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The automotive industry and the business of fleet maintenance and transportation fleet management have become highly competitive markets.
A good fleet manager must find and know how to take advantage of opportunities to achieve efficient and profitable fleet maintenance and transport fleet management.
Applying effective industry practices ensures that the responsibilities of a fleet manager are carried out correctly and efficiently.
Below are five best practices to achieve success:
1. Know everything that happens in your fleet
When we say everything, we mean everything. You must know which parts of a vehicle are about to fail, recognize the driving habits of employees that could put optimal fleet maintenance at risk, and have a telematics solution for transport fleet management.
At least 90% of the aspects of a fleet operation must be monitored. A fleet manager should always be aware of:
- Calendars
- Maintenance lists
- Work orders
- Purchase orders
- Driver lists
- Fuel consumption
- Tire performance
- Preventive maintenance
- Driving habits
- Route planning
- Licences and insurance
- Guarantee
- Driver data
2. Measure what matters
Metrics are important as they can help monitor progress, but they can also become a bunch of numbers if they are not measuring anything useful.
To stay on top of your fleet operations, you need to make sure you are measuring well. After all, how can you improve something when you don’t know the starting point? A few metrics that give solid insight into vehicle performance and overall fleet performance include cost per mile, total cost trend, and running cost summary.
3. Make smart changes and keep innovating
The flexibility to accept changes is key to increasing the value of the business. All operational areas must be aligned and willing to commit to the next level.
Some great ways to reduce operating costs can be, for example:
- Improve driver behaviour and driving style.
- Systematically recover the guarantees of vehicles and equipment.
- Monitor technicians productivity or even analyse the convenience of this expense compared to contracting external maintenance.
Fleet managers must also invest time and effort in keeping up with ever-changing fleet industry technology.
4. Clear objectives and efficient actions.
A great fleet manager is guided by specific goals and develops clear strategies to achieve them.
5. Be up to date on the latest technologies.
Society evolves, and with it technology.
There are more and more fleet management systems on the market, but the important thing is to find the one that best suits the needs of the fleet. We must take into account what functionalities we need to cover and what indicators to measure, and once we know it, we will go on to choose the appropriate management system.
It is necessary that the fleet manager is always one step ahead of the needs of his fleet. This will allow you to stand out in his work and have a more efficient daily routine that, in addition, reduces your stress levels and facilitates your work, considered one of the most demanding in the world.
At BDS, we do more than mechanics. We have an entire team of experts ready to help you with any need your fleet presents.
Request more information at:
☎️ (416) 757-5671
📧 service@bdsfleet.ca
🌐 www.bdsfleet.com/contact
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