Maintaining a fleet of vehicles is one of the most important, but often overlooked, aspects of running a company. A fleet is made up of all the vehicles that are owned by the company, which need to be properly maintained, inventoried, and managed. It’s important to keep your company’s fleet in good condition to keep costs low and productivity at its best. Here are 6 tips you need to hear.
Keep a Tight Control of your Inventory
Keeping tight control of your vehicle inventory is important. Keeping an accurate record of the vehicles in each department will help you reduce unnecessary spending and ensure that you have access to the right equipment when it’s needed. The team at HD fleet says that GPS combined with their cameras will give you an unparalleled view of your fleet. It also helps to know which employees use which vehicle so that if a key replacement is required, you can contact them directly and avoid accidentally locking keys inside the trunks.
Review Fuel Consumption
You should regularly review fuel consumption across all of your company’s fleet. You might find that certain types or makes of car are more efficient than others, which could allow you to save money on gas purchases while still having enough power for your requirements. When choosing new cars, consider how much it costs per mile driven as this will affect your overall fuel budget significantly over the course of a few years.
Keep Vehicles in Best Condition
Fleet vehicles should always be kept in their best condition to ensure they have maximum uptime and the lowest breakdown rates possible. In order to do this, it’s important to hire professional technicians adept at dealing with fleet vehicles rather than setting up your own local mechanics workshop which will prove too slow and expensive. Keeping vehicles maintained on a strict schedule is key to avoiding unexpected costs that can impact profitability.
There are a few key things you can do to keep your company’s vehicles in the best condition possible. The most important is to have a maintenance schedule in place and to stick to it religiously. You should also make sure that only qualified technicians are working on the fleet, as they will be more adept at dealing with the specific needs of these types of vehicles. Additionally, keeping vehicles clean and well-inventoried will help you avoid costly surprises down the road.
Incentivize Proper Vehicle Usage
Incentivizing proper vehicle usage across your company’s fleet is another great strategy you can implement for controlling costs. Employees who drive more miles in a year should naturally pay more out of pocket for gas expenses, while those who use the car less should see their annual costs lowered. Ensure that mileage is tracked accurately and vehicles assigned fairly to avoid employees feeling like they’re being penalized for using the company car properly.
You should penalize employees for not using the company car properly. This will help ensure that everyone is using the vehicles as efficiently as possible, saving the company money in the long run.
Look into Usage-Based Insurance
Usage-based insurance measures your vehicle’s usage by tracking how many miles are driven over a certain period of time, along with where you drive them, which will allow you to set up an accurate policy based on actual risks rather than insurance companies charging you higher premiums based on arbitrary details such as age or occupation.
This system also lets you install security devices inside your fleet vehicles so that if a driver leaves a door unlocked or misplaces the key fob, the engine can be shut off remotely from anywhere in the world to prevent theft.
Improve Maintenance Procedures
Improving your maintenance procedures is key to maximizing the lifespan of each vehicle in your fleet. Regularly checking the brakes, tire pressure, and lights will keep you aware of any problems that can develop when you least expect them. When it comes time for servicing, choose a local garage in your area with technicians who are already familiar with working on specific makes and models in order to ensure they perform their work properly without any delays or mistakes.
Fleet management is one of the most important duties that a company must take care of. In order to do this, it’s crucial for fleet managers to have a deep understanding of how each vehicle in their fleet should be managed so they can keep costs low and productivity at its best. The 6 tips you just read are some helpful strategies that will help manage your fleet more efficiently without sacrificing any quality or safety standards.