If you rely on company vehicles, you’re taking on a whole aspect of the business that can seem downright foreign compared to the rest of it. Yet many businesses rely on fleets to take care of deliveries. If you have a fleet, you need to start treating it like another business asset. That means finding the right means of measuring and implementing more efficient measures.
Keeping an eye out
First, you have to be mindful of the whole purpose of the fleet. In most businesses, it’s about the timely delivery of goods and services. You shouldn’t just take the ‘timely’ part of that as an assumption. You should track and measure it. Consider fitting GPS trackers on your vehicles. Tell your drivers it’s not about spying. It’s about determining efficient methods and understanding their workflow.
Securing a space for them
The physical security and protection of the vehicles matter just as much as how they’re used. Precisely because you won’t be able to use them if they’re stolen or damaged by bad weather. So you need to consider setting up a secure space for them. One protected by commercial garage doors and CCTV. You need your vehicles sheltered from the elements as well as those who might look to do your business some harm.
Maintenance
Naturally, protect them as much as you like, they’ll still acquire some damage. Wear and tear are just the nature of the game. So you need to be on top of their maintenance. Maintaining one vehicle can be a hassle for a lot of car owners. But you can make it easier by automating a lot of the process. For example, you might want to use tools like Fleet-Maintenance. The right software can track maintenance history and alert you to when you need to schedule your next check-in.
Getting the right people
You need those who are actually driving the vehicles to be able to spot problems with the vehicle as well. That kind of attentiveness is just one of the skills you need to make sure any fleet drivers possess. A proper hiring and validation process is essential to identify the right people. To make sure they have the experience they need to drive your company vehicles.
Get to know the costs
As with everything in business, it all comes down to costs at some point. With cars, those costs can seem fluid at first. Maintenance might be needed more one month than the next. Fuel costs can seem inconsistent. So you need to take a few months to measure those costs. Find out the average costs (and keep recalculating them). The better you get to know the costs, you more you can spot opportunities to cut them down.
We hope the points above help you incorporate your fleet as just another efficient cog in the machine that is your business. Bad fleet control can end in money wasted, displeased customers and vehicles that become a liability more than an asset. Keep the above in mind to avoid that.
