Fleet management technology may aid fleet managers in getting real-time insight into
corporate operations, boost driver happiness, and minimize fuel usage. This may be
accomplished via the use of predictive analytics and accurate reporting. As a result, 75
percent of fleet managers rely on software for fleet management or vehicle telematics to aid
them in running their day-to-day operations.
How does fleet management work?
Management and operations of a fleet are essential components of every company that runs
on the mobility provided by commercial vehicles. The objective of fleet management is to
exercise complete command over all aspects of fleet operations and maintenance to
maximize productivity and ensure that business operations run as smoothly as possible.
Fleet managers are in charge of the operations of a company’s fleet. They may be assigned
responsibilities such as route planning, driver management, asset utilization, vehicle
maintenance, and the execution of initiatives that increase business efficiency and decrease
instances of waste.
Businesses that manage Compliance of Fleets often use vehicle telematics or software
explicitly designed for Quality assurance on fleet operations to reduce their overall
operating expenses and increase fleet productivity.
Fleet management for public fleets like those operated by governments and schools uses
data from vehicle telematics to conduct an analysis of the fleet’s vehicles, as well as the
location of those vehicles, service delivery and coverage, driver behavior, driver safety on
roads, routing, dispatch units, diagnostics, and preventative maintenance. This allows public
fleets to serve their communities better and assist their citizens.
What exactly does it mean to be a manager of a fleet?
A person in charge of managing a fleet is accountable for the following duties and
responsibilities:
Safety for the Driver
Fleet companies, and Quality assurance on fleet operations, place a high priority on
ensuring the well-being of their drivers. When fleet managers are located hundreds of miles
away from the vehicle they are responsible for, it may be challenging to guarantee that
driver safety on roads is followed by drivers. Dash cams and vehicle monitoring systems
are two valuable tools that fleet managers may make use of to provide real-time insight into
a remote vehicle and to deliver information or materials to conduct driver training.
Driver loyalty
There is a growing issue with a shortage of drivers in the trucking industry, which is
becoming more problematic. Maintaining and improving driver retention should always be a
primary focus for fleet managers. Fleet managers use many techniques to ensure that
drivers are content in their jobs, such as creating mentorship programs, improving working
conditions, or even promoting a better connection between managers and drivers.
Keeping an eye on the fleet
For the sake of the drivers’ safety, the fleet’s management must constantly be aware of each
vehicle’s specific position. Monitoring the locations of a fleet of even five or five thousand
vehicles might be challenging, although it could seem an easy task. Fleet managers often
rely on GPS technology and other GPS monitoring systems to improve their visibility into the
operations of their Compliance of Fleets and the safety of their vehicles.
Observance of regulations concerning electronic logging devices (ELD)
The ELD requirement is a federal rule that went into effect in December 2017, and it requires
owners of commercial vehicles to document their hours of service (HOS) electronically. The
rule intends to do away with paper records and cut down on the number of occurrences of
unsafe driving caused by fatigued drivers. Fleet managers must ensure that their companies
have an accurate record of driving time by putting in place ELD compliance solutions for
fleets that are subject to the obligation.
A general decrease in expenses
Whether it be via better fuel management or a reduction in operating expenses, fleet
managers are obligated to identify and eliminate unnecessary expenditures to contribute to
the generation of more cost-effective and economical fleet operations. It’s possible that costs
like operations, fuel, and maintenance may add up quickly. The manager of a company’s
fleet is responsible for identifying cost-effective solutions to aid businesses in increasing their
production.
Purchasing a motor vehicle
To successfully manage a fleet, a fleet manager must anticipate the number of vehicles and
the kind of vehicles that will be required for the fleet to function efficiently. It may seem a
straightforward solution to acquire new automobiles whenever the demand arises;
nevertheless, selecting an efficient purchase plan involves in-depth information and an
accurate estimate of fleet vehicle usage.
What benefits does fleet management offer?
No matter how many cars are in the fleet, it’s possible that controlling them may be difficult.
In order to support day-to-day operations in at least some of their vehicles, more than 75%
of fleet managers rely on quality assurance on fleet operations or vehicle telematics,
according to the annual benchmarking research done by the Government Fleet.