Choosing the right fleet management solutions for your government fleets

Government fleets, with the sheer number of vehicles they operate and the vast number of citizens they serve, are facing numerous challenges, including:

• Rising fuel prices
• More expensive replacement vehicles
• A scarcity of replacement parts and supplies
• Lingering labor shortages

And overall operational costs are growing. According to the most recent data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), 2021 was the costliest year ever for fleets, in terms of operational costs.¹ Official data from 2022 are not available yet, but the expectation is that the trend continued last year and into 2023. 

As a result, many are turning to fleet management solutions to help them navigate these and other challenges. But it’s critical to choose a solution that’s best suited to meet the unique needs of your fleet.

The benefits of a fleet management solution

When budgets are already tight, it might seem hard to justify another expense. But fleet management solutions can provide a variety of benefits. Not only do they seamlessly integrate with other enterprise systems, they can also provide government fleets with an automated way of staying ahead of the maintenance curve. In addition, these solutions can address other management challenges by providing valuable insight into:

• Productivity: Easily spot inefficient routes and know when drivers make unnecessary stops to improve scheduling efficiency.
• Safety: Keep an eye on unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding and harsh driving, and provide near-real time driver coaching to help avoid accidents and costly fines.
• Fuel: Improve factors that affect usage and costs, such as idling and speeding, to streamline efficiency and decrease spend.
• Utilization: Know vehicle status and availability; identify underused vehicles.
• Claim mitigation: Access data to verify vehicle location and speed; mitigate costly claims.

Investing in a fleet management solution is a major decision. Download our free Buyers Guide for public sector fleets to help you choose the right solution for your fleet.

Evaluating and choosing the right fleet management solution for your fleet

From smart dashboards to driver education tools, GPS tracking and asset tracking can help simplify fleet management and boost ROI. These tools also help city managers, fleet managers, fleet technology managers and other public works officials address the issues that are most critical to fleet operations.

Choosing the right technology and effective implementation are key to the success of any technology. Making that right choice for your fleet can be tricky, but there are some key questions to consider that will help you identify a solution that meets your unique needs.

• How do you currently track engine hours for equipment from varying manufacturers?
• How do you know if a piece of equipment is being underutilized?
• How do you currently track preventative maintenance issues and necessary equipment replacements?
• How are you currently tracking fuel usage and idle time to ensure you’re managing fuel costs appropriately?
• Could geofencing help ensure that vehicles are only used on authorized routes or job sites?
• Can dashcams and video solutions make a meaningful impact on driver safety?
• Are you able to get anytime, anywhere access to critical data, alerts and reports?
• Are you able to easily gather and analyze historical reports to uncover insights and trends?

Learn how a telematics solution can help reduce fleet management costs by downloading our free eBook, or schedule a demo today.

¹ https://truckingresearch.org/2022/08/10/an-analysis-of-the-operational-costs-of-trucking-2022-update/