Software can be confusing, and there is no two ways about it! It doesn’t matter who you are, unless you really know how to operate and utilise a particular piece of seemingly helpful software solution for your logistics business, things can be absolutely daunting!
As a matter of fact, even techies often need extra training and sufficient time with a new piece of software to help with onboarding processes in all their complexities. That being said, the presence of advanced, evolving software in logistics has actually managed to boost the industry in not just the UK, but globally to its estimated value of 5.5 trillion euros back in 2018! It is expected that the value of the global logistics industry will easily cross the 14 trillion mark by 2023, and much of that expectation is highly dependent of the evolution of software itself.
Without the presence of interconnected software and hardware devices in all parts of the world, this wouldn’t have happened of course, so abandoning the latest logistics solutions just because they can be complicated and expensive at times is not an option at all.
If you are careful in choosing the right software resources, then it doesn’t necessarily have to be so complicated! After all, software is supposed to provide a simpler solution to complex problems, and not the other way around. Keeping that goal in mind, here are ten features that you should expect your logistics apps and platforms to provide you with, for boosting productivity, deliverability, time management, safety management, rules and regulation maintenance and much, much more.
Categorising the Most Important Features in Any Logistics Setup
While there may be others that may or may not have more relevance to the kind of operations you run, the following should provide a comprehensive view of what logistics managers and company owners should be looking for:
- Trailer TPMS or tyre pressure monitoring system
- Realtime tracking of vehicles and route optimisation via GPS
- Geofencing
- EBS/CAN-bus data monitoring
- Weather prediction, cargo temperature monitoring and associated alert systems
- Tachograph readings analysis
- Automation
- 24/7, technically sound customer support
Next, we are going to subdivide and dive deeper into these categories to find the ten most expected logistics software features
Trailer TPMS
The ability to monitor tyre pressure via a Trailer TPMS software on your trailers can be absolutely crucial for the following reasons:
- Safety of the driver, cargo and others on the road with the trailer/truck
- Trailers and large trucks can blow a tyre if the pressure goes too low
- The result of a blown tyre can be devastating for everyone on the road, the driver and the cargo, given that it will cause the driver to lose all control
- Saving money via Trailer TPMS systems is a real thing; underpressurised tyres cost the logistics industry billions of pounds every year
- It will also make your trucks/trailers go through tyres more frequently; a loss of about 50% in longevity
- Underinflated tyres will lose their ability to direct the vehicle efficiently, further adding to the danger factor
- Underinflated tyres are also bad for the driver’s back due to poor shock absorption, which can actually be a legal concern later on
Trailer TPMS is just one of the many optional features that you can find with a software package like FleetGo, but it’s an extremely important one nonetheless. In fact, FleetGo has a tested collection of constantly evolving, but easy-to-use software solutions for logistics management, which is quite comprehensive and includes almost everything we are discussing here.
Realtime Tracking and Information
Should your software be able to track just the vehicle or the driver as well? Well, it should be capable of doing both. The reasons for that are as follows:
- A tachograph is a simple device that helps you monitor the driver’s working hours – if they break the rules, you will be penalised by the law!
- Knowing where the shipments and the drivers are at all times makes it easier to coordinate with clients, delivery stations, suppliers and the drivers themselves
- The data from the tachograph will help you to maximise your drivers’ time to boost performance of the business legally
- If the GPS is also equipped with weather monitoring solutions, it’s infinitely easier to avoid snow blocked/flooded roads, heavy rain, roadblocks, storms, etc.
Advanced Tracking of Cargo Information
Under certain circumstances, temperature monitoring and management software can be absolutely crucial e.g. if the cargo is food, ice, flowers or anything else that needs acute temperature control to be delivered without the equipment getting damaged. Remote telematics can help logistics managers and drivers keep a check on the indoor temperatures from a dual perspective. In combination with the weather information, this can be exceptional in preserving the cargo by adjusting automatically in accordance with the need for it.
Automation in its Various Utilities Across the Logistics Industry
Automation, AI, machine learning, advanced robotics, etc. are all important sections of logistics automation, and they are interdependent. To provide a clear idea of the features that should expect and why, go through the following:
- Automatic dispatch is now almost a standard in the UK and Germany, as it saves time and makes it seamless
- The system automatically assigns the most urgent delivery tasks to the active drivers, closest to the pickup and delivery point
- Intelligent GPS systems can integrate info about weather conditions and predictions, unsafe routes, longer and shorter routes, bad traffic, etc. and pre-plan the best routes
- They can and most often are also dynamic these days; if it senses a change, the GPS adjusts accordingly
- AI assistants with helpful info and voice capabilities can make things easier to do for new drivers and managers alike
- AI can detect issues with a trailer/truck’s internals well ahead of time
- Automated systems will often send emergency alerts to drivers and notify them of trailer/truck problems before they can cause an accident
24/7 Support Service
Remember how we mentioned that software can be a complicated thing to handle? Well, it can be made less complicated if there is 24/7 support available. The support features should be expected along the following lines:
- Multilingual support for international operations – not every European nation speaks English
- Technical support should be able to guide the drivers and all associated company employees, as and when they run into problems with the software
- It should be available at all hours – logistics is pretty much a 24/7 x 365 days business
- They should be able to monitor and alert the emergency services in extreme cases
You could have use for various other features of course, or maybe not even all the ones mentioned here, as it depends entirely on how extensive your business operations are, or how specific your niche of logistics management is exactly. What is important in either situation is the unification of app features. In other words, if you have the option to get all of the features from a single developer, you should go for it. It may prove to be difficult of course, so the general idea is to minimise the number of apps so that onboarding costs, training and retraining costs, compatibility issues etc. are all kept to a minimum.
