Fleet efficiency has become a buzzword that everyone in the transport industry seems to be talking about. Not everyone seems to know what exactly the term means though, and even fewer of them understand how to actually run a fleet more efficiently. If that sounds familiar, below we provide a brief explanation of what is meant by the term fleet efficiently. This is followed by a couple of practical steps that can be taken to achieve this objective.
What Is Fleet Efficiency?
Fleet efficiency is the science (some would call it an art) of optimizing all the different assets that form part of a fleet, including drivers, trucks, delivery vehicles, cars, containers, trailers, and even office staff in an efficient manner.
How To Improve Fleet Efficiency
Enough of the theory. Let us now proceed to some of the more practical aspects of improving fleet efficiency.
Improve Driver Behavior
Help your drivers by studying their driving style and giving them feedback and tips on how to improve it. One way to do this is to utilize driver behavior software to monitor their driving habits and then recommend improvements. This system can also be used to reward drivers who follow these recommendations, which can in turn help with driver retention.
Make Maintenance a Priority
Regular maintenance of all vehicles in your fleet will help to ensure that they always perform at optimum levels. You will also help to prevent costly roadside breakdowns that are likely to negatively impact productivity and customer retention. Keeping tabs on something as simple as tire pressure will not only help to lower wear and tear but will also reduce fuel costs and improve safety compliance.
Track The Service History Of Your Fleet
Studying your fleet’s service history with the aid of fleet management software will help your business to improve fleet efficiency in the future. Not only can this software keep track of maintenance data in real time, but it also stores a comprehensive record of every past service. This helps fleet managers to analyze data from the past to pick up maintenance trends and then create ways in which your maintenance plan can be improved.
Utilize Your Fleet More Efficiently By Reducing Idle Time
Using assets in a cost-effective manner is a major part of running a fleet efficiently. In this regard, idling is a notorious offender that should be minimized as much as possible. When it comes to the most common causes of unnecessary idling time, these are the main offenders:
– Drivers warming up the engine for an unnecessarily long period of time
– Drivers letting the engine run even when the vehicle is not in use
Unnecessary idling is one of the worst culprits concerning fuel misuse. That is why a significant number of U.S. states (and many countries) have in recent years passed strict anti-idling legislation.
Reduce Fuel Costs By Properly Planning Vehicle Routes
While lowering idling times will help to improve fuel usage, proper routing can play an even bigger role in helping to run your fleet efficiently. Issues such as traffic jams, road closures, natural disasters, and accidents can all work together to make one route less efficient than another one. When choosing one route over another, the aim should always be to minimize mileage while not compromising delivery times. Fleet management software can once again come to the rescue because of its ability to produce customized maps. By properly using this feature, fleet managers are able to choose from among different routes based on solid data and thereby improving the efficiency of their fleets.
For more information on how to better manage your fleet contact Efficiency Enterprises today!