Tools for Top Fleet Managers

Fleet vehicles have a wide array of uses, such as ensuring that goods arrive at their destinations and that service orders are carried out. These commercial fleets need to be managed effectively. Fleet managers must have the tools and skills to do so. Here we will look at what makes a good fleet manager and what tools they require to excel at their jobs.

Skills that Top Fleet Managers Have

Fleet managers need to be able to multi-task. They constantly deal with incoming information that they need to respond to while monitoring their fleets effectively. 

This also requires good time management. A crisis can derail tasks that have to be performed and a good fleet manager will be able to prioritize their daily work and emergencies without getting flustered. 

Communication skills are vital with employees and employers as well as with companies the fleet is doing work for. 

A goal orientation will help the fleet manager to set goals and monitor performance against targets. They constantly look for new ways to reduce costs and enhance goal drivers. 

Working in a dynamic industry requires patience and flexibility. Fleet managers accept accountability for their areas of business, knowing that the company depends on them doing their jobs well. Decisions often have to be made on the spur of the moment and an effective fleet manager is confident and capable of making sound decisions based on their expertise and input from their tools and equipment for monitoring their fleets. 

Finally, they need to be proactive and resourceful.

Fleet Management Software

Modern fleet managers know that they cannot rely on manual systems to manage their fleets. Vehicle management software has become a necessity in managing even small fleets. This allows them to monitor and keep track of every aspect of their operations.

Both vehicles and drivers are managed with this software. Drivers may be guilty of poor driver behaviors, such as braking too sharply, which is detrimental to their vehicles, or not wearing seat belts, which impacts their safety. Some employees will take a chance and use a company vehicle outside of the company’s area of business for private use. This costs the business money and must be dealt with. 

Vehicles also need to be monitored to ensure that they go for servicing at the right time and that faults and engine failures are picked up before they cause an incident or become more expensive to repair. 

Tools for Vehicle Management

GPS is used to keep track of vehicles. This ensures that drivers are in the right place at the right time. It makes for a more efficient fleet as the nearest driver can be located and sent on a job or delivery. Non-motorized assets, like trailers, can also be monitored in case they are unhitched, and risk being lost. 

Geotab is used to provide information on various statuses pertaining to a vehicle. This includes battery voltage, vehicle identification number, seat belt, emissions, engine hours, odometer, and engine RPM. Geotab GPS tracking devices keep track of where a vehicle is. All this data can tell the fleet manager various things, such as when to schedule a vehicle for repairs or a service, or when a driver is non-compliant or driving unsafely. 

Top fleet managers install fleet management software in their fleet vehicles and use the data obtained from it to manage more effectively.