Fleet Management Systems

Unlike dealerships and commercial workshops, maintaining a workshop and maintenance of vehicles (inhouse or outsourced) is a cost centre for fleet owners and operators. Many companies even go overboard in cost reduction which in turn leads to reducing the life of vehicles, increasing maintenance costs and losses due to breakdowns, impacting driver attitudes as well and eventually leading to loss of business. Hence you need to have a balanced and objective oriented approach in controlling costs without comprising on the mandatory requirements.

Implementing fleet management software and systems

Many companies make the error of implementing fleet management software and systems without understanding the required results. What is the difference? Difference is in understanding the priorities and what, how and how much to implement and control. What is an efficient application of fleet management software and systems for one company may not be an efficient application for another company. Not all software and systems of fleet management are applicable to every company and not in the same manner, hence there are no thumb rules which can be followed. The implementation depends on a lot of factors, requirements, priorities and objectives. Like the type of vehicles, age of the vehicles, how much are the vehicles driven per day, idling time, road and weather conditions, distance to be travelled, is it a product or passenger vehicle, driving habits etc.

Fleet management system priority examples:

• A company distributing perishable goods which also require refrigeration, don’t only need to ensure delivery on time but have to ensure additional attention to proper refrigeration at all times. Any breakdown of the vehicle or refrigeration of a vehicle while on road may lead to major losses.
• A public transport company in a hot region and within city limits needs to maintain proper engine and air conditioning, as overheating is a common reason for break downs in such cases leading to losses.
• A logistic company transporting goods over long distances needs additional focus on driver safety as driving while drunk or tired and sleepy may lead to accidents, not only causing loss of money but more importantly may lead to injuries to people or loss of life as well.
• For companies which have hired vehicles on lease will concentrate more on the fleet productivity, delivery schedules and fuel usage.
• For companies that give vehicles on lease, it is important their vehicles are maintained well by scheduled maintenance avoiding breakdowns and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Fleet management software and systems should be implemented in stages and should address long term strategy goals. As the vehicle fleet changes, systems have to be reviewed and improvised accordingly. You can read through the free articles to learn from the experience of professionals across the globe, view through the approved suppliers for equipment and system suppliers and contact us if you require any services, queries or assistance.