Fleet management is like herding cattle by remote control. There is a lot of technology that helps. Fleets are now mapped using satellite tracking as well by (now aging) radio communication systems. But a vital and often overlooked side of fleet management is the human element.
There are a number of important habits that fleet managers should practice included with the use of gadgets to excel at fleet management.
The fleet manager has to be proactive when it comes to safety.
For each driver in the fleet, the distractions and hazards on the road is like a "blooming, buzzing confusion" to quote William James. The fleet manager must be aware of systematic hazards and find out what the drivers are doing when they are not looking.
Driver behavior contributes to 90 percent of the crashes that cost lives and billions of dollars every year. Make sure to study every accident or near accident to look for patterns that can be controlled. Although some are concerned about ethical issues, hands-free devices that include driver behavior monitoring applications or in-cab cameras are not unnecessary.
They can be employed to prevent accidents or provide the data to help determine the cause of costly accidents so they can be prevented in the future. The fleet manager is responsible for knowing as much as possible about what the drivers are doing when the manager is not looking.
Make it easy for drivers to contribute to maintenance.
Managers need a system to check on the timing of vehicle servicing and a system for regular vehicle inspections. These systems should make upkeep of fleet vehicles as stress-free and simple as possible so these vital functions are reliably performed.
The scheduling of maintenance and inspections should be programmed into a system which is regularly consulted as part of the management system of the company. Hand-drawn charts, whiteboards, and file folders need to be avoided.
The information about maintenance should be available to everyone with an interest in the company. The information should be easy to read and available via mobile technology to all with interest in the fleet performance.
It is up to the fleet manager to set systematic guidelines for vehicle purchase and disposal.
The responsibility for the purchase and disposal of fleet vehicles is clearly that of the fleet manager. But if firm guidelines are not formulated by the fleet manager, that responsibility may be slowly leaked to managers of other departments who will begin buying new vehicles as they feel they need them and keep them as long as they see fit.
If that happens, control of maintenance and the mechanical condition of the fleet could become unsystematic. Without bulk purchasing and insight into the right time and mileage for selling vehicles, the company can begin losing substantial money.
The fleet manager has to take the time to clarify and provide the specifications for vehicle options, age, and mileage to meet the standards for the fleet. The fleet manager should put a purchase plan in place to optimize vehicle replacement.
The Fleet Manager is responsible for standards of driver performance.
The fleet manager may decide to incentive good driver performance by paying bonuses for high fuel efficiency, on time vehicle maintenance or inspection, or high driving performance and safety.
Maintaining the highest standards of driver performance falls under the fleet manager's purview. The fleet manager should set up a system of actionable safety and performance goals as part of the training system and regular driver orientation.
The Fleet Manager is responsible for thorough monitoring of the operation of the department.
Metrics are important in all industrial functions. Maybe metrics are very important in fleet management because the operation of the business is inherently expensive and the expense is ongoing. Measure everything that matters.
The analysis of metrics collected can help find systematic problems and suggest areas of improvement. A few widely suggested metrics that have been known to provide useful insights are the overall cost per mile, the total cost trend, and the operating cost summary.
Wilmar Inc. manages company fleets. We get to know what makes you and your business tick, and then craft a sound fleet solution that fits your company. Please contact us to learn more.
