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9 Secrets to Reducing Fleet Expenses
As a fleet owner, your day-to-day costs can quickly add up. What you don’t know is there are further hidden, expensive...
Read moreRoads can be challenging all year round but the winter in particular can present additional hazards. Unpredictable weather conditions including snow and ice, as well as longer periods of darkness can cause significant disruption to the road network and make even short journeys tricky. So, the question here is, are you and your fleet ready for potentially what’s to come?
If the answer is no, or you really aren’t sure then you may find some of our top tips useful – why not read on:
Stay on top of maintenance
Taking a proactive approach to fleet maintenance not only helps to keep your fleet of vehicles in optimal condition, it could also reduce the risk of accidents. In 2017, defective tyres, lights and brakes were the primary cause of 2% of all accident on UK roads.
Therefore, before your drivers even join the roads this winter, make sure you are certain all servicing is up-to-date and their batteries, lights, and tyres are all in perfect condition and ready for the road ahead. Comprehensive fleet management solutions can also provide engine diagnostic tools, like Verizon Connect Reveal’s Engine Connect, which can send diagnostic trouble codes as errors occur to help prevent unscheduled maintenance and downtime.
Make safety a priority
The cost of ignoring safety can be extremely high for a business. Drivers may be injured, vehicles damaged, insurance premiums raised, and your brand and reputation tarnished. Safety becomes an even bigger issue when the roads are dark, icy and dangerous in the winter months. So, being proactive rather than reactive is a good way to ensure you’re making safety a priority.
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Implementing a driver safety programme is a great way to achieve this. Analysing your driver’s behaviour and rewarding those that have a good driving score is a great way to encourage positive driving practices so that drivers aren’t putting themselves or the public at risk.
Improve routing and scheduling
Sometimes it’s not always easy to determine the most optimum routes available to your drivers when they are out on the road. But when bad weather is forecast, it becomes even more important to ensure one of your drivers isn’t having to travel considerable distances when another field worker may be closer and available.
With the right fleet management tools you can easily locate every vehicle in your fleet so when an urgent job comes in, it’s simple to find the closest driver and allocate the job to them. Furthermore, a complete solution will provide current traffic conditions, allowing you to manage your mobile workforce accordingly.
The good news is, it's easy to achieve all of the above and so much more with an end-to-end comprehensive fleet tracking solution. Don’t look at winter with worry. Embrace your fleet, its capabilities and the technology on offer to protect it. Sign-up for a short product demonstration and find out more today.
