Fleet management is anything but straightforward. Thankfully, RPM Freight is here to help guide you so that you can tackle fleet operations like a pro.
What Is Fleet Management?
Fleet management is the process of managing different aspects of a fleet, including vehicle maintenance, asset utilization, route planning, and driver management. Fleet managers are often tasked with all of these responsibilities to keep fleet operations running smoothly and efficiently.
That being said, fleet managers can incorporate tools in the form of fleet management software to help them cover all their bases.
What Does a Fleet Manager Do?
A fleet manager is a vital cog in the fleet operations team with a whole host of tasks and responsibilities. Specifically, fleet managers handle driver safety, driver retention, fleet tracking, electronic logging device (ELD) compliance, total cost reduction, and vehicle acquisition.
1. Driver Safety
The first thing that fleet managers handle is driver safety. The road is a notoriously dangerous place with so many outside factors in play. So how can fleet managers keep their drivers safe? While fleet managers don’t have any control over how others drive, they can make sure that their drivers practice safe and responsible driving habits.
Fleet managers may consider installing dash cameras into their vehicles for several reasons. First of all, dash cameras are beneficial in case of a not-at-fault accident. Second of all, dash cameras help fleet managersmonitor driver behavior to ensure that it’s safe and responsible. Finally, dash cams help fleet managersmonitor driver location and progress in addition to tools like vehicle tracking systems.
2. Driver Retention
The second thing that fleet managers handle is driver retention. Good drivers these days are worth their weight in gold. However, in a tough industry with high turnover, it is hard to keep them around. This is where fleet managers come into play.
Fleet managers boost driver retention rates in several ways. They may want to implement a mentorship program to pair rookie drivers with veteran drivers for guidance and friendship. They can use driver feedback to improve workplace conditions.
Finally, they can help drivers and managers establish a strong and trusting relationship with each other that makes drivers want to stick around.
3. Fleet Tracking
The third thing that fleet managers handle is fleet tracking. Fleet managers need to know where their drivers and vehicles are at all times — which is easier said than done — especially when you’re trying to keep track of hundreds or even thousands of vehicles.
Thankfully, technology makes this task a lot easier. GPS tracking systems are installed in vehicles to track their exact live locations.
4. Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Compliance
The fourth thing that fleet managers handle is electronic logging device (ELD) compliance. Drivers have to comply with a new law that requires that they record their hours of service (HOS) electronically rather than on paper.
While ELD compliance seems annoying, it’s actually beneficial for every party involved. For drivers, it helps make their work environments safer and their processes easier. For managers, it helps reduce paperwork expenses.
Fleet managers are required to implement and enforce ELD compliant systems to meet federal regulations as it relates to HOS. Specifically, drivers can only be on duty for a maximum of 14 hours.
Of those 14 hours, only 11 of them can be spent actually driving. Furthermore, they must take a 30-minute break after driving for 8 hours. Finally, they must have at least ten consecutive hours off duty after each 14-hour period.
5. Total Cost Reduction
The fifth thing that fleet managers handle is reducing total costs. While fleet managers may sound like HR managers so far, they actually have a hand in the business side as well. Specifically, they are in charge of taking actions to reduce costs.
For instance, fleet managers tend to prioritize fuel efficiency to save money on gas that adds up very quickly. They are also responsible for coming up with efficient maintenance programs so that vehicles are properly maintained.
6. Vehicle Acquisition
The final thing that fleet managers handle is vehicle acquisition. This is another responsibility on the business side of things wherein they make demand forecasts and plan to meet these demands by acquiring additional vehicles. While acquiring new vehicles may sound easy enough, there’s actually a lot more to it than meets the eye.
This is because there are so many different types of vehicles that it can be hard to determine which ones you need and if you actually have drivers eligible to drive these vehicles.
Thankfully, experienced fleet managers are able to use their background and skills to make the best possible predictions and acquire the best possible vehicles.
What Are the Benefits of Fleet Management?
While fleet management may require a lot of work and resources, it’s definitely beneficial for any business looking to maximize its profits and run a successful company.
- Fleet safety: Fleet management helps improve fleet safety by monitoring and recording problematic driver behavior. These systems heighten drivers’ safety awareness and personal responsibility since they know they’re being tracked and monitored.
- Fleet efficiency: Fleet management boosts fleet efficiency by monitoring and reporting on fuel-wasting behaviors like speeding, idling, and hard braking. All vehicles can be tracked and managed for optimized routes.
- Fleet compliance: Fleet management makes fleet compliance quick and easy instead of annoying and difficult. All hours can be logged electronically with less paperwork, errors, and interference.
- Fleet security: Fleet management improves fleet security by tracking and tagging all of your assets. If anything is unaccounted for, you can quickly know about it and take the appropriate action to locate and recover it.
What Is the Best Fleet Management Software?
Fleet management software is used to help you effectively manage your fleet. However, there are so many different tools out there that it is difficult to choose the right one. Here are some of the best fleet management software that you need to know about:
1. Fleetio
Fleetio allows companies of all sizes to manage everything from vehicles to drivers to auto parts. This program can be accessed either on the web or on a mobile application. Fleetio includes features that allow you to view vehicle location, manage fleet preventive maintenance, set geofence alerts, and assign work orders.
Fleetio comes with a free 14-day trial, after which there are two plans to choose from. The Pro plan is $5 per vehicle, starting at $25 per month for your first five assets. The Advanced plan is $7 per vehicle, starting at $35 per month for your first five assets. Equipment can be managed at a beginning cost of $0.50 per piece when billed annually.
2. Avrios
Avrios allows companies to integrate all transportation and fleet-related management into a single dashboard with a user-friendly interface that requires little to no training. The features of this program include a vehicle and driver database, fuel card integration, total cost of ownership (TCO) monitoring, and a driver training management program.
Avrios offers three different plans. The Essentials plan is free but has limited features. The Pro plan costs $12 per vehicle per month with more features. The Enterprise plan includes all features.
3. Momentum IoT
Momentum IoT allows companies to manage and track their assets thanks to an included tracking device. The features of this program include a GPS telematics dashboard, custom asset groupings, geolocation capabilities, real-time odometer, and fuel level data, and alerts.
Momentum IoT offers a single plan to make it simple. With this tool, you pay $12 per month per asset with no upfront costs or extra fees for GPS tracking.
4. Samsara
Samsara allows companies to improve their safety programs, oversee all assets, and maintain fleet compliance. The features of this program include dashcams, geofencing, automated alerts, driver logs, two-way messaging, and in-cab Wi-Fi.
Samsara offers custom pricing solutions and plans based on the number of vehicles you have and the features you’re looking for.
Conclusion
As you can see, efficiency is key when it comes to fleet operations and management. However, it is difficult to get the right vehicles in the right locations — especially when you’re constantly rotating new ones into the lineup.
This is where a partner like RPM Freight is extremely beneficial. RPM delivers over 80,000 units a month with an on-time delivery rate of 98%. Our robust network leveraging more than 30,000 carriers and our experienced team give us the unique ability to deliver extremely high volumes with speed and efficiency for our customers. Reach out today to see how we can help make your life as a fleet manager much easier.
Sources:
Everything You Need to Know About Fleet Management | Samsara
ELD - Electronic Logging Devices | USDOT
The Best Fleet Management Software for 2021 | Investopedia
