If you have more than two company vehicles, you have a fleet. As with all business components, fleets need managing and this can include a wide range of duties including vehicle financing, maintenance, tracking and diagnostics, driver management, fuel, and health and safety management. Fleet management minimises the risks associated with vehicle investment, improving efficiency, productivity and ensuring that overall transportation costs are kept to a minimum. They are either dealt with by a dedicated in-house fleet management department or outsourced to a fleet management provider.
One of the most fundamental components in fleet management is vehicle tracking. Modern technology in the form of GPS tracking devices has made tracking and diagnostics much more efficient and easier, leading to far more efficient fleet management overall. Vehicle trackers allow a fleet manager to know exactly where every vehicle in the fleet is at any given time and gives them the opportunity to plan the most efficient routes and reduce waiting time for customers. Vehicle tracking also introduces safety and crime prevention elements by allowing a silent alarm to be triggered if the vehicle is stolen or involved in an accident. This is particularly important if the fleet operates in more remote areas and can mean a far more rapid response to an emergency system. The introduction of ‘Low-Jacking’ technology also means that if a vehicle is stolen, the engine can be disabled remotely by the fleet manager and the Police can be directed to the exact location of the vehicle. This reduces recovery time for stolen vehicles and therefore the costs associated with vehicle theft. Continue reading ‘Fleet Management Explained’ »