We are past Christmas, and it is the start of a new business year. It is that time of the year, when the new targets for the business bottom-line are set by the management. This may include boosting new market revenues and expanding the current level of operations across the entire organisation. It may also imply that each department would be expected to streamline and work towards achieving synergy in operations. A fleet transport department is always looking to become more efficient. Alas, they only have fleet operations to take care of.
By itself, fleet operations are closely linked to customer satisfaction. And, fleet operations may comprise a sizable cost element of a business’s overall costs. Given this understanding, I can see a spark of glory for an experience fleet manager in the way he manages his fleet. A successful fleet manager has a number of techniques up his sleeve to achieve an efficient and streamlined fleet. We are going to discuss a couple of these techniques that could help aspiring fleet managers or even the newbie fleet managers.
Fuel cards are one of the best companions in an effectively managed fleet. A fuel card has a number of features that make it remarkably suitable for any fleet operation. You end up saving fuel costs, and get a consolidated invoice statement that helps you track all the fuel costs from a single document. Transaction reports help make the fuel audits simpler for everyone. VAT reclamation on the fuel expenses becomes a simpler accounting task. Overall management information system ensures that your fleet’s data is available at hand with the fuel card supplier at all times. So, if you choose to request a historical transaction statement from 2010, your fuel card supplier would be in a position to offer that. A fleet manager must consider getting fuel cards for his fleet to make the fuel management an easier task.
Next in line is the vehicle tracking system. Most fleet managers are expected to be in the know of their fleet’s movement. There are other caveats too. Studying driver behaviour and creating efficient route plans are two most critical elements in a fleet manager’s job. A vehicle tracker helps a fleet manager to keep tighter control over the fleet vehicles. He is able to study in real-time the location coordinates of a vehicle; and he is able to study in detail human behaviour associated with driving. Emergency response system of a business gets a major boost with the deployment of a vehicle tracking system.
Many businesses that have deployed fuel cards and vehicle tracking systems have been able to setup better processes within the business’s operating environment. Fleet management and business management teams have been able to achieve unified business goals. A tighter control of a business’s vehicles is a direct implied benefit arising out of the use of vehicle trackers. On a similar note, much better management of vehicle’s fuelling activity makes the fuel card an essential imperative. Consider deploying a vehicle tracker and a business fuel card to untangle the life of your fleet manager. Representatives are available to bid for your business now.
