Managing a fleet business is something that is important, and there are many different things you need to think about when it comes to a successful fleet.
There are many issues you can face when managing vehicles such as these and this can include the cost of fuel, accidents that require a truck accident lawyer, and even the maintenance of these vehicles over time.
But today we want to delve deeper into the world of fleet management and some of the best ways you can manage you fleet successfully this year.
- Paperless
Trucking might sometimes feel like an old fashioned kind of business and a lot of the time you may use paper for all of your important documents. However, using paper for important files can not only be bad for the environment but it also means that you and your truck drivers will not always have access to what they need on the road. Ensure that you use a paperless service and store copies of all of your crucial documentation in a cloud storage system. This means that if a truck driver reaches a border and needs permission to cross, you won’t lose a ton of the time doing the admin work to find the documentation they need.
- Use Mobiles
Mobile phones are like their own mini computers and they can be a wonderful tool for drivers to utilise on the road. Not only will they be able to access important documents as we said earlier, but they can use it for GPS, Bluetooth, and even training materials. Having your drivers use their own devices on the road will also save you some money so it’s a win win!
- Telematics
Volvo trucks are a wonderful choice for a fleet because they come built in with a technology called Hino. This telematic software allows truck fleet owners to avoid scheduling each of their trucks to be fitted with GPS tracking before being able to monitor them. By having this built in to the trucks, it saves a lot of Afro and allows you to track your trucks as they go from place to place and ensure that your drivers are always on track with their deliveries.
- Truck-specific routes
When using GPS software such as Waze, this application will not account for the fact that you are driving a truck. This means that sometimes a truck driver may find themselves facing a road that is too narrow or a tunnel too low. There needs to be GPS available for your drivers that acclimated specifically for commercial vehicles and this will ensure that your drivers stay efficient on the road at all times. Using a truck specific GPS will provide drivers with real world views of their route and it will specify locations that have safe place for drivers to pull of the road and get a safe overnight parking space.
- Yard mapping
Although a navigation service might get you to the entrance of the private yard, it will not necessarily help the driver navigate and find the loading bay, and if you have seen some of the yards that are in use they can be like a labyrinth to navigate. This is why you should take the time to install yard mapping for your truck drivers that will provide some essential time saving information. For example, it could provide the code for the barrier, a path turn by turn, and finally the entrance of the loading bay. This is something that will make a massive difference to the efficiency of your fleet and ensure that they are always ahead of schedule.
- Predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance is a term used to describe tools which predict the age, status, and capability of a machine or infrastructure, in order to predict when it next needs repair. For a fleet management company predictive maintenance can be a game changer because you will constantly have an update of each of your trucks and when they need a service, oil change, tyre inflation and more. Predictive maintenance for your fleet will help to prevent accidents on the road and this will be a huge help to you in terms of safety and efficiency.
- Trailer tracking
Tracking your trailers will be a good way to ensure that they are safe and secure, and it will also allow you to direct drivers to a specific trailer if it needs to be moved elsewhere. The GPS tracking on a trailer will not only help you find where it is, but it can also detect if the door is opened when it shouldn’t be, allowing you to keep your items safe.