In the constant struggle to deliver the best results at the lowest cost, we know fleet managers, or anyone responsible for organising fleet activity, would straight away be looking for the most immediate cost cutting strategy in order to decrease their expenses: monitoring fuel costs or trying to spend less on fuel is probably the first thing that springs to mind when looking for solutions to budget problems.
Although it is true that fuel surely constitutes one of the highest expenses for any fleet, it is also true that there are other factors or practices that make fleets waste money that might not be very evident…
These are 3 examples of dubious fleet management practices that amount to “throwing money out of the window”—what are you doing at present to prevent these attitudes?
#1 - Uncontrolled downtime
Preventing downtime through an efficient maintenance strategy and with risk assessment should be of the utmost importance for you. Downtime is costing you money every minute drivers are not on the road because the vehicle they need is not at their disposal. The reality is that this is something that can’t always be predicted, but it can sometimes be prevented simply by reinforcing maintenance and safety—make sure the situation is not out of your control so as to minimise downtime.
#2 - Unclear fuel policy
If you have already opted for fuel cards you should be enjoying some of their benefits, but you might not be fully utilising them if you do not provide adequate instructions for their use or have a system in place for either controlling purchases or restricting their purchasing options (for example, buying fuel by card is permitted but paying for services and coffee are not). If you set up an appropriate fuel policy and make sure you check it is followed thoroughly, you will quickly realise the benefits.
#3 - Uncontrolled asset use
Whether the reason is that you are running a large fleet or whether your vehicles are not in the same depot but scattered in different places, it is important to always keep an eye on where they are and if they are being used. It is so easy to lose control and have vehicles left unused if you do not know how they are being operated (or not operated), and this is another money waster...
