Christmas and the holiday season, coming right after the Black Friday madness, are probably the busiest time of the year and the most demanding one for managers in charge of fleets, either small or big.
Everything needs to be smooth, but there are plenty of factors against you: increased demand, more traffic on the roads, poor weather conditions, increased drink driving... to mention just a few.
The key, therefore, is to be prepared. If you manage a fleet it doesn’t matter whether you are supplying consumers directly or businesses, both will be under increased pressure, so work closely with them to find out what those demands will be will help in forward planning.
Last minute deliveries might need to be made so ensuring there is capacity for extra vehicles to be rolled out from your network at short notice can help to cope with fluctuations.
Managing staff well during this period is also essential. With employees often taking more leave than any other time of year, and all at once, a business can easily find itself stretched to its limit and without planning it can be difficult to access additional drivers quickly. It's vital to plan staff shifts months in advance to ensure there is back-up man power in case the customer base needs additional last minute deliveries or very time critical orders.
With all the increased pressure on staff and resources during Christmas it can be easy to lose track of how efficient a fleet and its deliveries are running at a time when it couldn’t be more important and expectations are high. So in a time when many businesses are considering winding down and looking forward to taking a well earned festive break, spare a thought for the businesses keeping Christmas moving.
It is often the fleet services which keep these systems ticking over just as everyone else tucks into their mince pies.
Happy Holidays from the Transpoco Team!
