Companies that own their own fleet become independent of other service providers, such as freight forwarders. They also do not need to rely on public transport services. A company's fleet consists of several vehicles, all uniformly marked. This ensures that outsiders, such as end consumers, immediately recognize the brand. Typically, the individual vehicles are numbered, allowing the company better control over them.
Extensive Responsibilities in Fleet Management
Managing a fleet is a comprehensive business area. It is not only necessary to number, maintain, and load individual vehicles, but also to ensure that there are enough drivers available to operate them.
This field of work is also known as fleet management. The core responsibilities include:
- Administration
- Planning
- Coordination
- Monitoring
of the various modes of transport. A fleet may include not only trucks but also ships, buses, trains, and passenger cars.
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What Are the Key Activities in Fleet Management?
To effectively manage a fleet, it is crucial to analyze, coordinate, evaluate, and, if necessary, optimize the routes taken by vehicles. Shorter routes always mean lower expenses. When personnel is optimally deployed, overlaps and inconsistencies are avoided.
Problems in executing specific routes should be identified and resolved as quickly as possible. The goal is to utilize all resources – both human and material – as efficiently as possible.
Fleet management relies on various technical tools, such as GPS, for optimal planning. However, there are additional tips and tricks that play a role in reducing fleet costs.
How to Reduce Fleet Costs
Fleet managers are constantly tasked with minimizing the costs of personnel and vehicles. Cost savings can be achieved, especially through the following tips and tricks:
- Route Planning and Evaluation: Analyzing vehicle routes and planning improvements for the future can lead to significant savings.
- Driver Training: Ensure drivers regularly attend training sessions. Point out driving behaviors that can reduce costs. Aggressive driving, involving frequent braking and acceleration, increases expenses.
- Tire Pressure Monitoring: Use a tire pressure monitoring system to determine if optimal tire pressure is contributing to fuel savings.
- Vehicle Size Optimization: Match the size of the vehicle to the freight volume. A half-empty truck costs more than a fully loaded one.
- Insurance Adjustments: Adapt insurance coverage for vehicles, whether for trains, ships, or trucks, based on analyzed data. Often, companies pay for coverage tailored for more kilometers than they actually drive.
- Fuel Price Monitoring: Fuel prices vary by gas station and time. Free apps can help identify where fuel costs less.
- Minimizing Idle Time: Maximize vehicle utilization and minimize idle times. While rest periods are essential for driver health, excessive idle times should be avoided.
- Predictive Maintenance: Implement a predictive maintenance strategy to accurately forecast when vehicles require servicing. This avoids premature maintenance or waiting until failures occur.
- Cloud Data Storage: Storing data in a cloud makes leasing returns or sales of vehicles more efficient. Information such as purchase prices, insurance details, and vehicle documents can be stored and accessed at any time.
Optimal Connectivity and Oversight with Telic Products
At Telic.de, fleet managers find precisely what they need for successful and straightforward fleet management. With telematics products, they can connect and track goods such as containers, construction machinery, swap bodies, freight wagons, and commercial vehicles. Fleet managers always know the location of goods and can communicate this to customers.
The corresponding modules from the Telematics Group are easy to install thanks to their design and can connect to the transport device through various interfaces. Their robust housing ensures long and trouble-free operation. These modules facilitate the digital exchange of data. Fleet management can monitor the location of vehicles, assess their utilization, and identify necessary optimizations.
Thanks to modern devices, drivers can use tools like Google Maps to plan routes that save energy and fuel. The telematics system also enables optimal planning for fleet repairs, helping to avoid unnecessary costs associated with acquiring new vehicles.
