When your fleet goes off track, so does your business! Route deviations are one of the most persistent challenges in fleet management. Whether due to distractions, personal errands, or wrong turns, drivers don’t always stick to their pre-designated routes.

The consequences? Costly delays, operational disruptions, increased vehicle wear and tear, and ultimately, a hit to your bottom line.

So, how can you take control when a vehicle veers off course? The answer lies in leveraging driver route deviation alerts, a powerful feature within modern fleet management systems that helps you stay one step ahead of detours before they derail your efficiency.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the significance of driver route deviation alerts. We will explain in detail how they provide you with stress-free deviation visibility, prevent fuel theft by drivers, and reduce mileage fraud in fleets, boosting overall efficiency. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

·       What Are Driver Route Deviation Alerts?

·       The Role of GPS Tracking in Identifying Route Misuse

·       Top Reasons to Use Driver Route Alerts in Fleet Route Monitoring Software

·       Inspiring Case Studies Proving the Importance of a Fleet Route Monitoring Software

·       Why Choose Afaqy’s “Route”?

What Are Driver Route Deviation Alerts?

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Tracking your fleets in real-time helps you keep your operations on track. One key feature that makes this possible is the route deviation alerts. They detect when drivers go astray from their planned routes and send you automated notifications so you can take prompt actions before situations become uncontrollable.

How Does the Route Deviation Alert Feature Work?

·       Fleet management systems deploy GPS tracking devices to detect the exact locations of vehicles in real-time.

·       When a vehicle strays from its predefined route, the system sends route deviation alerts to fleet managers (often called an Out-of-Corridor or OoC event).

·       Fleet managers can use these alerts to take immediate corrective action or log them for later analysis to better understand driver behavior and route compliance.

What Are the Types of Route Deviations?

To effectively analyze the cause of a detour, it’s important to first understand the two main types of route deviations. Identifying the why behind each deviation helps you uncover the root of the problem, allowing you to respond proactively, reduce downtime, and cut unnecessary costs.

Here are the two types of route deviations:

·       Path Deviations: This happens when a driver takes another route other than the planned unintentionally either because of navigation errors, missing exits, or other reasons.

·       Sequence Violations: These occur When a driver makes stops in a different order than scheduled, potentially disrupting workflow and delivery timing.

The Role of GPS Tracking in Identifying Route Misuse

GPS tracking is the cornerstone of any fleet management system. It plays a crucial role in optimizing routes, preventing excessive fuel usage, reducing costs, and identifying route misuse. The following are some key features through which GPS tracking enhances drivers’ performance and eliminates route deviations:

·       Real-time Location Monitoring: By providing instant updates regarding vehicles’ locations and sending alerts in case the driver deviates from the planned route, GPS tracking helps fleet managers identify route misuse and allows for driver behavior monitoring.

·       Geofencing: This feature exists in advanced fleet management systems. It enables fleet managers to set virtual boundaries for vehicles and get notified if drivers enter or exit these restricted zones.

·       Route History & Reporting: GPS vehicle tracking systems maintain detailed logs of all trips taken, along with start and stop times, speeds, and deviations from planned routes. Reviewing these logs helps to detect unauthorized trips in fleets.

·       Advanced Fleet Tracking Analytics: Cutting-edge fleet management systems nowadays contain asset analytics features. By extracting data and insights, fleet managers can pinpoint bad driving patterns such as excessive idling and detours or vehicle misuse for personal purposes.

·       Fuel Sensors: By integrating fuel sensors into the GPS tracking systems to work side by side, fleet managers can compare sudden changes in fuel levels with route deviations. This allows them to easily detect fuel thefts, which are in most cases the reason for taking unplanned routes.

Top Reasons to Use Deviation Alerts in Fleet Route Monitoring Software

Poor route planning can increase operational costs by up to 30%. This means that any route misuse can affect the whole fleet operations, causing lots of inefficiencies.

Therefore, proper route planning should be a part and parcel of fleet management. This emphasizes the fact that driver route deviation alerts are no longer an option, but a necessity to stay aligned with operational goals.

Still not convinced? Check these statistics:

·       Companies that use efficient route planning reported a 20% fuel cost reduction.

·       Route optimization boosts operational efficiency from 20% to 30%.

·       Accurate route planning can increase on-time deliveries by up to 90%.

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Enabling route deviation real-time alerts offers a range of valuable benefits, including:

Reducing Mileage Fraud in Fleets

Route deviation alerts are beneficial in tracking vehicle movements and unauthorized usage. Some drivers may attempt to inflate mileage records by taking indirect routes and unplanned stops. Fraudulent behavior can be spotted and addressed promptly by notifying fleet managers once drivers stray from their pre-assigned routes.  

Preventing Fuel Theft by Drivers

By monitoring vehicles in real-time and comparing actual routes against approved routes through the analytics feature, fleet managers can easily discover unauthorized stops and prevent fuel theft by drivers.

Additionally, with the geofencing feature, any off-route activity is instantly flagged, and when a deviation alert coincides with a sudden drop in fuel, it can be clear evidence of fuel theft.

Helping Track Delivery Delays in Logistics

In today’s modern logistics, using deviation alerts is crucial to spot any detours and avoid delays. When a driver deviates from his planned path, fleet managers receive instant notifications. This helps them investigate the reasons for deviations whether it is driver’s misconduct, traffic bottlenecks, or inefficient route planning.

By tracking delivery delays as early as possible, logistics companies can proactively inform customers of the changes in their delivery times, explaining the reasons and boosting transparency.

Inspiring Case Studies Proving the Importance of Fleet Route Monitoring Software

The following are two case studies that prove the necessity of using fleet route monitoring software that eliminates route deviations, achieves efficiency, and reduces fuel costs:

Analyzing Route Deviations in Last-Mile Delivery

In their MIT capstone project titled “Learning from Route Plan Deviation in Last-Mile Delivery”, Li and Phillips have managed to find out the discrepancies between planned and actual delivery routes in last-mile logistics for a major soft drink company operating in the U.S. and Mexico.

With an aim to know the impact of route deviations on the overall efficiency, they discovered that even the slightest changes in routes can increase operational costs and reduce efficiency and transparency.

The solution is to manage fleets using data-driven strategies to be able to detect points of weakness and enhance efficiency within the company’s fleets.

How Speed and Weight Strategies Lower Fuel Expenses in Trucking

Tim Saxman’s 2017 thesis “The Impact on Fuel Costs When Optimizing Speed and Weight in a Single Truck Transportation System” shows how route planning can make a big difference in fuel efficiency in trucking. The study introduces two models: Speed Optimization and Disruption Management to reduce fuel consumption.

The Speed Optimization Model reduces fuel by adjusting speeds and scheduling heavier loads earlier in the route and gets 6.3% better fuel costs than traditional routing.

Moreover, the Disruption Management Model recalculates the route in real-time to mitigate delays and balance delivery time with fuel efficiency. Both models based on the CVRPTW framework show that careful route planning with speed, load and disruptions can give better fuel efficiency, lower costs and more reliable delivery.

Why Choose Afaqy’s “Route”?

Recognizing the critical role of efficient route planning in optimizing fleet operations, Afaqy has developed "Route", a smart, web-based solution aimed at enhancing route optimization to boost efficiency and accountability.

Here's how “Route” stands out:

·       Creating and planning routes by assigning start & stop points

·       The ability to assign vehicles & drivers to your pre-defined routes

·       Creating tasks from checkpoints on-the-fly

·       Re-optimizing routes based on real-life constraints

·       The ability to use the solution stand-alone or integrated into other solutions

·       Enabling the driver to send feedback through the app for any incident or accident to help managers identify the reasons for delays

·       Sending instant notifications for out of route, exceeding planned time, and unauthorized stops

·       Automating tasks and enhancing daily decision-making

·       Saving on logistics costs by detecting route deviations and avoiding delays

Don’t let small detours disrupt your business and optimize your fleet’s performance today. Get started with Afaqy and drive efficiency like never before!

FAQs

1.  What is a route deviation alert?

A route deviation alert is a notification that is produced by a fleet management system in real-time once a driver deviates from his planned route. This feature enables fleet managers to have a bird’s eye view of their fleets, enhancing efficiency and preventing drivers’ misconduct.

2.  How can route deviation alerts help reduce costs?

Route deviation alerts help save money by preventing unnecessary detours, fuel waste, and potential delays. By monitoring route adherence in real-time, businesses can optimize routes, ensure timely deliveries, and reduce vehicle wear and tear.

3.  Can route deviation alerts help improve customer satisfaction?

Yes! By ensuring drivers follow the most efficient routes, businesses can reduce delays and arrive at customer locations on time. This increases reliability and helps maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, which is essential for repeat business and maintaining a strong reputation.

4.  Can route deviation alerts help with fuel management?

Absolutely! Deviation alerts help identify when a driver takes a longer or unnecessary route, leading to increased fuel consumption. By addressing these deviations promptly, businesses can reduce fuel waste, optimize driving behavior, and ultimately lower fuel costs, which are a significant expense for fleets.

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