The benefits of fleet management

What is fleet management?

Fleet management is defined as a process that allows businesses to overview and manage all information associated with their fleet: vehicles, machinery, and assets.

A fleet manager is responsible for keeping a fleet running efficiently on time, and within budget. A manager can monitor the fleet activities and make decisions from asset management, routing, and vehicle acquisition and disposal.  

Benefit from the real-time map

Most business managers use a map already on other services. Why not chose a telematics partner that provides you with the same map as your whole team is used to already? Pick your preferred choice between Google Maps, street maps, 3D-maps, or satellites and get the most value for your business, local or global.

Our providers like Google and HERE Maps use core data generated by 400+ mapping vehicles worldwide – equipped with lidar technology and enriched with governmental data, satellite imagery, and community input. The Map providers enrich your base maps with additional layers of information useful for fleet management, such as roads, POIs, postal code points, and 3D landmarks. 

• Get accurate routing algorithms

• Live data in your map

• Advanced routing

• Locate your assets

• Locate your drivers
   

Acquisition of vehicles and machines

Companies can acquire vehicles and machines for their fleet through two primary methods: purchasing or leasing.  

Purchase

In this type of acquisition, the company directly purchases a fleet vehicle from a dealership, auction house, or independent reseller. One advantage of buying your fleet vehicles outright is the ability to apply your logo and branding uniformly across your fleet. Many car manufacturers and dealerships offer fleet discounts for companies interested in purchasing vehicles in bulk. 

Unfortunately, there is a heavy front-end financial investment involved in buying vehicles or machinery and the number of leasing is increasing. 

Lease and rental

In the case of vehicle and machine acquisition through leasing, your company would sign a leasing agreement with the organisation or business that owns the vehicles. This agreement would cover all the terms of the lease, including monthly payments, maintenance requirements and mileage stipulations, and the length of the lease.  

When leasing fleet assets, you tend to lower monthly costs and can update your fleet every few years. One of the biggest downsides to leasing is that often the lessee is on the hook for any damage to the asset upon lease termination. Your insurance can mitigate this risk, but it still presents an important consideration for the fleet manager.

Read more about ABAX fleet insurance

Green fleets

In recent years, as global climate change has moved to the forefront of the public scene, many companies have begun migrating their fleets from traditional fuel sources, such as gasoline and diesel, to more environmentally friendly options like electric vehicles and EV’s and electrical machinery is on the rise.

There are several reasons to consider “greener” options for your fleet of vehicles or machines. An effectively managed green fleet can significantly reduce lifecycle costs and exposure to high fuel prices. Additionally, green vehicles can significantly cut down on your fleet’s emissions, which is an immediate and meaningful way to reduce your company’s carbon footprint.

Improving your company’s public perception may be a reason good enough to consider a green fleet, it’s also important to note that recently proposed legislation could force transportation industries to focus on greener fleet options.

GPS for fleet tracking  

One of the major developments in the fleet industry is the spreading of fleet tracking and global positioning systems (GPS) tracking vehicles and machinery in real-time. The result is access to real-time updates and alerts using data that is sent directly from the vehicle to the software platform. 

The primary objectives of fleet management are to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. With GPS trackers and fleet monitoring your fleet will be tracked with a variety of metrics: 

• Asset location

• Driving routes

• Idling time

• Driver status (moving, parked, or idling)

• An incident in the map (harsh breaking, heavy turns, or fast accelerations)

• Usage as a base for a maintenance plan
   

More about idling and how to cut emissions

Trailer tracking – tracking the cargo

A trailer tracking management service will streamline your fleet operation. Plan and learn from historical routes and analyse load time through geofences no matter the size of your fleet. Your telematics solution will transform dense information into easy-to-follow instructions you can act on.

The data that will improve your fleet is reliable and real-time. Improve the fleets’ driver retention by picking routes that are time-saving that will help your driver reduce stress.

Safety and risk management 

A fleet tracking system can also contribute to improving the on-the-road safety of your fleet as well as safety on the construction plant.

With the use of our solution, you can identify incidents of unsafe driving practices within the map such as hard braking or rapid turns. This driving behaviour information provides the company with an opportunity to investigate and have a discussion with the employee before a safety issue becomes a more serious incident.

Training your fleet 

The biggest obstacle that fleet managers face in the introduction of a tracking system to the company is employee pushback. Many employees may feel that the introduction of the fleet software is a way for the company to spy on them when, while these systems are designed to keep them safer and help the business improve.  

Education and training are the best ways to combat employee hesitation towards fleet tracking. A top-down training method, beginning with your management, is a fantastic way to ensure employee confidence. 

Ideally, your fleet drivers and machine operators will get training opportunities. By offering both mandatory and optional training programs on a regular basis is a valuable way to keep your drivers up to date on industry trends and company protocols, such as driver policy. A combination of ongoing on-road and off-road training initiatives ensures that your drivers will be operating your fleet safely and effectively. 

Multiple solutions  offers to track the fleet driver behaviour. The service will give both the driver and you as manager information on how the drivers behave in traffic and the ABAX Driver app will give them constructive tips on how to improve their driving skills such as harsh braking and abrupt driving, helping you to take actions to prevent accidents.

Compliance for fleet managers 

Privacy according to law is important to make the employees feel safe. When finding your preferred tracking solution, please make sure to check if they have data handling according to GDPR and that they can help you set the correct purposes for the use of a tracking solution.

Learn how ABAX is managing GDPR and Privacy

A well organised maintenance ensures safety 

Many of the operator-related risks associated with fleets could be avoided if the machinery was in mint condition. Keeping track of maintenance and inspections will not only reduce accident rates, but will also cut repair costs not planned for and decrease a fleet’s time-out-of-service ratio. Additionally, all drivers should know the location of and how to properly use all safety and emergency equipment on the vehicles they operate. 

A culture of safety 

Adapting a culture of safety in your company is one of the most important things you can do as a fleet manager. Establishing a mandatory fleet safety policy is also a preemptive way to keep drivers safer on the road.  

These policies should include guidelines regarding the required use of seat belts, driving according to speed limits, and what to do in case of a road incident such as a breakdown or accident. This can be achieved by putting a focus on safety at every level of the organisation, from executives to new hires.

Improved theft security 

In the event of an accident or theft, ABAX tracking software can be used to monitor and track vehicles, tools, and machines. Further, it can track who has access to the vehicle and/or the asset and monitor any unauthorised use with setting up geofences around geographic areas of any size like projects and construction areas. 

Keeping track of fleet maintenance  

A preventive fleet maintenance program should be applied from the moment the acquisition takes place. This program needs to consist of scheduled inspections, servicing, and repair work, with the goal of maximising the availability of the asset. A well-established maintenance program for your fleet is an excellent way to manage risks, ensure safety, and minimise spending.  

Improper care and upkeep of your fleet will result in assets that are unsafe for use. Not only do these safety issues put employees at risk, but poor maintenance could lead to negligence and litigation costs if something goes wrong.

Maintenance can be broken down into three primary categories

1. Preventive Maintenance

Focuses on maintaining the overall “health” of the vehicle or machine while keeping an eye out for any potential problems developing figuring out where your assets stand in their state of maintenance. A quick and efficient example of preventive maintenance could be tire pressure checks on a weekly basis. 

2. Routine Maintenance

Similar to preventive maintenance, this maintenance type focuses on work that occurs on a regular basis for every type of asset. These services include oil changes, tire rotations, engine fluid checks, engine cleanings, and more. The frequency at which these services must be performed is dependent on the machine or vehicle type.  

3. Emergency Maintenance

As its name suggests, emergency maintenance is unscheduled and cannot be planned or anticipated. Ideally, with the help of data from your telematics solution an excellent preventive and routine maintenance policy, a company can avoid any major emergency maintenance issues. 

With the use of equipment control it will be of significant help finding out when there will be needed for both setting up a preventive a routine plan for all your fleet maintenance.

Why is this a cost-saving matter?

If, for example, unnecessary engine work is being done on an excavator, the company is losing money in the cost-saving measure. Service not planned for is costly itself and lost on-duty or time on the plant is even more expensive.

Routine preventive maintenance should include:

• A checklist of maintenance tasks, based on specific requirements of each piece of equipment

• A timeline as to when these tasks should be performed

• A convenient system for operators to record inspection details and future complaints about equipment

• Scheduled periodic staff meetings to discuss the status of the fleet

• In-house or outsourced trained mechanics to complete repairs and maintenance

• Testing, inspection, lubrication, cleaning, repair, replacing worn parts, and more
   

Improve efficiency and routes for your fleet 

Help your drivers avoid traffic and potential delays with historical traffic data at a particular place, time of day, any day of the week. Most telematics providers offer historic routes ideal to improve your future routes and become more efficient. Every minute your vehicle leaves an accurate GPS trace to the road network, so you as the manager can see the most profitable route for both moving and future trails.

Equipment and machinery nurturing 

ABAX software program can be used to develop, implement, and maintain a preventive maintenance program for your fleet. This technology eases the burden with the implementation of an automated system.

Automated telematics like ABAX can gather data relating to all aspects of the fleet, including the location of the vehicle, the behaviour of the driver, vehicle activity, engine diagnostics, and more. This information is gathered and stored to provide easy reporting access for fleet managers and technicians.

The reports are critical in helping you as fleet operators with the management of the vehicle, machines, and equipment resources available in the company. With scheduled reports you will get your most valid data straight and automatically to your mail inbox.

Insurance for fleets of vehicles 

Insurance, in general, is a complicated and involved industry, and fleet insurance policies are no exception. By adding a solution that found on the behavioural driving, the cost will become much more affordable.

Looking for an insurance plan for your vehicle fleet? Here are some tips: 

Usage-based insurance is an option offered by some auto insurance companies, like Zego, that tracks your fleets driving and could result in lower car insurance rates — if your fleets driving scores well.

To provide a better customer experience, that can save your company money and limit the driver's exposure, many businesses are turning to usage based (UBI) models. And with the use of a driver policy internally, making a contract with your drivers on their driving behaviour, a UBI could be helping you to predict costs more accurately. 

Why adopt ABAX fleet management software? 

The ABAX fleet management system will track, analyse, and work to optimise every aspect of your fleet. With the help of future-proofed fleet software, you can train drivers, track the fleet, increase maintenance and safety, reduce risk, and prepare for all operation situations and better risk management.

Using a tracking solution all most needed data will be provided in a user-friendly interface for quick access to have the most important numbers at hand.