Maintaining a high level of performance all day in a fleet business is critical because that’s how you can earn profit. However, it’s easier said than done. Managing a fleet business is not as easy as you might think. In fact, you may experience challenges almost every day, especially if you don’t have good fleet management practices.
To save you from experiencing everyday stress and headaches, we are here to help you improve your fleet management practices. Check out our tips so that you can achieve better productivity, less downtime and more cost-effective operations in your fleet business:
Tip #1: Standardise Your Vehicle Purchases
Of course, you need to purchase parts to upgrade or repair your vehicle at some point in your business. Sometimes, you need to buy another vehicle to completely replace what you have or simply add more vehicles. Whatever the case, you have to standardise your vehicle purchases as it is more cost-effective in the long run.
If possible, you should assign one fleet manager to handle all the purchasing requirements so that they can control what to purchase and how much your company should spend. It will also help if you can publish a checklist of required features for all vehicle purchases so that your agents can have a guide when they make purchases on their own.
Tip #2: Make Sure to Track Everything
One basic way to improve your fleet management is to ensure that you are tracking everything, including the data of your drivers, vehicles, and your mechanics. This way, you can optimise your fleet utilisation and make well-informed purchases in the future.
Here’s a guide on how you can track some of your business processes to improve your fleet utilisation:
- Fuel Usage – Track your fuel usage, including fueling dates, locations, fuel type, quantity, and cost.
- Maintenance – Jot down scheduled maintenance, unscheduled repairs, work required, maintenance dates, parts needed, parts’ costs and labour costs.
- Purchasing and Leasing – Know the contract and warranty details for each vehicle purchased.
- Utilisation – Find out who is signing out vehicles, what time, what date, and the mileage of their trips.
Tip #3: Utilise Driver Checklists
To effectively manage your vehicles, make sure to keep a record of whose driver is assigned to a particular vehicle. To do this, you can utilise a driver checklist. A driver checklist is like an inspection checklist. Before keys are released or before they can deposit the keys for return, you can require your drivers to complete the checklists. This way, your tracking will be so much easier, and it also encourages better accountability.
Tip #4: Consider an Automated Fleet Management Solution
There are other tasks that you need to take into account when it comes to fleet management. Those tasks are not so easy to manage manually. That’s why you should consider having automated fleet management solutions so that you can improve your fleet management. An electronic fleet management solution can automate many of the time-consuming tasks you’re doing every day. If that’s the case, you can now focus your time on the core areas of your business.
Conclusion
Fleet management is not an easy thing to do. But with efficient fleet management practices, you can make it more manageable and your business more productive. Once your company has successfully achieved better fleet management, you can expect better performance, reduced downtime, and a more profitable business.
If you’re looking for the best vehicle management software in Australia, you’ve come to the right place! Manage Vehicle offers a smart fleet management system that will allow fleet managers and owners to run their fleet smoothly on the road. Contact us today and get a quote!
