Fleet managers, listen up! Are you stressed over cost effective safety solutions for your fleet? How about reducing the overall costs of your fleet? Does having a pool of shared vehicles keep you up at night? Or how about working through the arduous vehicle procurement process? These are just some of the many pain points experienced by fleet managers daily. Fleet managers can greatly reduce some of these pain points with the simple solutions below.
Cost Effective Safety
Managers are being told to cut costs, but also must try to keep safety as a top priority. Keeping the driver and truck safe is of utmost importance. Trying to juggle both of those tasks is not easy. Installing safety features into a fleet can get expensive. Manufacturing companies tend to only put top- of-the-line safety features into high end trucks, which come with a much larger price tag.
GPS tracking is one way that can lead to cost effective safety. Through the GPS systems, fleet managers can see how fast drivers are going, as well as excessive braking which could put the driver and truck at risk. If a driver is aware that the GPS system is installed in their vehicle, they are less likely to drive faster than the appropriate speed limits, knowing their vehicle is being tracked. Drivers are then less inclined to drive in a reckless manner, which will lead to fewer accidents and more responsible drivers.
Distracted Driving
Distracted Driving is another huge concern for fleet managers. Statistics show that 17% of accidents leading to injuries are due to distracted driving. Texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving without distraction. For fleet managers, these are very concerning statistics. Managers are ultimately responsible for the safety of their drivers. Besides the concern of drivers being at risk due to distracted driving, the equipment is also put at risk. To reduce the risk of distracted driving, fleet managers should implement repercussions for distracted driving. Policies should be put in place to mandate that if drivers use their phones while driving, they will be fired from the company, even if he or she is one of the company’s best drivers.
Driver Compliance
Having drivers who do not comply to company policies can create an issue for fleet managers. Fleet managers are not always able to be in control of an individual driver’s actions. A manager can send out as many reminders and memos to drivers as possible, but ultimately, it is up to each driver to act and complete what was asked to be done. If a driver neglects to act on mundane yet necessary tasks, the truck and the driver are put at risk. If a check engine light goes on but the driver fails to do anything about it, the driver is being negligent and the fleet manager has no idea that there is an issue. If the driver is negligent in taking care of the truck and something happens as a result, the responsibility may fall on the fleet manager, which is why driver compliance is so crucial.
Reducing Fleet Costs
Fleet managers are always trying to cut costs where possible. Budgets are being pushed to the limit and managers are told to comply. Fleet costs can get expensive and sometimes the ability to cut costs is not a feasible option. Instead of compromising to cut costs, fleet managers can change the way their fleet is devised.
Vehicle selection can be a huge burden to fleet managers. By selecting cost-efficient vehicles for a fleet, costs can be drastically cut in the long run. The problem with this is the outright cost of buying a cost-efficient vehicle can get pricey. One advantage of renting vehicles from a fleet rental company such as Summit Fleet, is that fleet managers don’t have to worry as much about vehicle selection. By renting vehicles based on individual jobs, fleet managers can be assured part of their fleet is not being put to waste and losing value. With month-to-month rentals, fleet managers can choose which vehicle will be the most effective for the job.
Fleet Usage
By tracking unnecessary fleet usage, costs can be cut. Drivers may be using company vehicles for uses totally unrelated to the job at hand, which can shorten the useful life of the truck as well as increase maintenance costs. Some drivers may use apps such as Uber, or similar platforms to earn extra money on the side, all while using company vehicles.
For fleet managers, their costs may be higher than necessary due to this pointless fleet usage. With the technology already installed in Summit Fleet trucks, fleet managers can see when the car is turned on and off which can help track needless fleet usage. Having these GPS systems can drastically reduce idle time, quickly recover stolen vehicles, and lower insurance rates, all promoting effective fleet usage.
Driver Satisfaction
Driver satisfaction is linked hand-in-hand to driver productivity. Fleet managers want drivers to be as efficient as possible. By keeping drivers satisfied, fleet manager jobs are made a lot easier. If drivers are unhappy with the vehicles they are using, they are not as likely to perform to their highest potential. By renting month-to-month, drivers can have a say in which vehicles they prefer to drive. The fleet managers benefit from this since the drivers will then be satisfied and perform accordingly.
Pool of Shared Vehicles
Pool of shared vehicles is a newer concern that fleet managers may have to deal with. The concept behind pool of shared vehicles is that multiple drivers utilize the same truck for different jobs. Using a pool of shared vehicles can be cost effective but fleet managers may lose some of their control. The problem with this is that fleet managers lose control of tracking things such as driver behavior. A solution to this could be renting with Summit Fleet. Instead of having to cut costs by implementing pools of shared vehicles, fleet managers can choose to rent vehicles based on specific jobs. This eliminates the burden on fleet managers from having to worry about losing control over driver behavior.
Working with Procurement
The procurement process is dreaded by many, especially fleet managers. The entire process of buying a fleet is time and money consuming. By choosing to rent a fleet instead of buying, the procurement process is considerably less stressful. When you rent from Summit Fleet, the work is already done for you so all you need to worry about is how long you need the truck for and where you want to receive it. If you choose to buy a fleet instead of renting, vehicle availability can become an issue. If a truck gets recalled from your fleet, you may not be able to fulfill a job since the truck you were depending on is no longer available. In choosing to rent trucks for your fleet to fit certain jobs, vehicle availability no longer becomes an issue.
In conclusion, fleet managers should stop living with the common pain points affiliated with their job, and pursue the simple solutions above. Many of the solutions provided can be solved using a fleet rental company. Summit Fleet can guarantee their assistance throughout the rental process making fleet manager jobs a lot more manageable and less painful. So stop stressing about the burden associated with the vehicle procurement process. Stop worrying about fleet selection issues. Stop staying awake at night due to unnecessary fleet usage concerns. Call Summit Fleet today for all your future fleet needs, and put that unnecessary stress towards bigger fleet concerns.
I encourage you to leave comments below and let me know any other solutions to common pain points that fleet managers may experience.
Sources:
https://www.donlen.com/blog/critical-issues-facing-fleet-management-industry
https://www.fleetfinancials.com/blog/market-trends/story/2015/04/what-problems-do-fleet-managers-want-fixed.aspx
https://www.automotive-fleet.com/blog/market-trends/story/2017/06/snapshot-of-fleet-manager-concerns.aspx
https://summitfleet.com/pros-cons-gps-tracking/
https://www.automotive-fleet.com/channel/operations/article/story/2016/12/5-fleet-manager-challenges-for-2017-and-beyond.aspx
https://www.fleetfinancials.com/channel/operations/article/story/2015/05/how-to-minimize-the-impact-of-fleet-management-pain-points.aspx
