Your choices for a fleet management solution might include managing your vehicles yourself, outsourcing to a fleet management service provider or even employing the services of an inhouse fleet manager, depending on the type of company you work in, on the vehicles you own and on the activity of your business.
As we have reiterated in previous posts, there is no correct or incorrect choice, it basically depends on your activity and your needs. However, for any of the options you might choose, there is still a right and wrong approach; it is important to adopt the correct way by ensuring the responsibility for any action is clearly established by all parties concerned.
1. Compliance
This part of fleet management is sometimes so complicated that a lot of companies actually choose to outsource it just to avoid the bother. A good fleet management service provider will be responsible for arranging vehicle testing and recording results, having a proper fleet policy that ensures drivers possess the necessary qualifications and for setting up a system able to speed up vehicle checks as well as recording results. Nevertheless, ensure this part is included in the service provided and check which paperwork is involved.
2. Telematics
Telematics systems today are used to get the most out of your vehicles in terms of saving money, saving fuel and maintenance costs, but also to speed up manual processes. And, in case you decide to outsource to a fleet management company, the telematics software interface will, apart from helping you to always keep an eye on the situation, allow increased visibility and control from the same perspective as your service provider at any given moment; so this is definitely a point worth double checking with them!
3. Driver behaviour
While on the subject of telematics, some of the systems actually in use also offer precious insights regarding your team’s driving style, indicating whether they practice speeding or unsafe driving and whether there is a need for training; it is also possible to set up a maintenance schedule when needed.
4. Fleet optimisation
If you have decided to outsource to a fleet management service provider, it could be because you need expertise to manage your fleet—something you hope to expect from a provider—so, if you plan to invest your money this way, it could be worth having them check processes and whether your fleet can be resized or optimised, as well as seeing if there are more ways to cut costs and achieve a higher margin.