What’s better than a good horror story to celebrate Halloween while enjoying all the treats, dressed in your latest Halloween fancy-dress look? It’s probably one of the most enjoyable times of the year for many of you—at least for those who don’t have to work and can enjoy the festivities. Some people, like you, in the transportation sector, actually took the opportunity to incorporate aspects of their profession into their Halloween costume choice: in this post you will see some fun suggestions for transport-related Halloween costumes. Following from that, Halloween has also been used in a humorous way to remind us of the importance of safe driving practices during festive periods. Have a look at this video from the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association:
But let’s get back to the scary part: yes, Halloween horror stories are great, even if they are so frightening you end up having nightmares the whole night long. Now, if we take a moment to consider the possible Halloween scenarios of a fleet manager, what would be the scariest story he could experience? What kind of events would fill his sleep (and maybe even his waking moments) with nightmares?
- Skipping a compliance deadline—issues and sanctions. Something that appears merely a matter of paperwork can seriously compromise the operativity of a fleet and cause a global knock-on effect. Consider, for example, that if some vehicles aren’t compliant, taken off the road, your vehicle cannot be used, but you still have the same number of employees… shall we continue? Halloween or not, we bet that’s scary enough…
- Having a fleet full of “heavy feet”. Driving too fast and suddenly braking with a heavy foot should not become acceptable practice. Nor should applying a heavy foot to the accelerator. Do you actually know if your drivers are quiet, smooth drivers who drive defensively or more inclined toward the driving style of Heimo Wallner, the Austrian baker who was caught speeding 42 times in a row? You’d better find out sooner rather than later, and we know exactly how that is possible…
- Unreliable maintenance providers. Let’s not assume this happens as it would definitely be a nightmare…. If maintenance is not carried out within specific deadlines, or maybe not done at all, your vehicles have more chances to incur breakdowns and lose business because of their unavailability. But sometimes it comes down to a simple lack of transparency or not having a reliable system able to record and schedule your maintenance… the consequences, however, are still the same.
- Budget cuts. With all the challenges fleet managers are tasked with and the pressure of doing the extra mile for the least cost, what would your life as a fleet manager be like if you suffered a significant extra budget cut?
It is better to think about these scenarios only as Halloween horror stories so long as you are aware of, and engage with, all the positive opportunities there are available for you to deliver a great performance as well. Whether this is going to be your horror story or not, your Halloween trick or not, let us know if we can show you how to banish the nightmares and instead enjoy all the fantastic fleet management treats…
