In the constant struggle to obtain the best performance at the lowest possible cost—whilst complying with legal regulations, safety and environmental standards—and still keep vehicles running smoothly with the help of a responsible team of drivers, fleet managers might become prone to mistakes, especially when under tight time constraints and pressure.
But the skills of awesome fleet managers really come into their own during these hard times as they still seem able to choose the best for the fleet and even expand their businesses. Technology might come as a valuable help with which to assist them in this regard; this blog post is a reminder that when it comes to evaluating your fleet management strategy there are some mistakes you need to avoid, and also suggests how to cope with the challenges related to them.
#1 - Not having your fleet metrics available
Not all fleets work in the same way, but it is surely important to keep tabs on all aspects related to a vehicle fleet, and have well documented processes at every phase. Fuel, safety, maintenance: if you have all the data related to these you can easily see where you are making the good decisions or if you need to reconsider some aspects. If you do not have good data available or only keep track of the basics—the bare minimum according to other fleets’ experience of ‘best practices’—you might miss out on important opportunities or simply squander money.
#2 - Being vague with drivers
Working with drivers and having to deal with the ‘human aspect’ could be quite unpleasant for some fleet managers to the point that it could lead them to avoid direct communication or into an unorganised way of setting out the necessary rules and, consequently, management and drivers/staff may lose respect for each other. It is important instead to have a comprehensive policy, and to promote it by incentivizing drivers who do a good job but also being clear as to the consequences for those who are not respecting the rules. This is key into encouraging your staff into cultivating sound driving habits.
#3 - Taking a reactive approach to safety
This is surely something you need to avoid at any cost as it is putting not only you but also your company, your drivers and other road users at high risk. If you do not have a process in place for assessing risks and safety or checking the driving style of your staff, your company could be liable in the event of an incident; causing trouble (in the best case scenario) or even revocation of a licence for the company and, ultimately, it could cost you your job and career.
#4 - Having a complicated maintenance process
If you need your drivers to do basic maintenance, raise a flag when something is not working or do walkaround checks as legally required, make sure you find an easy way for them to do it (have a look at our Driver App!) and you will avoid problems. A complicated method for maintaining vehicles will discourage drivers from taking proper care of their vehicle.
