Top Upgrades For Your Company Vehicles

Running a business already offers its daily dose of challenges, but managing a fleet of company vehicles does not have to add to those challenges. With the right upgrades, you can improve the comfort, safety, and driver accountability for all of your company’s vehicles. Here are some of the best tech upgrades for your fleet.

1. Parking Sensors

Whether your employees are local commuters or long-distance drivers, many of the dings and scrapes company vehicles experience happen in the parking lot. To give you a little peace of mind, installing aftermarket parking sensors can help drivers better manage even older model cars. These sensors can reduce scraped doors and dented fenders by alerting the driver before they get too close to surrounding objects.

2. Driver Cameras

Even though most of your employee drivers are probably trustworthy, just one bad apple can spoil the bunch. Installing driver-facing cameras is a means of mitigating the potential for the occasional bad seed to cause problems for everyone else. A good vehicle camera system provides a direct visual when bad driving habits are identified. It also allows remote guidance and driver coaching for new drivers.

3. Backup Cameras

Cameras are not only useful for monitoring drivers. Installing backup cameras is a great help for the all drivers. Rearview cameras vastly improve vehicle safety by eliminating rearview blind spots. Quality aftermarket rearview camera systems can reduce the chances of accidents by giving the driver a clear view of his or her entire surroundings without having to reposition mirrors or twist around in the seat.

4. Heads-Up Displays

Although these sysems were considered science fiction a couple decades ago, new advances in technology now allow for visual projections directly onto the windshield rather than relying on a display screen off to the side. This allows drivesr to view maps, speed, mileage, engine warnings, and any number of potential notifications without taking their eyes off the road. Reducing the number of times a driver looks away significantly reduces the likelihood of an accident.

5. Hands-Free Calling

While newer vehicles have built-in bluetooth tools like Ford’s Sync to connect to you phone for hands-free, voice-activated calls, fleets of older cars or vehicles with minimal factory options may require aftermarket solutions. Hands-free systems are commonly tethered to the car’s sound system through a bluetooth connection. Voice activation allows drivers to place calls without ever letting go of the wheel or taking their eyes off the road.

6. GPS

Newer mid-to-high tier vehicles now come with GPS options, but many work vehicles lack this functionality. This lack is easily remedied with aftermarket GPS units to provide clear, quick directions for drivers in unfamiliar territory. GPS units can also be used to monitor fleet whereabouts and driving speed. When this technology is coupled with other addons like heads-up displays, remote cameras, and hands-free calling systems, it completes the full repertoire of remote guidance necessary for even the most arduous company trips

7. Seat Heaters

Driving a cold car is not just uncomfortable; it is potentially dangerous. A tense or shivering driver has a lower response time and is distracted by the discomfort. Adding seat heaters garners favor with employees, but it serves a practical purpose of keeping the driver comfortable enough safely control the vehicle.  Heated seats also allow drivers to more quickly settle into a comfortable driving routine and reduces the amount of time they might otherwise let the car run idly to warm up before hitting the road.

There are plenty of opportunities to improve your company’s vehicles. Safety and comfort often go hand-in-hand, and any means of keeping tabs on your company’s property is a no-brainer. When it comes to advancing your company’s rides, these seven tech upgrades will make your fleet safer and more efficient. For more possible upgrades, just try thinking outside the box for ways to reduce driver distraction, improve comfort for long trips, and maintain reliable communications with the main office.