How Integrating Your Transportation Management System with a Mobile Vehicle Printer Drives Fleet Efficiency
Optimizing your supply chain and logistics efficiency in 2023 should be a non-negotiable for your company. It’s the clearest path to realizing more than just cost savings on your logistics: imagine reduced delivery time, stabilized quality control, and impressed customers.
Trucking automation technology is for fleets of all sizes. From large cross-country fleets to small local operators, your transportation business can benefit from fleet management technologies that facilitate the many moving parts of their supply chain.
Competitive transportation companies are opting for fleet management technologies like a transportation management system (TMS) or fleet management software (FMS) paired with a vehicle printer. This system will allow for fleet modeling, routing, scheduling, and route optimization while meeting — or even exceeding — your delivery and capacity goals.
Think of this pairing as an extension of your central office. It allows you to ensure that your business goals are met, no matter where your vehicles are. You can track every action from afar and mitigate problems before they become pricey. And getting started with the system you need may be a lot easier — and more affordable — than you think.
Ramping up in-cab trucking automation to boost fleet efficiency
Coupling TMS or FMS technologies with vehicle printers at the point of service allows your company to further streamline and automate processes – with big payoffs in the form of improved efficiency and customer service.
These networked wireless systems provide your drivers with a convenient in-cab office, complete with real-time interactive communications. Plus, they can leverage fast and on-demand printing of documents, labels, receipts, and tags anytime and anywhere on their route. This extended office system can provide:
- Documents like invoices, proof-of-delivery receipts, driver logs, bills of lading, hours of service (HOS) reports, delivery documents, manifests, permits
- Field tickets, fuel tickets, load tickets, and unload tickets
- Sorting labels, shipping labels, asset labels, and equipment labels
3 benefits of adding mobile truck printers for transportation and logistics companies
In-cab printing allows your company to automate processes that may have been previously tracked via paper and manual input, saving you time and money while improving your workflow and customer satisfaction. Expect:
1. Accurate, efficient mobile invoicing
Pairing mobile devices with a mobile vehicle printer allows your drivers to input data and print invoices on-demand directly from their vehicle. High-quality mobile invoice printing in place of a handwritten version saves time and reduces the risk of inaccuracies that may affect your client-company relationship.
2. Streamlined driver workflows
Integrated truck printers maximize productivity, simplify processes, and provide accurate information to your drivers, dispatchers, and other on- or off-site staff. The printer’s full integration gives drivers the flexibility to quickly print invoices, tickets, labels, and more on demand. Plus, improving and streamlining your invoicing operations means more timely billing and payments, which can help you to generate positive cashflow.
3. Faster, easier RODS & HOS compliance
Commercial carriers and their drivers are mandated to employ an electronic logging device (ELD) to track a driver’s hours of service (HOS) and record of duty status (RODS). Your drivers can quickly print HOS and RODS reports, plus any other documents requested by officials — permits, manifests, incident reports — with the help of a mobile vehicle printer.
Vehicle printers that integrate seamlessly with your transportation management system
Consider the benefits of managing your fleets and transportation operations with a centralized or connected platform paired with trucking automation solutions. These systems often offer cloud-based capabilities that are easily paired with mobile vehicle printers, allowing your drivers, dispatchers, and management real-time access to needed information.
And integrated systems can allow your company to easily assign your orders to drivers or third-party carriers, optimizing your driver availability and route planning. You can track your drivers or truck locations in real time and enable your drivers to send and receive data or upload and attach documents. And, with a mobile truck printer, they can easily print corresponding documents, invoices, tickets, and labels on-the-go.
Choosing rugged vehicle printers for your trucking automation process
The need for solutions that deliver a great experience for drivers and customers alike continues to be a high priority for competitive companies. Having high-speed, high-quality printing capabilities at the point of service provides a practical and valuable tool for your company to boost automation and efficiency across operations. And, you can avoid bottlenecks and frustration by choosing printers that are built for real work.
Our comprehensive line of next-generation mobile vehicle printers are made to meet your needs. They’re intentionally equipped with features and functionality to meet the diverse needs of fleet companies in nearly every industry.
For full-page documents like driver logs, delivery documents, and invoices, transportation professionals rely on the PocketJet full-page mobile printer series. The PocketJet is compact, rugged, and lightweight enough to fit well in any cab.
The compact, lightweight RuggedJet family of thermal mobile printers are designed to automate the printing of a wide range of documents and is perfect for in-cab use. The easy-to-use RuggedJet can be mounted in truck cabs for convenient access, while still being durable enough to withstand long days on the road under harsh conditions.
The RuggedJet printers come equipped with a long-lasting, lithium-ion battery or have the option to be hardwired for power in the cab. And the reliable Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity ensures that your drivers can print any document, ticket, label, or tag anytime, anywhere on their route.
Ready to see how mobile printing is already improving fleet efficiency? Learn how one of the largest tank truck carrier in North America paired rugged mobile truck printers with onboard fleet management system to expand trucking automation in their operations. Or schedule a free personalized demo to learn what mobile printer fits your needs best.