Fleet managers have to juggle many responsibilities in their day-to-day business, including regulations, costs, and time. The process of balancing all of these facets can be challenging. However, while managing a fleet can be difficult, using fleet management software can make it easier.
Read more about the top five challenges fleet managers face and see how fleet management software from Rand McNally Fleet can help you grow and improve your business.
1. Managing Time and Costs
One of the main objectives of your business is maintaining a profit. However, the abundant costs of managing a fleet can make this a challenge. Vehicle maintennace and fuel consumption take up a large portion of your company profits, and extenal factors — such as a rise in fuel prices — can impact them even more.
Additionally, fleet managers may find themselves overwhelmed by the number of tasks on their daily to-do lists, leaving them with little time to check in with drivers, go over the specifics of their business, and ensure that proper maintenance is being performed on vehicles.
By using fleet management software like the Rand Platform, managers can monitor vehicles and automate tasks for easier oversight. Fleet software can help identify vehicles that are in need of maintenance or possibly using too much fuel, allowing them to schedule a visit to a mechanic to solve the issue. Fleet management software can also help automate tasks, allowing you more time to go over your processes and identify ways to make your business more efficient and cost-effective.
2. Compliance and Evolving Regulations
Regulations and compliance are one of the biggest aspects of a managers job. Regulators continue to role out new requirements, leaving managers to ensure that their fleet is up to date on their compliance and to update their drivers on new changes.
Additionally, the rise of eletric vehicles (EVs) has led many fleet managers to consider whether or not to transition to an EV fleet. While EVs may offer more savings on fuel and regulations down the line, upgrading to an EV fleet will require managers to update facilities to accomodate them and train their drivers to operate them effectively.
Fleet management software can help identify vehicles that may be out of compliance and how update them. Plus, fleet software can help managers find areas in their business that may benefit from using EVs, and which vehicles could be retired and replaced with an EV model.
3. Driver Retention and Shortages
It can be difficult to retain drivers, and projections show that the current worker and driver shortage will continue into the future. This forecast makes driver retention high on the list of a fleet manager's top challenges, and they may need to hire drivers straight out of school who may not have ideal experience. By automating certain tasks with fleet software, managers can take the time to ensure that their drivers — new and old — are happy in their positions and know how to operate their vehicles safely and efficiently.
4. Safety and Security
Safety and security are top priorities for a fleet manager. This means finding ways to decrease accidents, ensure vehicles maintained properly, and mapping out routes to avoid unfavorable road conditions. Additionally, managers may have to identify aggressive driving behaviors and hold training sessions to correct these actions.
By using telematics devices — such as dash cams — fleet managers can observe driving behaviors and intervene with proper training if an dangerous action is recurring. Plus, navigation software can help map ideal routes based on the type of vehicle a driver has and the weight of the load they're carrying.
5. Managing, Accessing, and Utilizing Fleet Data
Fleet managers collect a lot of information over time, from cost expenditures to driving records and lists of regulations. However, this infromation can quickly become overwhelming if it's not organized properly, leaving managers with a lot of valuble information but no way to apply it to improve their business.
By using fleet management software, managers can filter the information they recieve from drivers and vehicle plug-ins into organized data that can help them create actionable steps toward fleet improvements.
The Solution: Fleet Management Software and Telematics
With the various challenges fleet managers face every day, having virtual assistance is essential to ensure fleets runs as efficiently as possible.
Fleet management software and telematics allow you to gather information from sensors and gauges across your fleet. You can then send this data to a computer and organize it to show data points like vehicle speeds, fuel consumption, driving habits, and maintenance needs. There are many benefits to fleet management software and telematics, including:
- Information Gathering: Telematics will gather vital data that you can use to coach your drivers, identify vehicles in need of maintenance, and find ways to improve processes.
- Organization: Fleet management software takes information from a variety of sensors and gauges and sends it to your computer, where you can use it to identify areas of improvement in your fleet and your business. This one-stop strategy saves you the time and effort of individually tracking each driver. Accessible, organized information can make daily tasks more efficient and put more time on your schedule.
- Data Application: Data collection is only half the battle of the fleet manager. The other half involves actually taking that data and applying it in practical, actionable ways. Fleet management software organizes the data in a display that lets you identify patterns and tendencies. You can then convert that data into real action, taking steps to increase business production.
Use the Rand McNally Fleet Management Platform
Rand McNally Fleet can help you take actionable steps to reduce costs and make the most of your time as a manager. Our cloud-based telematics platform will give you driving and vehicle analytics, tracking via GPS, truck-specific navigation, and more. You'll have access to all of these features and more on one software platform, so you can access your data at any time, anywhere. Make the biggest issues in fleet management a lot more manageable with Rand McNally Fleet. Request a demo from our team today.
