In short, fleet management is what it says in the name, the management of a business fleet. Whether it be a fleet of 10 or 10,000, all fleets need to be managed to ensure that they are compliant with the law as well as fully efficient to save the business cost and time.
For the most part, fleet management includes Maintenance and Risk & Compliance management, ensuring that vehicles are safe and efficient to run but also ensuring that they are compliant with government guidelines and regulations. The service can be broken down into various segments, as each fleet’s needs can differ from the next.
Vehicle Funding & Procurement
This involves the sourcing and purchasing of vehicles for the business as well as sourcing funding where necessary. This can include vehicles for day to day running of the business such as vans as well as company cars.
Maintenance & Repairs
Ensuring that vehicles are running well with no issues to keep them safe and compliant for the road. This can also include proactive maintenance including prebooking oil changes and tyre checks to reduce the down time of a vehicle.
Fuel Management
Monitoring the fuel efficiencies of the fleet, ensuring that costs are kept low for the business. Some see fuel management as becoming obsolete in the future as more and more businesses are making the transition to electric for their fleets.
Driver Management
Another key part of the safety aspect of fleet management, ensuring that drivers are fully road legal. Driver management can include license checks as well as comprehensive driver training programs focused on safe driving practices, defensive driving techniques, and adherence to company policies to reduce risk of accidents.
Compliance & Safety
Ensuring that all of the fleet and the drivers are following the government instructed guidelines. For example, proof of driver fitness & eligibility, vehicle MOT & services record keeping and data protection (for vehicles that implement tracking).
Vehicle Tracking & Technology
For businesses that have fleets outside of just company cars such as vans for deliveries/business operations there can be tracking implemented for location managementand route planning. For those that have larger vehicles such as HGVs, implementation of tachographs are necessary to reduce driver fatigue and restrict driving hours. These both fall under the fleet management branch, ensuring that tracking and tachographs are monitored.
What is a fleet management company?
Businesses can often misplace these services and requirements within other parts of the business and give people dual roles. For instance, some businesses rather than having a dedicated fleet manager will give these responsibilities to the likes of a HR manager. Whilst cost saving to the business, in these instances it is more than likely that key factors are overlooked as they are not dedicated to the role nor have the necessary experience.
In these cases, it is beneficial to consider working with a fleet management partner. They have the knowledge and expertise to be able to guide the business and save money and time. Partners such as Vavoom can ensure that a fleet is fully compliant with government regulations, whilst saving you money ensuring that the fleet is running safely and at the lowest cost.
If you want to find out how we can bring your costs down and efficiencies up, get in touch.
