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The Ultimate Guide to Oil & Gas Fleet Management

Picture of Rand McNally   Rand McNally  ·  5 minute read

While the size of your fleet doesn't matter, how you care for your vehicles does. Whether you have a handful of equipment or dozens of trucks, it can be challenging to ensure every vehicle is receiving proper maintenance for the longevity you need and the efficiency you desire.

If you're wondering how to manage an oil and gas fleet effectively, there are plenty of tools you can use to boost safety, productivity, and visibility within your business.

 

What is Oil, Gas, & Mining Fleet Management?

Fleet management refers to how businesses keep their fleets running. Improving efficiency, monitoring fleet activities, completing tasks on time, tracking vehicle locations, and staying within budget all fall under the category of fleet management. Fleet managers are responsible for making decisions about these assets, such as when it's time for acquisition and disposal, to ensure the fleet meets compliance requirements.

In the oil, gas, and mining industries, fleet management concerns specific commercial vehicles used on job sites that often accommodate various specialized equipment. These vehicles often undergo consistent wear-and-tear and off-road driving and require much more maintenance than typical vehicles.

Fleet management in this case means managing these vehicles to extend their life cycles. As you'll learn in this guide to oil and gas fleet management, vehicle maintenance is critical to keeping them in top shape and boosting profitability.

Oil & Gas Fleet Management Best Practices

Oil and gas fleet management requires a balancing act of maintaining efficiency and compliance and improving the overall organization. Here are some oil, gas, and mining fleet management best practices:

  • Networking:As a fleet manager, there are many networking opportunities for you to share support and tips with other companies you may want to partner with down the line. Though you want to remain competitive, it's important to build a network within the industry.
  • Safety: Your drivers spend the most time with your fleet vehicles. Be sure they follow all safety and traffic rules. Getting several traffic tickets or getting into frequent accidents can significantly impact your company's reputation.
  • Prevention:The reality is you won't have a fleet to manage if you don't maintain your vehicles. Scheduling proper preventive fleet maintenance can help you avoid more significant issues down the line and keep your vehicles from breaking down unexpectedly, leading to additional costs and delayed projects.
  • Transparency: To help build trust, confidence, and loyalty among your customers and employees, you must uphold transparency. Telling customers where you source your supplies or providing them with vehicle tracking information can help boost your reputation.
  • Training:In addition to following safety measures, it's wise to implement continual driver training even after on-boarding your employees. Keep all drivers up to date with the latest regulations and standard operating procedures.
  • Replacement:Fleet management requires knowing when to fix a vehicle or replace it with a newer one. Hanging onto a fleet vehicle until it completely breaks down is a waste of your investment. Determine the best replacement time for your vehicles by considering mileage, purchase cost, resale value, and similar factors.

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Benefits of Oil, Gas, & Mining Fleet Management Software

Effective oil, gas, and mining fleet management software makes it easier for fleet managers and directors to offer better customer service, improve the visibility of fleet vehicles, and enhance productivity all around. Even if you already have good fleet management practices in place, implementing a solution that can help you stay organized allows your company to expand its offerings and reap more benefits.

Here are the top advantages of using fleet management software:

  • Increase Profitability: All companies aim to boost sales and increase revenue in one way or another. Fleet management software helps managers keep track of spending and maintenance costs to remain profitable.
  • Improve Efficiency: Fleet software can help managers keep track of overall performance and fuel consumption to save on costs and ensure fleet vehicles are well-maintained.
  • Enhance Customer Service:With vehicle, driver, and equipment data in a centralized location, fleet management software allows managers to communicate better about potential delays and provide estimated delivery times.
  • Maintain Compliance:To avoid regulatory fines and penalties, compliance is mandatory. Fleet software keeps vehicle maintenance schedules, fuel usage, employee licenses, and other critical information in one place to make necessary compliance paperwork a breeze.
  • Improve Safety:All fleet vehicles require regular inspections and other important safety measures. With fleet management software, managers can keep the fleet well-maintained, track mechanical problems, and determine when it's time to replace a vehicle. This software also keeps managers informed of drivers' hours to prevent them from exceeding their capped drive times.
  • Strengthen Security: In the mining and oil and gas industries, safety and security go hand in hand. Fleet management software can help prevent unauthorized use or theft of vehicles and equipment by tracking locations.

Key Features for Oil, Gas, & Mining Industry Solutions

When it comes to managing a mining fleet or oil and gas fleet, you need a fleet management solution that supports every aspect of your business. Fleet management solutions can help you improve your bottom line and the way you run your company overall. Here are some of the key features to look for if you're looking for an all-in-one solution:

  • Cloud-Based Tracking: Secure solutions that enable you to choose what you want to track, such as cloud routing and dispatch, make it easier and more accessible to find what you need on any device.
  • Mapping and Asset Trackers: Fleet management platforms provide detailed locations of your vehicles, equipment, and key assets so you can protect your valuable equipment.
  • Navigation: Real-time GPS tracking helps you keep track of your drivers and vehicles when traveling in remote environments and oil fields.
  • Security:Certain telematics solutions provide extra security measures, such as dual-facing artificial intelligence cameras inside and outside the vehicle. This feature ensures drivers follow the rules of the road and allows managers to know exactly when they reach a specific destination.
  • Customized Alerts: Good fleet management software provides alerts for users, so you'll know exactly when vehicles reach a location and become notified of distracted driver behaviors.
  • Mobile Interface: If you and your drivers are out on a job site and don't have access to a computer, mobile access to fleet data can help you streamline your operations and give employees access to their continuous training to get them on the road faster.

How to Choose the Best Oil, Gas, & Mining Fleet Management Telematics Solutions

Because fleet telematics and management software improve the way you plan, implement, and monitor your fleet management strategies, it's critical to choose the one that gives you the most control over your company. At Rand McNally, we carry solutions that enable you to collect and analyze data on various metrics to help you make informed business decisions, including:

  • Vehicle metrics
  • Idle time
  • Fuel consumption
  • Asset locations
  • Mileage
  • Driver performance

With our Rand Platform, you and your team can allocate resources more effectively, prevent unexpected issues, and benefit from increased visibility into how your business is running in a single, user-friendly portal.

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Why Rand McNally?

If you're ready to reap the rewards of fleet telematics and management software, look no further than Rand McNally. With over 80 years of experience in innovative solutions, we're proud to be a trusted and reliable source for all your fleet management needs.

Our powerful cloud-based tools and centralized programs provide a vast selection of data and easy-to-read reports that can help you improve resiliency in your flee. At Rand McNally Fleet, we're here to develop unique solutions to help you create an effective fleet management strategy.

Contact us today to request a price for your fleet.

 

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