Today’s businesses are seeing increased business costs, challenges keeping up with local and federal transport regulations, and difficulties in finding good drivers for their fleets.
Here are some fleet management best practices to help reduce costs, improve driver and customer satisfaction, and keep up with every changing regulatory and tax requirements.
Compliance
Let’s start with some basics. We know from our client base that keeping up with government regulations is one of their biggest challenges. Small fleets are especially concerned with compliance as they probably have less automation and tools than their larger counterparts.
However, the investment in an ELD platform to capture the basic requirements of the FMSCA (vehicle motion status, duty status, miles driven, engine hours, etc.) is well worth the investment. Drivers and fleet managers alike can be alerted to total on-duty time and ensure they are taking the appropriate breaks as required for safety.
Fuel Economy
Part of the increasing business costs today is the cost of fuel which has been steadily rising this calendar year. As fuel prices rise, taking measures to maximize economy is a good safeguard against rising costs.
The two most wasteful driving behaviors that can be addressed with telematics are excessive idling and aggressive driving. Heavy duty trucks consume 0.8 gallons of fuel per hour when idling which can certainly add up when considered annually. Telematics can provide real-time coaching for drivers with aggressive behaviors, tracking fuel improvements after corrective actions made. These 2 features alone can produce enough return on investment (ROI) to make a strong case for fleet management solutions such as telematics.
Maintenance
What does is cost your business to have a fleet vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly out of service? Most fleet managers will tell you that it can be anywhere from $400-$750 per day and that does not include the disappointed customers and the actual cost of the maintenance performed. Preventive maintenance should be the goal with your fleet management and telematics tools. When you look at the downtime costs, you can quickly realize the benefits and savings of predictive maintenance tools in your fleet management arsenal.
Customer Service
What sets many companies apart from their competition? Customer Service. It is no wonder that many fleet managers are seeing the less obvious but more important aspects of fleet management technology.
When we focus our attention of customer service and the importance of customer retention for your business, we can see that the implementation and tracking of deliveries can contribute a significant boost in customer experience.
Here are a few of the highlights of how a fleet management software can contribute to a customer-centric business approach:
- Efficient fleet dispatch – with real-time visibility into fleet vehicle position, you can easily and most efficiently select the closest and most convenient vehicle for the job.
- Accurate delivery estimates – predict the delivery time with a high level of confidence with your fleet monitoring software. Don’t disappoint your clients; delight them with your accuracy and efficiency.
- Real-time notifications directly to the customer – notify your client of an impending delivery when the vehicle reaches a journey checkpoint. Visibility and accurate estimates will make your business truly shine as compared with the competition.
- Accountable delivery model – accurately schedule jobs and hold your drivers accountable for on-time delivery. Data collected from fleet vehicles can be used to make sure that your estimates are solid and your drivers are working to meet your deliverables.
Boost your reputation, customer satisfaction, and minimize cost with a carefully selected fleet maintenance and management tool. VLC has been helping clients with the right tools at the right price and helping them to extend as grow when the timing is right. Your transport partner is here to help…
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
530-384-3884
