4 mins to read
9 Secrets to Reducing your 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 moreIt’s that time again when business is anything but usual. For some, the start of the year is a quiet period. For others, it’s the busiest few weeks in the calendar. Whatever it means for your schedule, this year is likely to be even more challenging due to potential COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
But whether you’re rushed off your feet or struggling to keep drivers busy, fleet management technology can help.
Streamlined processes, waste reduction and more efficient resource allocation can all help to keep your fleet performing at its peak. So, whether January is your busiest month or your slowest patch, here’s how a fleet tracking solution can help you stay productive, efficient and safe.
Help your people work from anywhere
Whether due to lockdown restrictions or a general slowdown, at this time of year, there is often no need for all staff to perform their regular duties. Instead, they could be put to better use catching up on administrative tasks or preparing for the year ahead.
With cloud-based GPS fleet management, you can set every member of your team up to work from virtually anywhere. With all your vital fleet data in an easy-to-use portal, accessible to all, your teams have access to the information they need to do their job on the go.
This can also be of great use to your staff out on the road. The faster they can access the data needed to do their jobs, the more agile and efficient your organisation.
Go further for your customers
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for service levels to slip during busy seasonal periods. Emergency callouts, extra deliveries and potentially hazardous road conditions can all get in the way of business as usual. Add in the potential for staff isolating and lockdown restrictions, and meeting SLAs is challenging to say the least.
A comprehensive fleet management solution can take these factors and more into account to plan the day’s route in a more efficient order. This approach not only helps you maintain service levels but can potentially allow you to add more jobs to the working day.
Intelligent route optimisation can help during slower periods too. More efficient routes allow you to reduce mileage and fuel consumption, keeping costs down when you need it most.
Take a moment for maintenance
Vehicle downtime can cause a major headache at any time of year. But losing a vehicle during a busy spell can be catastrophic. And falling temperatures and inclement weather make vehicle breakdown all the more likely.
That’s why it always pays to keep a close eye on the condition of your vehicles. This starts with the basics such as pre-journey checks of fluid levels, tyre pressure, wipers and the like. On top of this, fleet management technology can alert you to servicing and repair intervals based on time, engine hours and mileage.
Reduce wasteful practices
Every fleet manager wants to run an efficient fleet at all times. But during slow periods, inefficiencies can eat into profitability more than ever. The odd detour or a few minutes of idling here and there can soon add up.
With a fleet management solution, you can actively monitor these behaviours, along with other wasteful practices like speeding and harsh driving, to coach more efficient driving styles. Data collected on these events can be used to create driver scorecards. The better the performance, the higher the score. Use these scores to reward top performers and to incentivise others to improve.
Fleet management technology also allows you to track expected MPG versus the reality to spot fuel waste, and place geofences around approved locations such as job sites and employee houses to reduce unauthorised vehicle use.
Keep your fleet moving in the new year – and beyond
The start of a new year can bring different fortunes for different businesses. For some, it is a time of preparation for what’s next. For others, it is all hands to the pump to successfully manage a busy period.
Whatever this time of year brings for your fleet, Verizon Connect fleet management technology can help.
Our suite of applications is designed to help spot and decrease inefficiencies and keep your staff safe, productive, and working smart all year round. Whether they’re on the road, at home, in the office – or anywhere else.
To find out how we can help to keep your fleet moving in 2022 and beyond, click here to schedule a 15-minute demo.
