Successful businesses are usually operated under the guidance of a strategic plan. Essentially, fleet management is a function that improves efficiency, promotes safety and productivity, and lowers costs for the transportation industry.
After all, without fleet management strategies in place, it is tough to be successful, and this is where skilled fleet managers come into the picture. Fleet managers bring in plans based on the industry knowledge and power of fleet management software to increase productivity and profitability.
Additionally, the management of vehicles is becoming more challenging with rising operations costs, tight labor markets, and the demands of customers. Hence, we need to increase fleet efficiency to minimize errors, keep operations smooth, and find the shortest routes with the delivery route planner app.
6 Ways to Improve Fleet Efficiency
Dealing with fleet management solutions, there are six ways to improve fleet efficiency and help your business grow.
1. Hiring drivers and providing training
Before starting an efficient transportation service, the first and foremost thing is to look for capable drivers. The motive is to build a safe team of skilled drivers who understand fleet safety. While hiring drivers, you should look into their employment history, motor vehicle reports, and pre-employment drug testing.
You should also provide training programs for drivers so that they are well trained before starting working with you. This will reduce the chances of road accidents and help your fleet service in smooth operations. You should simplify the training process from certain driving habits to a comprehensive training program.
2. A fleet management software
In this digital era, paper processes and messy whiteboards are no longer normal. We rely on technology to improve processes and get the same results. When it comes to fleet management, correctly utilizing the technology can help you make the most of your drivers and the vehicle. It can help you connect with your team and also gain access to real-time visibility.
Fleet managers can store all the information of their drivers and easily access them as and when needed. Real-time visibility can help you know about your vehicle’s status and the driver’s activity. This will help you resolve issues on the spot and avoid unnecessary delays.
3. Optimize fuel-efficient routes
There can be several reasons for an inefficient route, like traffic jams, accidents, closed roads, natural disasters, and seasonal factors. Hence, fuel expenses will keep rising for your fleet business if not appropriately monitored. Therefore, it is essential to know precisely how much fuel is being used, not just per vehicle but also per trip, to control fuel consumption.
“Moreover, the fleet tracking software provides valuable insights such as excessive idling, fuel theft, fuel fraud, and aggressive driving. Hence, optimizing and choosing the efficient route can reduce the overall fuel cost and save money. Thus, you will be able to take a giant step toward increasing the efficiency of your fleet. It is also important to consider how you may pay for your fuel, for example, most fleet companies will hand out fuel cards to their drivers to purchase fuel. The best way to find a fuel card for your business is to do a fuel card comparison to find the best card for your business.
4. Monitor driver’s behavior and performance
A way to improve fleet efficiency is to monitor drivers closely, like their license renewals, medical examinations, and aggressive behavior on the road. Even a tiny mistake on the road can lead to injuries, accidents (serious crashes), costly vehicle repairs, legal problems, or even loss of business. This is why it is essential to monitor your driver’s behavior and take action to correct them.
Fleet management software can help you track who drives aggressively, when, and how often. It is the most efficient way to identify wrong driving patterns and take action towards correcting them. By doing so, you can not only keep track of a driver’s performance, keep your employees safe, and also increase fleet efficiency.
5. Scheduled maintenance of vehicles
To ensure fleet efficiency, your vehicle should be safe and in good condition, and this can only be achieved through scheduled maintenance. Routine vehicle inspection and servicing can keep vehicles healthy and eliminate unexpected vehicle breakdowns.
A driver-friendly mobile-based inspection process would be a great option as drivers are mainly on the road. Creating a maintenance schedule is a great way to increase the life of your vehicle.
Fleet management software can help to create and manage scheduled maintenance. Fleet managers can schedule or set service reminders to automate the maintenance process. These reminders will eliminate manual work and keep your fleet efficient.
6. Encouraging safe driving practices
The unsafe behavior of drivers not only risks them but also damages your vehicles leading to repair costs. Long-term, sustainable, and effective fleet management requires the participation of drivers. So, it is essential to remind them about safe driving practices to avoid mishaps or reduce legal problems.
This can be encouraged through performance-based compensation or any reward system. Performance-based compensation is more reliable and creates a motivating work environment, maintaining driver retention and overall happiness. The driver’s performance over time can be tracked with the help of the driver’s scoreboard.
For example- You can give incentives to drivers with good performance and non-monetary benefits like extra vacation time.
Additionally, the fleet management software can have sensors to track speed, idle time, driving styles, and the overall performance of drivers. These data can also help coach drivers if needed to ensure safety. Also, if monitored, drivers are more likely to follow company policies, industry regulations, and traffic rules.
Conclusion
To conclude, fleet management is an integral part of any business that works on vehicle transportation. In other words, a fleet business’s success depends on fleet efficiency. To achieve fleet efficiency, you need to get real-time visibility of your fleet, controlling daily processes, operations, and of course, the cost.
Thus, fleet management can improve safety, increase productivity, and save money for the company.
