If you’re a fleet manager, you probably have a huge weight on your shoulders. There are many variables to consider, and the performance of every driver reflects on your business. While expertise in the field is something that comes with time, certain mistakes can cost you money and impact customer satisfaction. So why do fleet plans fail? Here are a few common mistakes to keep in mind as you develop a fleet management strategy.
One of the biggest mistakes fleet managers make is developing plans that are too unreasonable to follow. The mistake is compounded by not having a feedback loop in place to know where the plans are failing. This can lead to employee turnover and is also an inefficient use of time.
To make a plan succeed, you need to have measurable goals and actionable data. Knowing what works and what doesn’t for your fleet management system will help you make smarter business decisions and adapt more easily to changes.
To prevent unexpected breakdowns and costly last-minute repairs, stay up to date on vehicle maintenance. Fleet management software can help track vehicle status and efficiency within your fleet.
The pressure of managing an entire crew can be exhausting, especially as business begins to scale. An important part of succeeding as a fleet manager is learning how to keep fleet operations moving while juggling multiple responsibilities at once. If you’re getting overwhelmed, it might be time to enlist extra help by utilizing technology to simplify and clarify what you should be focusing on. Vehicle tracking software can help identify possible pain points before they become an issue, which will allow you to be proactive. Fleet management software can help you understand where the inefficiencies are, and to help decide when it’s time to take action.
Some fleet managers who feel rushed or lack experience may use incomplete or incorrect data while making major decisions. In some cases, they may misinterpret the data altogether and make mistakes that damage both profits and productivity.
The right technologies will interpret large volumes of data and provide solutions to those data points in a clear, actionable way. If your fleet technology is confusing or unclear, it’s easy to be inefficient and misinterpret the data.
When fleet managers and drivers operate in their own separate silos, crucial information can fall through the gaps. Maintenance issues can go unreported, schedule changes miss drivers in the field, and customer complaints can spike. With real-time GPS tracking, you can eliminate constant back-and-forth and “where are you” calls. Fleet managers can see the location of every vehicle as well as its speed and status on a live map. This means communication can be focused on higher-value exchanges.
Track Your Truck’s mobile apps for iOS and Android give drivers and managers a shared view of vehicle status, alerts, and schedules. This reduces miscommunication and gives fleet managers the ability to address driver behavior concerns as they emerge. Automated alerts for geofencing violations, maintenance schedules, and excessive idling ensure this information reaches the people who need it without relying on someone else to pass the message.
Excessive idling and suboptimal routing are fleet management challenges that cost carriers a lot of money in terms of fuel costs. Idling in particular can equal approximately 25 miles of engine wear per hour while also wasting fuel and degrading oil quality. Track Your Truck’s platform can alert fleet managers whenever idling thresholds are exceeded, as well as provide automated reminders about upcoming maintenance tasks. Ensuring proper tire pressure and clean oil can improve fuel economy by as much as 5%, which adds up quickly across an entire fleet.
On top of this, GPS tracking also ensures optimal route planning. It eliminates overlapping service territories, unnecessary backtracking, and routes that run longer than estimated. With NetTrack’s real-time location and historical route data, fleet managers can identify poor-performing routes and restructure them. Small service fleets report fuel efficiency gains of up to 15%.
Relying on pen-and-paper methods and spreadsheets may seem like it’s still working, but that’s only until it doesn’t. A single missed maintenance task can have cascading effects that harm your operational efficiency. Even a fleet of five vehicles can benefit from automated tracking. You’ll save time spent on manually logging mileage, scheduling service, and chasing driver updates. These saved labor costs can offset whatever the price of the software subscription can be.
NetTrack from Track Your Truck is designed for small fleets that need simplicity, not complexity. Plans start at $15.99 per month per vehicle with free devices, no long-term contracts, and same-day setup. We also provide U.S.-based support with an average response time of 10 minutes, ensuring you’re never left trying to figure out the software on your own.
Every day you operate without full visibility into your fleet is an opportunity for these mistakes to compound. The sooner you take advantage of real-time tracking from Track Your Truck, the sooner you can start reducing your costs. We make the process as simple as it can be, with free GPS devices, plans starting at $15.99 per month per vehicle, no long-term contracts, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our U.S.-based support team is here to help you make the transition as smooth as possible, as well. With more than 25 years of experience helping small fleets, we’re the best choice for helping you avoid these mistakes. Get in touch with us today to learn more and request a quote.
