Managing a fleet can be overwhelming, especially when managing that fleet is not a full-time role. As we have mentioned before, there are a lot of businesses that have people in dual roles for fleet management. For example, the HR manager or Procurement manager might also be in charge of the fleet for a business.
For us, this is the first place you can improve your fleet management; either hiring a dedicated fleet manager or partnering with a fleet management business can drastically improve your fleet in these instances. Bringing in expert support will ensure you identify potential risks that may have gone unnoticed and drive efficiencies that were previously not recognised. However, we know that this isn’t always an option for some businesses, so we have collated 5 top tips on how you can improve your fleet.
1. Get full visibility of the fleet
Everything from understanding what vehicles you have, how many there are, and what they are all being used for is the first stop. Allowing you to see the mileage and fuel consumption for those vehicles, as well as when those vehicles are due for renewal/have come to the end of the lease.
2. Stay on top of maintenance, be proactive, not reactive
Making sure your vehicles are regularly serviced can reduce inefficiencies for the vehicles but also keep them road safe, therefore reducing downtime and alleviating unexpected costs.
3. Monitor driver behaviour
Reviewing how your drivers are operating your vehicles can make a massive difference. For example, harsh braking or speeding will wear down the brake pads more quickly, increase the risk of speed tickets and therefore costs, as well as increase the fuel consumption, which is going to cost the business more money. Overall, we recommend encouraging safer, more progressive driving within speed limits (and it’s the law).
4. Funding and choice of vehicle
Whilst some businesses can be restricted, ensure you have a clear remit and parameters of functionality for the vehicle required, then you are ready to approach the market. Shopping around can be effective, but so is working with a partner you can trust, be that a dealer or broker. A leasing broker will likely be able to access most makes and models in the market and provide a range of options to meet your requirements, having taken care of the market pricing exercise on your behalf.
5. Seek support when needed
Get an audit for your fleet from experts to ensure that you are performing as best as you can and are not missing anything critical. If you’re not an expert in this field, hire someone who is to give your business a better chance.
Whilst a large part of improving your fleet will also help you keep your costs down, making it financially efficient, you will also be helping the overall management process. For example, doing the above and keeping the records up to date as you do it will allow you to combat issues as they arise more effectively.
Separate to the above, and something that is coming into play in everything we do in the world now is AI. You can use AI machine learning to review your data and help you make informed and quantifiable decisions about your fleet. The one negative about this is that it will only review the numbers.
If you are looking to improve your fleet or are interested in knowing more and being trained on how to make your fleet more efficient, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can complete a full audit of your fleet to see where your shortfalls are coming from, as well as propose improvements to help you through the next steps to a safer, more efficient fleet.
