No matter the purpose of your fleet, if your vehicles are standing idle for any reason, you are likely losing money on your fleet assets. There are many ways to reduce vehicle idle time and optimise your fleet to ensure you are getting the best possible value on your fleet investment.

There comes a time when all companies make budget cuts, but knowing precisely where to cut can be the difference between success or a protracted struggle trying to keep your fleet, and business, functioning.

Many years ago, in a not-so-distant province on the coast of South Africa, there was a fleet manager named Matthew. Matthew worked at a large industrial company and was responsible to manage a fleet of over 100 vehicles. Despite having a tracking system in the vehicles, Matthew battled with high fleet costs which upset his senior management team. The senior management team demanded reductions in the operational cost of the fleet of vehicles. Month after month he would spend many hours scanning the copious number of reports sent to him.

Tracking the productivity of your fleet is a challenge that many businesses face. However, it is an essential part of your operations, and by understanding exactly how your fleet is performing, you will be able to utilise your assets effectively, improve fleet efficiencies, boost vehicle uptime and maximise your overall productivity.

The cost of fuel is one of the biggest expenses in fleet. It needs to be tracked in detail for fleet managers to get a clear view of their real fuel spend compared to projections. Fleet managers also need to be wary of fuel fraud as it can have detrimental effects on the overall running of the fleet company.