What to look for in a fleet management system

Managing a fleet is no easy task – no matter how professional your drivers and state-of-the-art your vehicles are.

A key issue is visibility. As a fleet manager, you're not unlike a general watching the battle from a hillside or an astronomer surveying the night sky. On a bad day, you might feel more like a cat herder.

The point is that you have to see your fleet to know if it's running efficiently – and while you're getting eye strain watching your vehicles come and go, you also have to keep on top of budget and vehicle maintenance.

One solution to this problem is to invest in fleet management software. A reliable bit of software will furnish you with rich reams of data that help take the load off your shoulders. We're talking things like…

Where your vehicles are at any given time.

Traffic conditions.

How long drivers have been on the road (are they compliant with driving hours regulations?)
How long drivers have been idling.

Safety.

Any vehicle maintenance that's required.

Crucially, this data is actionable. It can drive and inform decision-making. In turn, this can mean lower costs, streamlined workflows and more automation (read: less stress).

You're only human – it's hard to stay on top of the inefficiencies of even a small fleet of vehicles. Good fleet management software can spot trends with the keen eye of a data analyst while you get on with other things.

Fuel inefficiencies. Safety hazards. Punctuality. These are all trends that software can easily identify, putting you in a better position to act on them.

What features should you look for in fleet management software?

However big or small your fleet, you need a user-friendly system that provides full visibility – and you'll want it to include the following six features.

1. GPS tracking

Asking drivers where they are isn't a productive use of time. GPS tracking allows you to see exactly where your vehicles are.

This has all manner of advantages, from knowing if and why a driver is delayed to scheduling fleet maintenance. GPS can keep tabs on each vehicle's mileage and provide an automated servicing schedule – freeing you up to focus on other things.

2. Driving hours compliance

As a fleet manager, you'll be well acquainted with driving hours compliance. But how can you stop drivers from staying on the road too long?

It's not just the driver's safety that's at risk – it's also your bottom line, as non-compliance can get you slapped with a fine.

So keep your drivers safe and your compliance on point with software that tracks your fleet's hours of service.

3. Vehicle health checkups

How healthy is your fleet? You don't need us to tell you that taking a vehicle off the road for repairs costs you money, upsets customers and potentially spoils your goods.

But while maintenance and repairs are inevitable, they don't always have to be unexpected. A good fleet management solution will give you data like…

Fuel usage
Battery voltage
Coolant temperature
Overall vehicle health

This makes it easy to schedule repairs and maintenance so you're not caught off-guard.

4. Fuel monitoring

Fuel is, of course, one of your biggest expenses. But identifying fuel efficiency isn't always easy – especially if you don't know how long your drivers are letting their motors idle.

By investing in software that monitors fuel usage, you can pinpoint inefficiencies and act on them.

5. Route management

Related to fuel monitoring is route management. Are you 100% sure your drivers are taking the most efficient routes to their drop-offs? Well, how would you without being able to track them in real-time?

Good fleet management software doesn't just track drivers. It also automatically collates and analyses past routes so that you can make informed decisions about future journeys.

The result? Better time efficiency, happier customers and less money spent on fuel.

6. Driver safety

Your drivers aren't invincible – and no amount of training will reduce the chances of an accident to zero.

But two of the leading causes of motor accidents are speeding and aggressive driving. A good bit of fleet management software will include dashcam integration so you can perform spot checks on driver performance – as well as provide evidence should an accident occur.

Choosing the right fleet management software for you

There's a wide range of fleet management software on the market, and which is "best" isn't obvious. We're not here to sell you software or promote a particular brand – but we do have some insights into what to look for.

Aside from the features above, the software you invest in should be user-friendly, easy to integrate and bursting with data.

1. User friendly

The whole point of fleet management software is to save you time so you can focus on other things. So you need a piece of software that is easy to install, manage and access.

2. Easy to integrate

The best fleet management software will let you integrate existing systems. These could include:

Routing software
GPS
Payroll
Invoicing
HR software

All your data in one place, ready to inform your next business move.

3. Data analytics

Data analysis is a speciality – and one which you may not feel 100% confident about. You need the analysis to be interpreted for you automatically so you can play to your strengths – making the best decision available.

The bottom line

A good fleet management system will be user-friendly, feature-rich and easy to integrate with your existing setup. This will ensure that you're able to carry on with business as usual – but with increased visibility and generous dollops of data.

Are you looking to hire a van in Newcastle or Gateshead? Please don't hesitate to get in touch – our friendly, knowledgeable team will be more than happy to tell you more.