Top Tips on how to be a highly effective fleet manager

When it comes to managing your fleet and optimising your workforce, Cartrack has some basic fleet management principles that can assist you in ensuring your fleet drivers are safe, and working both productively and efficiently.

Applying these best practices will assist you in improving the management of your fleet of vehicles – whether your fleet is big or small – a fleet of two scooters, or a fleet of 200 trucks.

1. Make safety a priority
Getting ahead of any potential problems that may arise for your drivers could save both your company and employees. With so many distractions and safety hazards on our roads, it’s vital that you put measures in place to aid in the prevention of accidents or dangerous situations. It may seem like a great expense upfront, for example, to ensure all of your fleet drivers are equipped with a hand-free kit, but the alternative will cost a lot more.
In the event that one of your drivers is involved in an accident – Cartrack’s Accident Reconstruction is a powerful feature that allows you access to accurate, irrefutable data on the circumstances surrounding a vehicle accident – road conditions, speed, acceleration, harsh braking and turning, as well as the exact time and location of the accident. Through this data, you will be able to determine exactly how the accident occurred and its overall impact, aiding you in improving motoring safety and driver behaviour within your fleet.

2. Create a performance standard for your drivers
Incentivising drivers for doing a good job can work for some workforces, as Cartrack has witnessed, but your drivers should always have a performance standard to conform to. This could be fuel efficiency or having regular vehicle inspections. Potentially if all of your drivers save fuel with better driving habits and keep a well-running vehicle, it could equal huge savings across an entire fleet. Cartrack’s automated reports provide you with detailed insight into the movement of your fleet.
With over 40 standard reports, including trip and driver behaviour reports, as well as vehicle utilisation by hours or kilometres, you will be equipped with all the information you need to accurately and efficiently manage your fleet. Our route replay feature allows you to accurately monitor driver routes and behaviour, providing you with access to information on ignition status, arrival times, route deviations, as well as data and alerts on any instances of excess idling, speeding, harsh acceleration, braking and cornering. Our route replay feature will help you ensure that your drivers keep to their designated routes and comply with acceptable driver behaviour standards, helping you improve both the efficiency and productivity of your fleet.

3. Manage your maintenance
Your drivers aren’t likely to prioritise routine service and maintenance of your fleet of vehicles, which is why you need to make scheduling and reporting as easy for them as possible. Cartrack’s Fleet Management software, automated email reminders and providing access to cell phones are key to a successful vehicles maintenance program. By entering your service interval and license expiry dates, Cartrack’s Fleet Management system can be configured to alert you if your vehicles are due for a service or when their licenses are up for renewal – just another way in which Cartrack puts you in control of your fleet.

4. Measuring metrics matters
You need the right data to be on top of your fleet operations. You need to be able to assess and standardise your data in order to know how to improve on it. One important metric to consider is cost per km, as it incorporates many important elements. Cartrack’s data centres are of the highest quality to ensure that your data is safe and secure.

5. Don’t forget to document
If you are still using file folders, it’s time for an upgrade. Online storage is cost-effective and accessible, meaning that there is no excuse for not documenting and consolidating all of your fleet information, and tracking information, in one place. Cartrack provides online access to 6 months-worth of historical data. Furthermore, Cartrack offers a secure archive storage capacity of up to 3 years.

6. Keep track of trends
Keep up to date with what’s happening in vehicle technology, by reading trade publications or following fleet management blogs, such as this. By adopting best practices, and the best technology, fleet managers can make a huge difference in their operations, and choose the most cost-effective practices for your fleet.