It goes without saying that an effective fleet manager understands the importance of regular maintenance, proper tires for each vehicle, and an organization method to keep things running smoothly. However, even with all of those boxes checked off, it's very possible that your organization could be spending more money than it needs to - and missing out on greater opportunities in the long run.
When examining your fleet management strategy for efficiency, we suggest that you focus on three major areas - driver behaviour, repair and maintenance costs, and missed opportunities.
This is not about catching bad drivers, but rather about pinpointing the types of activities that may be costing your organization more money in the long run. The way a driver brakes and accelerates can have detrimental effects on those vehicles as well as adding unneeded 
wear and tear; the routes a driver may take could be costing more in fuel or in the time available to complete services; etc.
So what are some ways your organization can detect and improve these behaviours?
When hiring a driver to get behind the wheel of your fleet vehicle, you are required to obtain a copy of their licence as well as their abstract driving record. This record includes important notes such as any Highway Traffic Act moving violations. This is necessary to obtain and maintain insurance on that vehicle. This report is likely requested only when insurance is up for renewal - but why wait? Requesting a driver's abstract should be part of an annual review process to ensure that drivers cannot hide bad driving behaviour from you. Armed with this information you are able to correct the behaviour and provide additional driving safety education to keep an otherwise great employee on board.
Great things don't just happen - company cultures and values are planned, implemented and reinforced over time. To ensure that your drivers value safe and responsible driving as much as you do - create a policy that reflects it. Take into account changing laws such as distracted driving and the legalization of cannabis. This policy will need to be reviewed and updated as the laws in your area change.
Once the policy is completed, make in an active part of employee training - reinforce these safe driving values with challenges and rewards for milestones completed such as amount of time passed without a fine or complaint. Your policies will only work as well as they are enforced.
Telematics are smart technology systems such as On-Star that monitor several areas relating to your vehicle. They can measure the speed that the vehicle is being driven, whether or not it has been in an accident and more. Not only will this technology provide valuable insight to your planning and safe driving policy enforcement, it also fosters a sense of employee accountability and may help you avoid bad behiviour before it even starts.
Managing the needs of a fleet of vehicles is akin to ensuring that your family attends regular check ups with their doctors. These costs cannot be avoided for the health and overall efficiency of your fleet vehicles.
What are some areas to focus on while trying to reign in repair and maintenance costs?
On our maintenance schedule page we touched on the important reasons why preforming regular maintenance services on your fleet vehicles can save you the added costs of more severe repairs. Oil changes, brake pad and rotor replacement, and timing belt replacements are glaring examples of services that absolutely cannot be missed - or the life and safety of your vehicle will be compromised. In addition to those important services, consider regular detailing to keep your vehicles' paint and body safe from corrosion and rust and have your drivers or mechanics perform regular fluid checks to ensure that all systems are able to run smoothly.
Ensuring that your vehicles have the right oil for their make/model, use and mileage can have a great effect on how often and how expensive each oil change can be. Synthetic oil breaks down more slowly and can last longer in between oil changes - but is also more expensive up front. High-mileage oil takes into account the age and performance of your engine to ensure maximum lubrication. We suggest reading your
owners manual or speaking to a mechanic to discuss the best oil for your vehicles.
The goal is to make your entire fleet management strategy more efficient - so why not focus on making each part of it more efficient. What many fleet managers do currently is send one of their drivers to a garage or drive through oil change bay. This method certainly gets the job done - but with one driver required to drive each vehicle - and a fleet of over 25 vehicles this method certainly can eat up a lot of time. Consider partnering with a mobile mechanic service who can preform oil changes and other maintenance services on site - often several per appointment. (More Information)
Picking up where we left off in the previous section, many fleet managers send their staff to garages to have maintenance and repairs completed by a licensed mechanic. This means that while those employees are completing vehicle maintenance tasks, they are not able to service or sell to clients. This means that not only are you paying that employee their hourly rate or their salary, you are also forfeiting any sales or services that employee could be completing while getting that vehicle serviced. This is an area of potential efficiency that is not always immediately visible for most fleet managers as small to medium-sized fleets simply had no other in-budget alternative. With the availability of mobile mechanics spreading across the country, now is the time to evaluate whether or not the current system is the best one for your bottom line.
