Comprehensive guide to fleet management solutions

Fleet Management Through the Ages  |  Methods to Improve Fleet Management Efficiency  |
How to Improve Fleet Driver Behavior  |  How to Improve Fleet Fuel Usage

Fleet Management Through the Ages

One thing that has stuck through the ages since the inception of fleets is that no matter what size or type it is, an organisation relies on its fleet. A fleet is still a fleet no matter what.

The basics of fleet management have certainly not changed, but the introduction of technology into fleet management systems has changed the face of fleet management forever. With these solutions the fleets have become fully amalgamated into the organisations and this has enabled their potential as a valuable asset to emerge over the past two decades.

The idea of a company car was born in the 1990’s and was initially created as a cheap method to award staff benefits. In those days the tax system awarded incentives for company cars based on the business mileage they did. Nowadays the tax system no longer does this, it now awards for efficient vehicles instead.

When technology was initially introduced to fleet management it was not nearly as cultivated as it is now days. In the beginning it didn’t take off in a huge way and it battled to penetrate the whole fleet sector. At this point in time fleet technology was mainly focused on big organisations with large fleets, whilst the smaller corporations were somewhat neglected. This resulted in paper-based fleet management remaining as a feature on the fleet management scene for far longer than it should’ve been necessary.

In those days fleet management systems were mostly thought of as foreign concepts and fleet managers were very unsure of their ability to give a return on investment. We should remember that at this time even PC’s and the internet were still a relatively new idea. IT equipment was very expensive and it was not uncommon for one PC to be shared in an organisation. If there was luckily more than one computer, the fleet management systems had to be tiresomely loaded onto each one. It was all really more of a headache than an asset.

In the early days the management of the fleet was normally handled by a secretary as an additional responsibility. Later on when the economy took a dive, organisations had to define which areas of their business needed cost cutting and streamlined systems.  Fleet management did an about-turn at this time as it was suddenly recognised that the company fleet could potentially save on finance and resources by implementing tighter controls on the fleet.

It was no longer a simple affair of making sure that the company’s cars were serviced regularly and on time. Corporations started to understand that every aspect of fleet management needed to be revised, from fuel-saving, to driver safety, insurance, scheduled maintenance and repairs. Out of these new demands came the need for a dedicated fleet manager, someone who could holistically manage the big picture of fleet information.

Once this technology had advanced sufficiently and had become less pricey, fleets were able to synchronize into a system of fleet data. This in turn bought down the financial expenses and administrative problems of fleets. For the first time ever fleet managers were now able to pinpoint inefficiency and therefore dramatically boost the performance of fleets. The potential of fleets was fully realised with the advent of the internet.

Depending on how they are managed, fleets can either be a compelling asset or a drain on the corporation’s resources.

Methods to Improve Fleet Management Efficiency

For fleet managers who are having problems with overall fleet productivity, GPS technology may be a solution to this. How it is worked out is that there is a set cost assigned to each section of productivity. The resources and costs associated with productivity goals are not always available to most organisations to the extent that is needed. These days the norm in fact is for businesses to have to produce more output with fewer resources.

It is essential for the fleet manager to be able to measure performance and competence; however the tracking of mobile worker performance can be evasive.  The productivity and behavior of fleet drivers and mobile workers can now easily be monitored by using GPS to track the status of the fleet vehicles, thereby improving overall enterprise performance of the fleet. The discipline of GPS fleet management systems enables an improvement in productivity and the efficient tracking of the fleets.

Organisations that use GPS fleet management software have reported that there has been an increase in daily overall productivity without having to increase the amount of staff or fleet vehicles. Most organisations have the foresight to see this accomplishment as a direct tie to saving on expenses, because along with this positive increase in fleet performance, so the overall operational costs decrease. An improvement in productivity increases the top and bottom lines of businesses across all sectors positively.

The benefits of fleet management software:

• Overseeing and recording the start and finish times of the fleet workers: lost hours are added back into the workday.
• Consign work to the nearest fleet vehicle: this can increase the amount of jobs done per day.
• Improved routing: this assists drivers to keep clear of any traffic problems such as accidents and detours.
• Trace the location of your fleet vehicle: being aware of where the vehicles are situated enables the fleet manager to add on a delivery stop if applicable.
• Analyse fleet driver reports: discover opportunities to increase production by tracing the workflow patterns.

There are so many ways that GPS fleet management technology can increase productivity for organisations who want to achieve an improved efficiency of their overall operations. These days businesses who want to expand find it a very difficult challenge without the aid of a GPS fleet solution. However, just like any system that is implemented, it will not achieve the desired results if it is not used correctly.

Fleet management technology gives your business the opportunity to decrease operational expenses and increase revenue, by tracking your fleet vehicles in real-time.

How to Improve Fleet Driver Behavior

Fleet managers need to obtain concrete data in order to change the fleet drivers’ behavior in regards to improving overall fleet productivity. It will be noted by the fleet manager that fleet driver transgressions decrease quite considerably when they are closely supervised.

Unofficial Fleet Driver Activity
Overall fleet productivity is negatively impacted by the afterhours use of fleet vehicles, this is because of the implications of higher maintenance costs and fuel usage.
By the use of GPS fleet management technology it is possible for fleet managers to pinpoint when fleet drivers are using fleet vehicles for their own personal use. By stopping this unofficial use of the fleet’s vehicles, the fleet manager can lower the risk of potential theft of the assets in the vehicle or of the vehicle itself, save on fuel consumption and decrease the risk of liability.

Higher Productivity by use of Fleet Management Job Endorsement
Does the fleet manager know if the fleet’s drivers are delivering their goods on time, sticking to their timetables and carrying out their work in a timeous way?  This is a very important part of improving fleet management productivity because the fleet driver’s work is validated every day by the way in which they operate.  
It is absolutely essential for the fleet manager to be on top of exactly when a delivery was done and if the address is correct. Knowing the whereabouts of  a fleet vehicle, the exact job taking place and being able to ensure that the address is right and that the goods are delivered properly are all essential aspects of fleet management that are made possible these days by effective GPS fleet management technology.

Lower Fleet Budget Costs
Most corporations aim to competently control operating expenses whilst exceeding consumer expectations. The use of a GPS can effectively lower the hours of idle work hours. This can even sometimes result in a decrease of payroll costs by up to 15% and an increase of up to 10% in service revenue. The fleet manager can observe from this that GPS fleet management technology can be a crucial element of the corporation’s overall automation solution.

An Answer for Fleet Management

The fleet manager needs to find a fleet management system that has ease-of-use for the fleet workers and one that offers relevant data for the fleet. These aspects will ensure that the GPS system is positively adopted and used by the fleet staff, therefore it can be seen that improved productivity is reliant on the fleet manager selecting the correct GPS technology for the corporation.
This is because if the new GPS fleet management technology is too difficult to be integrated easily into the business, the adoption will take a long time and then the ROI (return on investment) will be a slow process.
It is advised for the fleet manager to study the deployment and implantation processes of the GPS fleet management system that he is considering acquiring. The fleet manager can request case studies and important industry information from the potential GPS suppliers so as to ensure buying the correct GPS solution for the business.

How to Improve Fleet Fuel Usage

One of the biggest challenges for fleet managers is to find ways for their fleets to save fuel effectively. Methods of fuel consumption are now being looked at differently because of fleet management technology, which is giving fleet managers an opportunity to redefine their outlook on fuel savings.

The inevitable expense of fuel constantly motivates fleet managers to find new and cost effective methods to manage the rising cost of fuel. It has been found that one of the most economical methods to control fuel consumption is GPS fleet tracking technology. Every business looks for ways to manage costs in order to get a measureable return on investment (ROI), so implementing a fleet management system that can effectively bring about fuel savings is a huge motivating factor for fleet managers.

A fleet’s fuel consumption can be reduced by GPS fleet management technology in the following ways:  

Decrease Fleet Vehicle Idle Time

By decreasing idle time the fleet manager can effectively not only reduce fleet fuel consumption, but also reduce greenhouse emissions as well as extend the life of the fleet vehicles. With a good GPS fleet management system in place, the fleet manager can get accurate idle times by using the technology to get reports and alerts showing when and where the fleet vehicle is turned on and off.

Oversee Fleet Vehicle Speed

Fleet drivers are often given very tight schedules to stick to which motivates them to exceed the speed limit. This in itself increases the fleet vehicles fuel consumption, as well as increasing the risk for accidents and unnecessary maintenance. GPS fleet management technology can alert the fleet manager if a fleet driver is speeding and he can then send a notification to the fleet driver to slow down.

Optimise Fleet Routes

Fleet delivery and service vehicles usually have numerous stops every day and they are often subject to last minute non-scheduled changes, thereby increasing the use of non-effective routes which in turn increases fleet fuel consumption. GPS fleet management tracking systems offers optimisation of routes with destination and directions scheduled for the fleet communicated through the GPS enabling the fleet manager to schedule new stops efficiently and cost effectively.

Maintain Meticulous Fleet Records

Keeping track of fuel consumption is a huge challenge for fleet managers. The potential for fuel theft is high when this is not monitored properly. By implementing fuel programs, the fleet manager can effectively manage fuel costs and monitor unauthorised fuel purchases. These fleet fuel programs also enable the fleet manager to keep meticulous fleet fuel consumption records and to adjust fuel purchase behavior accordingly.

Schedule Fleet Services and Maintenance

All fleet vehicles get their optimal petrol mileage when they are running in top condition. Neglected vehicles cost the fleet additional maintenance expenses and use more petrol. A GPS fleet management system can provide the fleet manager with maintenance reports about the operating condition of each of the fleet’s vehicles and also notify him of upcoming services and maintenance.

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