5 Helpful Tips for Fleet Managers
Did you know that fleet maintenance costs increased by 3.7 percent in the final quarter of 2022? In total, expenses grew 10 percent over the span of a year.
Unfortunately, rising prices aren’t the only issue that makes fleet management a challenge. Managers also have to deal with tedious administrative tasks and unexpected repairs.
Although fleet managers face unique issues, new practices can help them be more productive and cost-effective. This post will share five tips to make you a more successful fleet manager, so keep reading!
1. Track Everything with the Help of Drivers
The first step towards better fleet management is collecting data that will allow you to audit your current situation. Enforcing a system of logging the following information is a good idea.
- Fuel usage
- Mileage of trips
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled repairs
- Driver performance
- Insurance claims
- Driver licensing/certification dates
Fleet tracking would be impossible without the collaboration of your drivers. We recommend providing them with a checklist for each trip.
2. Do Preventative Maintenance
You can save a lot of time and money through proactive maintenance of your vehicles. It’s much cheaper in the long run and prevents delays and last-minute changes to your fleet schedule. Create a servicing routine and stick to it!
3. Rotate Vehicles
If your drivers are free to pick their favorite vehicle, they’ll likely end up choosing the newest one every time. As a result, the wear and tear on your fleet will be unevenly distributed. Worse yet, older trucks will sit idle, and others will rack up miles.
If you don’t have a vehicle rotation schedule yet, go ahead and make one. You don’t have to do it manually—there are programs that take care of the rotation schedule for you.
4. Optimize the Size of Your Fleet
If your fleet is too large, your budget will suffer, but having too few will keep your business from reaching its full potential. Finding the sweet spot is key.
You should have just enough trucks to handle periods of increased workload and unexpected repairs. If your budget doesn’t allow for this, another option is to have a contract with a company that keeps rentals on standby.
5. Have the Right Coverage
When managing an entire fleet of vehicles, insurance should be one of your prime concerns. The right coverage can save you buckets of money long-term and give you the peace of mind you need. Even if you already have good coverage, we suggest requesting semi truck insurance quotes in case there are better prices with competitors.
Don’t Wait to Implement These Tips Fleet Managers!
The management tips in this post will help you run your business smarter and hopefully save time and money. Remember that electronic solutions designed for fleet managers can assist you, so be sure to check these out.
If you’d like to learn more helpful business advice, browse more content on our website!
