance.

HERE’s research uncovered the most in-demand fleet software capabilities. These features include real-time tracking, demand/load planning, route optimization and fuel management.

These key capabilities are popular for a reason. They have a huge impact on day-to-day operations and focus on what matters most to companies in the industry: improved efficiency and increased profitability.

“We hear that the top reasons to invest in fleet management software are to increase revenue and improve operational efficiency,” said Hallquist. “So using these two goals as a guide when choosing software is important for fleet managers.”

While different fleet managers tend to have similar goals, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving them. Because every organization is unique, fleet managers should look for flexible solutions that can be configured to meet their needs.

Technologies that provide a configurable approach can help fleets improve key performance metrics such as on-time delivery and lower fuel costs per vehicle, ensuring compliance and maximizing vehicle utilization.

“The solution should include attributes that fleet managers and other key users find particularly important,” said Hallquist. “These include truck-specific map attributes, truck-specific routes and the ability to integrate the company’s own data into fleet management software.”

There are a multitude of technologies on the market, and keeping configurability in mind can help leaders better evaluate their options. However, once a fleet manager finds the right solution to adopt, there are often still challenges along the way.

In HERE’s survey, fleet managers identified a lack of in-house expertise and resources to implement solutions as the main barrier to new software adoption. The cost of the solution and the accompanying fear of possible disruption of existing operations with loss of revenue were also key concerns.

Software vendors must provide solutions to these common challenges to drive technology adoption. This means providing fleet management software that is easy to use, can be integrated into a company’s existing system and delivers benefits quickly. It also means providing substantial support around implementation.

“The solution provider should provide assistance with implementation, integration and integration with existing systems, as well as ongoing technical support,” Hallquist said. “Customers should also ensure that their vendors provide reliable and justified value propositions and ROI forecasts for their solutions.”

HERE will dive deeper into the nuances associated with purchasing new fleet software upcoming webinar“Examining Key Fleet Trends and Buying Insights.” The event is scheduled for November 7th at 2pm EST and registrants will receive a link to register afterwards.

This conversation will be informed by findings included in HERE’s recent white paper and will feature relevant voices from across the industry.

Speakers include FreightWaves staff writer Grace Sharkey, HERE Senior Manager of Market Intelligence Nina Hallquist, PCS Software CTO Yusuf Ozturk and Senior Product Manager Maven Alex Sciuto.

Click here to learn more and register for the webinar.