Among the multiple responsibilities fleet managers or anyone managing a fleet in a business capacity have—especially in small companies where the fleet manager role doesn’t really exist—vehicle management concerns come high up on the list. A fleet cannot disregard the importance of drivers and human resources, particularly with the present shortages, nor can it operate without vehicles, and it’s all too easy for worries to beset the busy head of the fleet director.
If we consider four important vehicle management concerns all fleet directors probably have, we would surely find the following:
1. Protecting vehicles
Your drivers and vehicles might be at risk on some assignments due to adverse weather conditions, operating in remote areas or with heavy loads, theft attempts or other illicit actions.
2. Maximising the use of vehicles
Vehicles are necessarily bound to the initial cost of the purchase and then incur costs regardless of whether they are used or not. Fuel might not be one of them as it depends on the activity, but if vehicles are not used for a long time, they still incur fixed expenses and would need to be used massively to amortise initial costs. If this does not happen, you have probably spent too much on your vehicles and may need to sell them on. Try hiring similar vehicles on a needed basis or make more use of the vehicles you have.
3. Getting the largest possible vehicle lifespan
We all wished our vehicles lasted the maximum time, but it is virtually impossible to totally eliminate vehicle downtime, though there are surely a lot of actions you can do to increase vehicle lifespan and reduce wear and tear. Drivers are often not conscious of the impact of their driving on fuel consumption and on the wellbeing of vehicles. Driver training and driver behaviour data can definitely contribute to better overall driver education and in looking after your vehicles in a more intelligent way.
4. Spending the lowest amount without sacrificing safety and regular maintenance
With all the expenses that a fleet manager needs to manage—and, usually, minimise—vehicles and their servicing are the one with which they struggle most. Some of them erroneously carry out maintenance on a reactive basis in an attempt to make savings, even though this could potentially lead to safety issues if vehicles are not regularly maintained and into increased expenses if there is no process for a regular maintenance calendar.
To learn about how spring cleaning can help your fleet, see our blog post here.
