Fleet vehicles are on the road in a variety of weather conditions. They are expected to perform exemplary no matter what Mother Nature has in store. However, cold temperatures can take its toll on your fleet vehicle batteries. If you don’t watch closely, it could leave your drivers frozen and out of sorts when winter’s fury flies full force.

How Does Weather Affect Vehicle Batteries?

The thing about batteries is that they are vulnerable to extreme temperatures: hot or cold. Heat accelerates the chemical process batteries go through, but also speeds up corrosion within the battery. This results in a shorter battery life.

Cold, on the other hand, slows things down. Many people experience what you might refer to as a sluggish batter during the winter months. In some cases, the temperatures may be sufficiently cold that the battery will be unable to start your vehicles. One fact many people do not know is that it is possible for the water inside the battery to freeze. This does a wide range of damage to your battery’s internal structure and ability to operate. When this happens, batteries must be replaced.

What Can You do to Prevent Cold-Weather Related Battery Issues in Fleet Vehicles?

Since Mother Nature has a mind of her own and you can’t always plan ahead for whatever cold her whims may send your way, there are things you can do to protect the batteries in your fleet vehicles to make them less susceptible to freezing when the temperatures drop, like these:

• Maintain your batteries properly. Excess dirt and corrosion can cause the power in your batteries to drain faster making them less effective in colder conditions. Keep them clean and clear of debris. Make this part of the daily routine for drivers so it becomes a habit.
• Buy batteries with appropriate cold cranking amperage (CCA). This number indicates how well a battery is able to deliver currents in temperatures up to -18 degrees C without diminished performance. The higher the rating, the better for your batteries if your vehicles operate in cooler climates.
• Use a GPS fleet tracking system that offers low vehicle battery alerts. These alerts can notify you of potential problems before they become major headaches for your drivers and your schedule.

The last thing you want is to deal with drivers left out in the cold this winter. Keeping your batteries in good working order throughout the winter can be essential for avoiding this situation.

Snowmobiling is a fun pastime for many visitors to Boulder Mountain in Utah. One wrong turn, though resulted in a harrowing experience for two young men who were forced to spend a night in frigid temperatures after becoming lost and short on fuel.

The young men were carrying avalanche gear with them when their snowmobile became bogged down in a gully, but they did not have sat phones or personal GPS tracking devices with them. A mistake that could have proven fatal had they not been resourceful and stuck together during their experience on the mountain.

As daylight was fading, the two young men decided to focus their final hours of light building a shelter where they could hunker down for the night. When they didn’t return Saturday evening, it triggered an alert that had people combing the mountainside in search of them.

It was their footprints in the snow that alerted rescue helicopters to their presence and quick thinking on their part that had them shooting flares to help rescuers zero in on their location for a fast rescue Sunday.

When they were found the men were cold and wet, and beginning to feel more than a little panic that they would not make it home.

Today, the men are grateful to rescuers and happy to be alive, warm, and with their families who shed plenty of happy tears upon their return.

Gary Vanos of Revelstoke Search and Rescue credits the fact that the young men stuck together for their survival, stating how important that was in their efforts to remain safe throughout the ordeal.

Other things snowmobilers can do to avoid similar harrowing ordeals is to always ride prepared with GPS tracking, satellite phones, and find safety in numbers. The more people in a group, the better the odds of a rescue if something happens to one of the units.

With the right kind of GPS tracking units, snowmobilers can not only send out signals alerting others to their plights, but also receive directions to help them find their way home if their snowmobile becomes disabled.

Fortunately, for these young men, quick thinking and sticking together kept them safe and alive in a situation where the wrong moves could have resulted in a much sadder outcome.

The year 2017 has come to an end and businesses are looking to the future. As you take your fleet into this new calendar year, it is a wise plan to explore the new technology that is available and what it can mean for your business.

These are a few technologies you might want to consider incorporating into your business plan for 2018 and beyond.

Forward Facing Cameras

Sometimes called dash cams, forward facing cameras have been used with a large degree of success for years by some fleets. If you’re not currently utilizing this type of technology in your fleet, now is the perfect time to do so.

The biggest benefit to you for utilizing these types of cameras every time your trucks are on the roads is to defend your drivers. They are tempting targets for people hoping for a fast payoff thanks to a negative (and wholly undeserved) public perception. Dash cameras provide an added level of protection for your drivers, your business, and your reputation.

GPS Fleet Tracking Systems

GPS fleet tracking is one of the most important things you can do for your fleet if you aren’t doing it already. GPS allows you to:

• Create more efficient, time-saving routes.
• Reduce fuel costs.
• Track invoices.
• Improve record-keeping.
• Curtail labor costs.
• Track your drivers’ hours behind the wheel.
• And so much more.

GPS tracking for fleets can also be used in conjunction with forward facing cameras to determine sequence of events when accidents do occur.

Autonomous Vehicles

While some may believe this is a far off plan, the current predictions are the there will be approximately 10 million driverless vehicles (otherwise referred to as self-driving) on the road by the year2020.

Why are these types of vehicles attractive to fleet owners?

Because they can cut your costs dramatically. Driverless vehicles don’t need time to sleep, don’t charge by the hour for labor, and can operate at any time of the day or night without charging overtime, demanding holiday pay, or being subject to human error behind the wheel.

Many believe this will lead to fewer accidents, reduced insurance costs (though that is currently a topic for debate), and bigger profits for large and small fleets alike.