If your business depends fundamentally on driving, it might be that you have already reached the point where your fleet can be run by a transport or fleet manager or by you as the owner of the company, but despite this there are still some troublesome issues: you cannot expand your company or increase the size of the fleet, acquiring more vehicles, as you already feel overwhelmed by the amount of time you have to spend dealing with all the tasks involved in your day-to-day routine.
This is why companies start looking into fleet optimization and begin changing the way they manage their fleet so as to reach the objectives they set themselves in order to succeed. But what are the tell-tale signs that make them feel they need to get started with it and take back complete control?
1 - Vehicles go back and forth from the garage
This isn’t necessarily bad (and we also promote it) as it is often necessary for safety and compliance to have a complete maintenance system to keep vehicles roadworthy and minimise breakdowns. However, this should not equate to vehicles having to be forever serviced—but if that is the case, it usually means there is some flaw in your system; remember:
- Vehicles should be replaced when they start becoming inconvenient to use
- Walkaround checks are probably not carried out as well as regular maintenance
- Aggressive driving means mistreatment of your vehicles—making them more likely to incur faults
2 - Global costs rise very unpredictably and are not under control
It might be some months are more difficult than others, as you have more deadlines for invoices or motor testing, or your payments calendar is pretty busy, but this is not the same as having a lot of unforeseen costs. This can happen especially if
- You have no control over fuel purchases
- You have an external maintenance provider and you have no control over it
- You cannot establish with exactitude how long a job took by somebody on your team
- You might be a victim of fuel theft
3 - You are not getting good feedback from your customers
If your service seems good to you but customers are providing negative feedback, it might mean there is something not operating efficiently in your work schedule and that you do not have the full situation of the fleet under your control.
Full visibility into your fleet operation is important in order to address issues in a timely manner as they arise. With a system like SynX you will have vehicles and costs under control 24/7—get started now!
