Managing a fleet of vehicles is incredibly difficult. The logistic industry is one of the most complex industries, yet one of the most important functions of society.
Whether you manage a fleet of 10 trucks, 100 trucks, or more, there are tons of moving pieces that you need to track on a moment-by-moment basis, so that you always know what’s going on in your operation.
But learning how to manage your fleet well will help you get more done in less time, save money, and improve your customer experience. To do this, the best fleet managers know how to implement the right tools, designed for the trucking industry.
While there are many types of fleets on the road today, all will need to have the right tools in place for success. Here are a handful of things you need to compete in the shipping industry.
Fuel Delivery
What happens before a truck leaves your facility is just as important as what happens on the road. By preparing for a trip before the driver hops in the cab, you can ensure that there is little to no downtime once the driver has started the engine.
One way to simplify the process of getting on the road is by having fuel delivered to your facility, filling up trucks while they are being loaded. Fuel Logic is a company that delivers fuel 24/7, all year long.
So if you want them to arrive early in the morning to fill all of your trucks, so your drivers don’t have to waste time waiting at a commercial fuel station, they can do that.
Even if you don’t have fuel delivered every time, it’s one of the most useful services to be aware of. Especially if you have any drivers with scheduled stops or deliveries. The team at Fuel Logic can meet at a delivery location and fill the tank while the cargo is unloaded.
Dashboard Cameras
We live and work in a country that loves a good lawsuit. If there’s an accident of any kind involving commercial operations, such as your trucking company, you can expect a lawsuit to follow, even if you aren’t at fault.
Individuals and lawyers know that suing a company can be one of the most lucrative opportunities. In the last decade alone, many lawsuits have been successfully filed against trucking operators to the tune of millions of dollars.
While most cases are resolved at far less, it’s still a big blow to your company. And one that can be avoided with a dashcam. Dashcams can record footage at 360° to capture footage of the driver as well as the road in front of the truck.
If a car makes a mistake and gets in front of you, the footage can clearly show that they are at fault. Footage can be recorded on physical memory cards as well as sent to the cloud, to ensure you always have your footage available.
Dashcams are important for all fleet types, as commercial operations, whether local service providers or large trucking companies are the targets of lawsuit-happy lawyers.
GPS Tracking Device
Theft isn’t uncommon in the trucking industry. While thieves know that they can’t hide a large truck very long, they can often hide it long enough to empty the contents of the trailer, leaving the truck behind once they’ve made off with their loot.
With simple GPS tracking tools installed inside your trucks, you can see their location live at all times. You can even set up geofences and alerts so that you will know when a truck is moving out of its designated boundaries.
If a truck is stolen, you can alert the authorities immediately, providing its real-time location.
The Best Fleet Managers Use the Right Software
Managing a fleet is all about efficiency. It’s all about maximizing productivity, eliminating downtime, and lowering expenses such as fuel costs. And this is all much easier today, thanks to modern fleet management software, than ever before in history.
Here are some ways that the right software can transform your fleet and your bottom line.
Save on Fuel Cost
No matter what you do, fuel is going to be a huge expense when managing your fleet. But there are ways to save fuel, which can translate to tens of thousands of dollars in savings.
Software is available that can track fuel usage, and wastage, in each individual truck. It can generate the reports you need to see which trucks and which drivers are wasting the most fuel. It can show you which routes are the culprits of excess wastage.
Usually, fuel wastage is the result of individual drivers with poor habits, idling the truck more than necessary, or speeding. Idle engines can waste thousands of gallons of fuel over the course of a year.
Anticipate Maintenance
Every truck will need to endure regular maintenance, in order to get the longest life out of each truck, trailer, and other tools in your facility.
Maintenance is to be expected. The best fleet managers will plan maintenance ahead of time so that no vehicle ever falls behind. Preventative maintenance is much cheaper than making repairs after something goes wrong.
The right software will automatically track maintenance schedules. It will inform drivers and managers ahead of time when maintenance is going to be required. This allows you to plan maintenance schedules around your driving schedule, limit downtime, and keep your trucks and drivers on the road.
Shipment Tracking and Alerts
Your customers expect a lot from you. Not only do they want their shipments as fast as possible, but they want to know where their cargo is at all times. They need to know precisely when you will arrive at their loading dock, so they can prepare to receive their products.
In the past, this meant lots of back and forth communication that wasted a ton of time for your staff. But today, the right software can track all shipments in your fleet and send automatic alerts to your clients.
This way, your customers can get all of the information they need about their shipment without any phone calls or emails to your team.
Becoming a Modern Logistics Provider
The worst fleet managers will try to do things the way they have always done. But what worked 20 years ago, or even five years ago, is extremely inefficient today.
The best fleet managers invest in the right tools, as it allows their fleet to maximize productivity and minimize waste, increasing your bottom line.
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