Basics of Fleet Management: The Fleet

Timetabling and Tracking

The fleet manager needs to have, or be able to obtain, information on the whereabouts of the vehicles in the fleet at any one time. Having a schedule for which vehicles will be on which jobs, and when, enables the fleet manager to state confidently whether the fleet will be at sufficient strength to accommodate rush orders, or to cover any unplanned repairs or breakdowns. Of course, this may be easier to implement for some businesses than others, depending on their business model.

If the business in question regularly requires orders to be delivered at short notice, then a complex timetable may hinder effective management, rather than aid it. In this instance, it may be more advisable to use tracking software in the vehicles themselves. Depending on the type of software used, this can potentially offer the fleet manager the ability to ascertain the whereabouts of all their vehicles on the fly, again giving them the information necessary to state whether the fleet can or cannot accommodate an order immediately.

Lifecycle Management

With proper testing and maintenance – again, a key province of a good fleet manager – the life-cycle of vehicles within the fleet can be extended. There comes a point, however, when the loss of efficiency caused by older vehicles no longer offsets the cost of maintenance, and the potential for loss of revenue caused by breakdowns and repairs putting vehicles out of commission.

For this reason, a fleet manager must consider the optimum life-cycle of their fleet. Is it worthwhile to push the fleet as far as possible, before scrapping and investing in a new fleet? Or would it be more cost-effective to consider replacing the fleet before individual vehicles begin to lose operability, thus allowing the fleet manager to “trade in” old vehicles, offsetting some of the cost of the new investment? These are questions which a fleet manager must consider on a case by case basis, and it can often seem that there is no “right” answer.

Here at Fueltek, we can take some of the stress out of these difficult decisions. Our range of fuel dispensing hardware and management software can form part of a good fuel management system, a typical Fueltek system can provide quality information enabling you to identify your most efficient vehicles, highlight inefficiencies of vehicles and drivers and help you to make decisions on new vehicle acquisitions, as well as simplifying the fuel management process.

This means that you can rest assured that your fuel management is as efficient and cost-effective as possible, allowing you to focus your attention on other areas of your fleet. To find out more about how Fueltek can help you, get in touch using the details on our contact page, or call us now on 01254 291 391.