Mistakes to Avoid Making With Your Fleet
Fleet management is no small task. From managing routes and fuel costs, to driver satisfaction and delivery deadlines, there are many aspects of fleet management that need a streamlined strategy to properly align. It can be difficult to handle everything when you are new to running a fleet, so keep these five mistakes in mind. If you’re already making them, our guide will walk you through the best practices to prioritize instead.
What Is Fleet Management?
If you aren’t fully aware what fleet management even is, it’s impossible to effectively manage your own suite of commercial vehicles. Fleet management can be defined as the process of monitoring, controlling, and optimizing a fleet of vehicles for commercial use. Every fleet should have objectives and metrics for ensuring drivers are meeting those goals.
Some businesses take their fleet management too loosely, seeing their cars as an essential means to an end. Instead, it is important to realize the vital role fleet management plays in your business, as well as the impact it has on your bottom line. With that in mind, we can look closely at mistakes novice or inexperienced fleet managers make, and what to do if you’ve been making these errors yourself.
Failing to Follow FMCSA Personal Conveyance Regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict guidelines when it comes to the conveyance of commercial vehicles. Failing to understand these policies can ultimately cost you your business. Navigating FMCSA personal conveyance regulations can be tricky, and you can learn everything you need to successfully navigate rules and know in simple terms.
Delaying Vehicle Maintenance
To save money, some businesses will avoid routine fleet maintenance in favor of a responsive approach to repairs. If a vehicle does not need work, they don’t bother to have it tuned-up outside of the required annual inspection. This may be a good way to cut costs in the short-term, but it ultimately costs you more when a repair puts your vehicle off the road. Develop a maintenance schedule that ensures vehicles are being routinely inspected, optimized, and tended to by a qualified mechanic.
Not Continuing Driver Education
Is hiring fleet drivers a one-and-done deal? Instead of simply making sure drivers are qualified, it’s better to offer continuous training that helps them improve. Training helps reduce your risk of accidents and errors, and it boosts driver satisfaction, which increases retention rates.
Not Managing Data Properly
In our ultra-digital world, it can be easy to overlook data management. Emails, documents, invoices, and more are all stored somewhere for you by default, but how organized is your fleet management, really? Invest in a cloud storage plan, and keep your records meticulously organized. You can develop your own filing system, but make sure you are consistent with bookkeeping to prevent costly oversights and mistakes.
Not Prioritizing Fuel Management
Fuel efficiency is, by far, the most important element of fleet performance. When your vehicles are maintained and your routes are optimized, it is easier to maximize every gallon. Rather than pay extra per mile, start tracking fuel consumption to determine where you are losing the most gasoline. Then, develop optimization strategies to reduce waste and maximize your investment.