6 Things You Need to Know About Fleet Management

---

Fleet management has always been a difficult problem faced by operators of logistics and transportation enterprises. "It is better to lead a thousand troops than to lead a fleet", this sentence fully illustrates this problem. In vehicle fleet management, the most difficult and most important are driver management, vehicle management, dispatch management, and safety management.

1. What Is Fleet Management?

Fleet management is a function for companies that rely on transportation for their products or services, involving a wide variety of activities to remove or minimize the risks associated with vehicle investment, improving efficiency, productivity and reducing their overall transportation and staff costs, providing 100% compliance with government legislation (duty of care) and many more.  

From finance to operations to maintenance and licensing, with fleet GPS tracking, good vehicle fleet management can save you money and valuable time that can be spent focusing on core business activities. Any task related to the value or use of multiple owned, leased, or operated vehicles can be considered fleet management.
 

2. What Type of Business or Organization Needs Fleet Management?

In addition to the above-mentioned logistics and transportation companies, in fact, almost all aspects of production and life in today's society will involve fleet use and vehicle fleet management.

Some examples are: Public Transport, Oil and Gas, Security, Mining, Emergency Services, Governments, Construction, Utilities, Transport and Distribution, Rental and Leasing, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Landscaping, Food Delivery, Pest Control, Telecom, Small Fleets.

3. What Does Fleet Management Require?

So what are the basic elements of vehicle fleet management? Or, can we say what is needed for fleet management? We simply divide it into four parts: People, Technology, GPS Fleet Tracking Device and Data.
 

• People: A Fleet Manager or a Fleet Management Company.

• Technology: Vehicle Management System, Fleet Management Software, Fleet GPS Tracking, Vehicle Dash Cameras, Vehicle Sensors, and Telematics.

• Data: Information Gathered By the Fleet Management Technology, such as Engine Diagnostics and Driver Behavior.

• GPS Fleet Tracking Device：Support functions like real-time tracking, mileage statistic, fuel consumption statistic, driving behavior monitoring, etc,.

 

4. What Does A Fleet Manager Do?

Fleet managers are responsible for fleet operations and may have responsibilities that include vehicle maintenance, overseeing fuel consumption and fuel costs, driver management, asset utilization, route planning, and implementing any initiatives that increase company productivity and reduce waste.



Here, We simply divide it into five parts: Driver Management, Fleet Tracking Management & Analytics, Overall Cost Reduction, Service & Maintenance, and ELD Compliance.
 

Driver Management

Including driver retention, driver safety, and training, to ensure safe driver behavior and stabilize and increase driver retention.
 

Fleet Tracking Management & Analytics

Fleet managers often use all possible means, such as relying on GPS technology and other GPS tracking systems, using vehicle management systems or fleet management solutions to know where their vehicles are, as much as possible to know and understand the condition of drivers and vehicles, and increase their visibility into fleet operations and vehicle safety to ensure proper use and safe driving of vehicles.

Overall Cost Reduction

Including route planning and optimization, fuel management, operational cost, etc,.
 

Services & Maintenance

Including preventative maintenance, repair, equipment uptime and roadside service,etc. to ensure things are running as efficiently as possible at all times. 
 

Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Compliance

Since the ELD mandate went into effect in December 2017, fleet managers have had to implement an ELD-compliant system to ensure travel time is accurately recorded. Compliance can be simplified with simple tools for electronic logging, Hours of Service (HOS) and driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIR).
 

5. What Are the Benefits of Fleet Management?

Fleet management systems can help fleet managers gain real-time visibility into their operations while improving driver satisfaction and reducing fuel usage through predictive analytics and accurate reporting, and helping them comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. 


 

Below are some of the key benefits of using a fleet management system.

• Clear Operational Visibility
• Safer, More Reliable Vehicles
• Improved Driver Safety
• Higher Driver Satisfaction
• Optimized Productivity
• Better Cost Management
• Simplified Compliance

6. How to Select the Best Fleet Management Solution?

Fleet management solutions have many benefits, but not all vehicle management systems or fleet management software are suitable for the specific needs of your commercial fleet operation.
Consider these characteristics when choosing a fleet management solution.
 

Simple Use

When we use a tool, all we want is to simplify the workflow as much as possible in order to be more productive. The same is true when choosing a fleet management solution. From installation to implementation to specific use, every step should be as simple and smooth as possible.
 

Flexibility and Scalability

Fleet types and sizes vary. When choosing a fleet management solution, choose one that can be customized for different fleet types and sizes and can match different business needs.
 

Data Insights

A good fleet management solution goes beyond being able to read vehicle data and detect driver driving behavior. It should also be able to convert these read data into clear and concise expressions, so as to help managers do data analysis, optimize current work and better plan for the future.
 

Safety Analytics

Security is a critical component of any fleet management software platform. Knowing your vehicle's location and your driver's driving behavior is critical for proper vehicle use and maintaining a safe workplace.
 

Performance Measurement

Improving efficiency and reducing costs are the business philosophy of every enterprise. Choose a fleet management solution that helps us minimize the overall cost of fleet management, where vehicle performance and utilization are one of the most important factors in fleet-related costs.
 

GPS Fleet Tracking Device

A GPS tracking device is a must in fleet management solutions. Try to choose a GPS tracking device that uses plug-and-play technology, and supports comprehensive data collection and analysis, including diagnostic data, location data, and driving behavior data, as well as 4G LTE in-vehicle WiFi hotspot, just as Sinocastel IDD-213L 4G OBD Tracker.

7. Get Started with Fleet Management

Through the vehicle management system, including the use of GPS fleet tracking devices and fleet management software, fleet managers can access vehicle diagnostic reports, asset tracking and insights into driver behavior through telematics. With this available data, fleet managers can track and manage their fleets in real-time to better plan and innovate for the future.
 
Want to learn more? Request a demo to find out how you can simplify fleet management with Sinocastel.