Fleet
efficiency is the product of countless tweaks to all the aspects of the
operation and, according to Standard Bank Fleet Management, now is a good time
to check your arsenal of cost-saving methods.
Dr
David Molapo believes that the following are sure ways to improve fleet
efficiency:
Exception
reporting
Information
technology and telematics have revolutionised fleet efficiency, resulting in a
wealth of information that becomes available. Without filtering, millions of
bytes of data can flow by the fleet manager's desk unused, simply because it
will take too much time to go through it all, and the technology ends up to a
large degree wasted.
Some
of the most productive hours that a fleet manager can spend are on thinking how
to structure reports so that they flag the exceptions rather than merely
listing all the events and sometimes it requires getting to know the systems of
service providers better.
For
example, a GPS tracking service could allow you to draw a virtual border around
a region and capture alerts when your vehicles cross the line, or could
automatically create a report that lists stops longer than a certain period.
Set up in this way, a clear pattern emerges from the ocean of information
produced by a GPS tracking system.
Following
the same principle, even something as basic as a vehicle log book can be
structured in a way that it requires staff to highlight exceptions.
Route
optimisation software
Algorithms
that figure out the shortest route between a series of stops or delivery points
are now available to any fleet through various websites that provide the
service.
The
effectiveness of a route optimisation service can be proven when comparing the
estimated distance and time that the algorithm comes up with, and the real
distance travelled and time taken by your driver using your usual
route-planning methods. The difference between the two would tell you whether
the monthly subscription to the route optimisation service is worthwhile.
Transaction
authorisation
Transaction
Authorisation Systems have exception reporting built into it them. Essentially,
the system reports every transaction done with a fleet card to fleet managers,
even on their mobile phones if they prefer. But rather than swamp the fleet
manager with a list of transactions, it reports intelligently.
Working
in the background, the system assesses each transaction against a set of rules
some of which can be determined upfront by the fleet manager, for example, use
of the card may be limited to specific time frames. If the driver tries to use
it more frequently, the transaction is declined automatically and the fleet
manager notified. The fleet manager can then decide whether to approve the
transaction due to special circumstances.
Transaction
authorisation, which can decline a transaction automatically based on as many
as thirty different rules, has saved millions of rands for fleet managers by
helping to cut down on fuel-card fraud.
Preventative
vehicle maintenance
For
fleet operators whose vehicles are used exclusively to generate revenue for
their business, any vehicle downtime means that no money is coming into the
business. The fleet operator may be tempted to skip vehicle services or to
postpone repairs on a vehicle. This could prove more expensive over time as
mechanical breakdowns and even accidents may occur as a result. Vehicles must
therefore be kept in good running condition at all times and services and even
repairs can be planned for quiet times.
Always understand the running costs of your vehicle fleet. This includes cost of fuel, oil, tolls, services and repairs, tyres and accident repairs. In tough economic times this becomes even more important, but it must become a habit to monitor these costs on a daily basis. Find a service provider that can supply a means to pay for these expenses (for instance fleet fuel cards), but more importantly offers an easily accessible reporting system that shows you as and when expenses occur. In addition, make use of expert services supplied by such service providers that will help you to for instance minimise maintenance expenses.
Article
first appeared in AutoForum: 
http://autoforum.co.za/View-News-Article.aspx?News=10863
