Over 70% of users are leveraging fleet tracking technology to better manage their operations. Managing a small or big fleet is not as easy as it sounds. A fleet manager usually has to perform a lot of tasks before the business starts functioning smoothly.
Fleet management is no longer just about tracking mileage and driver compliance. Today’s fleet managers are looking for ways to improve productivity while reducing costs and increasing ROI. Things might be a bit difficult for you if you lack data visibility.
If you are wondering how to maximize fleet productivity, this short and simple guide is for you.
Define Goals Before You Start
The first step in improving fleet management is to set goals.
What are you trying to accomplish? How will you measure success? Is it reducing operating costs, increasing safety, or decreasing driver turnover?
Once you have determined what needs improvement, you can begin implementing solutions.
Keep Track Of Fuel And Maintenance Costs
It’s important to track both fuel and vehicle maintenance costs. This will help you identify which solutions are most effective at improving fleet productivity.
Some solutions may reduce fuel consumption but increase maintenance costs. Others could decrease both by an equal percentage.
It’s important to keep track of both so you can understand how the different solutions affect your bottom line. With the TCO of your fleet, you will better comprehend your ROI. Consequently, it will be easier for you to make better decisions in the future.
Ensure Tracking Of Driver Satisfaction And Turnover
When drivers are not happy with certain aspects of their jobs, it can negatively affect productivity.
This is especially true with the vehicle itself. If drivers feel that the vehicles they use are not safe, they may not want to work for your company anymore.
Keeping track of driver satisfaction will help you keep turnover rates low and improve productivity.
Prioritize Communication
Keeping drivers informed of what’s going on at your company can help improve their productivity.
This is especially true when you have bad news to share, such as a recall or an accident involving one of your vehicles. The more up-to-date drivers are about such things, the better they will do their jobs.
You should also make it a priority to communicate with them regularly. You can do this via email, text message, or phone call.
Automate Procedures In Fleet
Because a lot of fleets usually depend on outdated methods of tracking, they have to deal with numerous challenges. One of the biggest challenges faced by fleet managers is manually entering data that tracks as well as manages vehicles.
If you are responsible for taking overall care of your fleet, nothing is going to waste your time as much as manual data entry. Also, you will not be able to focus on other significant jobs.
In order to get rid of such problems, various fleets are opting for automated fleet processes with the help of fleet management software.
Invest In The Right Technology
It’s important to have the right technology in place so that your drivers can do their jobs more efficiently.
This includes investing in tablets, computers, and other devices that will help them keep track of the data they need while on the road. A GPS can also be invaluable.
It will help you track the location of your trucks so that you know where they are.
Give Employees Proper Education And Training.
It is the duty of the fleet managers to educate as well as train their workforce for handling several tasks and operations. This might address the requirements of both the customers and the fleet.
Regular training sessions might assist in driver retention along with regulating productivity with reduced turnover.
Managers must also take out time to review the expectations as well as responsibilities of the workforce. This ensures that employees are held responsible for their productivity as well as tasks.
Manage Fuel And Vehicles
If your vehicle faces major breakdowns, there is no way your driver can bring productivity. This might have a severe impact on your fleet’s overall productivity.
A number of telematics system and software in the market offer vehicle maintenance reports which alerts you to address trivial issues. All you have to do is fix them before they turn into major ones.
These alerts offer downtime as well as breakdowns and ultimately help the drivers go on without unnecessary breaks. In fact, fuel management is critical for almost all fleet operating industries.
Collaborate And Communicate
A fleet management program or software syncs each team member that is involved in the operation. It can either be a driver, technician, or an in-house maintenance provider and merges them into a common platform.
This allows fleet managers to resolve issues at any time and from any possible location. Fleet management apps help commentary within all platforms, it offers clarity on a car inspection and much more.
There is absolutely no possibility of miscommunication when the entire team is able to stay in touch with the help of streamlined software.
Integrate Telematics With GPS
Last but not least, don’t forget to integrate GPS tracking with your fleet telematics. Those thinking that GPS only observes dots might be wrong, as it does much more than that. Tracking driver trends and behavior might be invaluable data points.
A well-behaved fleet management software carries the potential to integrate with the telematic devices of your fleet. This is an effective technique for visualizing the data you get alongside your present information about the fleet.
Moreover, it provides quick visibility into the issues your fleet might be facing.
Follow These Tips To Improve Productivity For Your Fleet
The tips we’ve outlined here are just a few of the many ways you can improve productivity for your fleet.
Keep in mind that this is just a starting point. You’ll need to look at your own business and the needs of your drivers to determine what changes will be most effective for you.
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