There’s a lot of information out there on the best technology to manage your fleet, but what are the most important aspects to manage overall?
Drivers
Arguably the most important part of the job is driver management. Everything about your fleet – from reliability, company reputation and on-road safety starts with your drivers. They are the most important asset to your fleet, and can sometimes be the most difficult to manage – because we’re all human. Fleet managers need to develop excellent people skills and ensure they have an open-door policy with their drivers. You want to know about problems before they become a crisis, and you want to create an environment where you attract, and keep, the best drivers in the business.
Education & Training
As a fleet manager, you need to ensure that all staff (including you) receive proper training. Good training can solve a lot of problems. In many cases, problematic drivers simply didn’t have access to decent training with previous employers, and if you package your training programs to show employees how it will benefit their own careers (not just the company), people will pay a lot more attention. And training should not only focus on aspects of driving. Key area include, general safety, anti hi-jacking, basic vehicle maintenance (drivers who know more about their vehicles tend to take better care of them), as well as fuel-saving tips. Professional fleet companies such as EQSTRA can help you find the right training solutions tailored to your fleet. Ensuring all your staff receive training relevant to the roles is one of the most important roles as a fleet manager.
Guidelines and checklists
These go hand-in-hand with the training mentioned above. Nobody remembers every single detail learned in a training session, so it is important to compile user-friendly guidelines and checklists that staff, especially drivers, can refer to whenever necessary. Once you have these compiled, it’s going to become a regular task to ensure they are updated and being used properly.Service, Maintenance and repair schedules
Fleet managers have an ongoing juggle between keeping vehicles on the road and ensuring they are serviced and maintained on time. Delaying or skipping scheduled service / maintenance slots will increase your repair and downtime costs in the long run, so never get into the habit of delaying a vehicle service ‘just this once’.Fleet managers need to have a vehicle calendar showing each vehicle’s scheduled service and maintenance slots. This needs to be your first point of reference when allocating any vehicle to a specific task. This is one area where professional fleet partners and decent software can save your company a lot of headaches and money.
Vehicle Replacement Cycle
Fleet managers need to stay on top of the replacement cycle of each vehicle in their fleet. And it’s not as simple as replacing the vehicle when the warranty runs out. There are many factors to consider, such as:- When new derivatives are being introduced
- Will it benefit your fleet to buy an outgoing model, instead of a newly launched version?
- Resale value
- Mileage vs time spent on fleet
Fuel Usage
How much fuel each driver, each route, and each vehicle uses is critical information that fleet managers need in order to ensure their fleet is running as efficiently as possible. With regular increases in the price of fuel, this has become one of the most critical elements of fleet management. Driver management and training as well as vehicle service / maintenance all play a role in ensuring you keep your fuel costs as low as possible.Preferred routes
Route Optimisation is a key function of effective fleet management. There are many factors that influence your choice of route: road conditions, traffic flow, roadworks, hijack risks and even protest action. These change all the time, so fleet managers constantly need to be aware if any of their preferred routes need to be changed on a temporary or permanent basis.Admin, Admin, Admin
All of the above requires constant attention and detailed records for an efficient fleet. Many fleet managers will admit they were not prepared for the amount of admin this job entails. Fleet managers need to be incredibly structured to ensure they keep accurate records of all aspects of their fleet. It’s an always-on part of the job.Profit / Loss Reporting
If you keep meticulous records, this shouldn’t be a nightmare. But it is something you’ll need to manage on a regular basis. With so many moving parts, fleet managers are required to do regular profit / loss reports. These can either be for the entire fleet operation as a whole, or relating to specific areas such as fuel, tyres, repairs, maintenance and vehicle replacement. Profit / Loss reporting is always at the back of your mind as a fleet manager and it’s something you will manage on a daily basis.