When you think of fleet vehicles in your company, you may think of uniformity out of habit rather than customization and how it can benefit you. Don't think you can't find customized fleet vehicles for your unique business needs. It's possible to do this when you find a good fleet management consultancy that allows similar services.
We offer a "Build a Vehicle" service here at Wilmar, Inc. Let's take a look at how you can find the right vehicles based on your specified criteria.
Should You Acquire Small, Mid-Sized, or Large Vehicles?
One of the first things to consider as you build your vehicles is what size fleet you're going to need. Many fleet vehicle consultants help you with fleet selection first to find the right sized vehicle, including specific manufacturer and features.
Those of you with startups may prefer starting with smaller vehicles. Of course, it depends on what you use your fleet for, whether you make deliveries, or just do business trips.
For the latter, smaller vehicles are the best bet. Much of this is calculated by finding out your average cost per mile, cargo weight, and any towing requirements.
Electrician or plumbing businesses may prefer mid-sized vans or trucks to transport equipment. Even then, sometimes smaller vehicles work well considering back-end spaces are roomier than they initially appear.
Choosing the Best Vehicle Manufacturer
All well-known American truck manufacturers design commercial vehicles. Some of these companies even make micro fleets, something to consider if wanting to start small.
The question is, which brand should you choose based on your business requirements?
Our "Build a Vehicle" page lets you research which vehicle brand would work the best for your business structure.
According to statistics within the last year, Ford-Lincoln is one of the top fleet vehicle choices. FCA US and General Motors make up the remaining top three.
Each vehicle is going to offer different features, though many of their newer models allow more use of connective technologies. Recently, GM released commercial vehicles with wireless connectivity capabilities.
Creating a Maintenance Plan
As you build the perfect fleet, you'll want to look ahead to how much maintenance these vehicles could have. No matter the size, anything can happen while your drivers are on the road. They're going to need a good maintenance plan along with customizing the vehicles.
Of course, the more technology these have, the more things could potentially go wrong at the worst possible times.
Our vehicle building feature places all of this in mind based on the choices you make. It's not to say you should skip out on using technology. Building a fleet vehicle is going to involve asking some questions about what kind of tech your drivers should use to save you the most money and time.
What Kind of Technologies Should You Choose for Your Fleet Vehicles?
You'll need some extra time to think about the technologies many fleet vehicles use today. A lot has changed in just five years, including connected vehicles mentioned above.
As Forbes notes, telematics are leading the way in commercial vehicle tech. Some of this comes in using dashboard cams to help record accidents, monitor driver activity, or help drivers find more efficient routes.
The latter is very important as a major way to save gas money. However, it can also work if your drivers have mobile apps available to map out their routes and fill out logs. GPS systems are just as essential to help your drivers avoid delays from road construction or other issues.
Contact us at Wilmar, Inc. so we can help build your new vehicle fleet. It's just the beginning of the services we offer to make fleet vehicle management easier.
