How To Run Your Fleet Efficiently? Learn These Important Features Needed For Fleet Management

Any industry that has ties with the supply chain is likely to be engaged in some form of fleet management. The transport industry is jaw-droppingly massive, and the challenges it poses for owners, managers as well as everyone involved in the supply chain are also just as monumental. However, the indispensable nature of the commercial vehicle sector and the dependency of other industries on logistics make the industry very profitable. 

The fleet is the backbone of a carrier company. The performance of the fleet directly translates into revenue generation and company reputation. With stakes so high, the fleet management process cannot be taken lightly. 

Fleet managers should, at all times, be on their toes. They should be alert, focused, and efficient in their tasks. The fleet manager is endowed with responsibilities like: 

• Overseeing the drivers and their behavior.
• Route planning.
• Monitoring fuel consumption.
• Planning the routes.
• Overseeing asset utilization.
• Decrease operational costs.
• Implement programs to improve productivity.

What Sets Great Fleet Management Apart from Good Fleet Management? 

Fleet management is a tedious task for any individual because of its perplexing nature. The entire process of fleet management cannot be summed up in a few sentences, but you can get the essence of it be having an idea of what is involved. Below are six useful tips that will help you run your fleet more efficiently than ever before: 

1. Ensuring the Safety of Your Drivers 

Drivers are a critical part of a fleet. Without drivers, a fleet cannot be operational.  

The drivers are constantly threatened by the dangers on the road. The weather can get unpredictable, the risk of road accidents is always prevailing, and human error on the drivers’ part is also not negligible. Under such circumstances, it is not easy for fleet managers to ensure the safety of their drivers because most of the time, the drivers are a long way from home.  

To overcome these hurdles, fleet managers can effectively make use of tools such as AI-driven dashboard cameras and fleet trackers to gain insights into vehicle and driver performances. These insights can further help the fleet managers to coach drivers to improve safety. 

Samsara’s complete video-based driver safety program can help train the driver and encourage safe driving, mitigate risks, and improve return on investment (ROI).

2. Retaining the Drivers of Your Fleet 

In this world, competition is always on the rise. For a carrier company, the satisfaction of its fleet drivers is just as important as that of its customers. Failing to meet the driver requirements will ultimately result in the shortage of drivers as they would prefer to work with a competitor who is offering a better deal.  

Such instances decrease the stability of the company and impact the business's ability to serve all of its clientele or meet the rising demands of the market.   

Drivers can be retained through providing mentorship programs, better workplace conditions, such as having the best internet for truckers, and good relationships with the managers. As a fleet manager, it becomes your responsibility to cater to the drivers’ needs and wants.

3. Keeping A Track of Your Fleet 

The cargo that the vehicles of your fleet contain en route is the most important asset of the company and for the client or customer. In addition to cargo safety, driver safety is just as important. Hence, a fleet manager should, at every instance, know the whereabouts of every vehicle of the fleet.  

It is impossible to know the location of the fleet vehicles accurately at every instance using conventional methods. Fleet managers can overcome this hurdle with the help of a good GPS tracker for cars.  

Samsara’s fleet tracking and management software help you by giving a complete picture of the what, when, and where of your fleet.

4. Reduce Operational Costs 

Reducing operational costs is extremely vital, and it can save thousands of dollars for the business in the long run.  

Here are some tips you can use to easily save a lot of money: 

• Reduce fuel consumption by monitoring driver habits to discourage fuel consuming acts like speeding and idling. To help combat this, it could be worthwhile looking into getting a fuel card to track your fuel costs. You can run a fuel card comparison to find the best fuel card for your business. 

• Improve time management and allocation by optimizing delivery routes and schedule for maximum customer satisfaction, efficient delivery of goods, and minimum empty miles.
• Maintain your fleet well so that they are utilized for longer periods and call for repairs less often. You can use good telematics software for this purpose that gives you onboard diagnostic information of every vehicle in the fleet.

5. Preventive Maintenance 

Most fleet managers don’t pay much attention to this, but in actuality, they should.  

When there is a small defect in any area of the fleet, it will be your tendency to overlook the flaw because “it is not a big deal.” But it is important to realize early on in your career as a fleet manager that every little thing matters.  

That small flaw, which you conveniently ignored, can propagate and become a huge defect, and there is no saying when or under what conditions that might happen, and that will likely cost you much more than what it would have costed before. So, it is important to regularly service the vehicle and perform timely preventive maintenance to avoid chaos.  

Samsara’s telematics solution is a great tool for this. 

6. Running Fewer Vehicles 

The advantage of running a few vehicles in contrast to a larger number of vehicles is needless to say. However, many vehicles of a fleet operating at let than maximum capacities, which unnecessarily increases operational costs.  

By operating your vehicles in the fleet at maximum permissible capacity, you can greatly reduce overall fuel consumption and operational costs. 

Conclusion 

So, what is the crux of the matter? Well, efficient fleet management lies your ability as the fleet manager to focus on the intricacies of every aspect of the matter and cater to its needs.  

Educated usage of tools and services like dispatch software, fleet tracking software, and telematics can take you from zero to hero in a blink of an eye!