What is fleet management

Knowing what is fleet management makes it possible for a manager to reduce costs and improve efficiency in the day-to-day operations of their business. This type of  tool is mainly used by a business that operates many vehicles daily like taxi, courier and transport organisations. Use this guide along with a fleet management checklist to get the most out of your motor fleet vehicles. Fleet management implemented correctly can lower fleet insurance costs, offsetting any initial investment in management software.

How does fleet management function?

The main focus of fleet management is understanding all the details of each piece in the fleet and the specifics of their contribution. This is accomplished using telemetric, software programs and staff all compiling the data and making it possible to see patterns and know the details of how each piece in the fleet contributes. 

  • Telemetric devices are used to track each fleet vehicle at all times. They also monitor the speed, driving conditions and fuel consumption along with how long the vehicle is held over when stationary.
  • The software analyses the data and helps to provide the information needed to keep the fleet vehicles functioning. This includes maintaining the maintenance schedules so the vehicle can be roadworthy. There is also the inspection schedule to help make sure each fleet vehicle is legal to operate on the roads in the UK.
  • The staff working as managers, dispatchers and drivers working in unison so the daily operations of the organisation are accomplished most efficiently.
  • Outliers are also pinpointed so they can be identified and removed from the system. The most common is an older vehicle that is no longer a viable fleet machine due to high maintenance costs and or high consumption of fuel.

What are some tools used in fleet management?

It is communications that make fleet management possible. The one tool that makes it possible to know the location of each vehicle, the specific data on each vehicle and the ability to communicate this information to the home base is GPS.

The GPS units that are classified as active trackers make use of the mobile cellular communication networks to stay in constant contact with the home base. They provide real-time data and help to keep drivers honest about where they go and how long they stop.

There are also passive GPS trackers used in fleets. These do not provide real-time data, but the same data is recorded as the active data, but it is stored ready to be downloaded when the management decided to do so like at the end of a run or day of business.

The advantage passive GPS units have over the active types is there are no gaps in the data collected. Tunnels, bridges and isolated areas are places the active GPS units might lose contact with the home base. The leading advantage of active GPS units is the data received at the home base is in real time.

How does fleet management protect vehicles and business operations?

By having an active fleet management system in place, an organization has the tools on hand to make the correct decisions when dealing with business decisions. This is since the specific data involving the fleet is already collected and ready to be analysed. The data will provide the information when vehicles need to be replaced and which drivers operate the vehicles safely and lawfully.

Protecting the vehicles with fleet insurance is also possible at the lowest possible costs because the business can provide real life data to the insurance broker. This data provides the areas of coverage the vehicles have, the safety records of both the vehicles and the drivers and the time of operations for each so an accurate fleet online quotes are possible.

What is fleet management is the ability to know how to use the tools that are available to make the organisation operate most efficiently to help to keep costs low. This is possible when you compare fleet insurance  so you know you can get the coverage you need at the price that fits your budget.

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