Small ailments like a common cold or bigger issues like dengue affect a person’s efficiency. Similarly, bad vehicle health will not only affect a vehicle’s output but also cause the quality of an entire fleet to deteriorate. But don’t worry, fleet management system can help!
Using this system, it becomes easier for owners to automate maintenance processes. But before we look into ways in which fleet management software optimises a fleet, it is important to understand the root of vehicle depreciation problems.
Why Do Fleets Suffer Damage?
There are many reasons that can cause vehicle deterioration. Some of them include-
- Accidents – An accident can be fatal for people travelling on roads. Accident-related damage can vary from ruined smaller parts to entire vehicle breakdown.
- Lack of Maintenance – All vehicles require regular servicing for them to run in a good state. But if fleet owners ignore warnings for maintenance requirements, vehicles are bound to incur damages. These damages are irreversible most times and add to business losses.
- Bad Driving Etiquettes – Mostly, the reason behind ruined vehicle engines is ill driving practices on road. Acts like idling, overspeeding, and sudden acceleration put immense pressure on the engine. This causes wearing down faster than normal.
How Can Fleet Management Software Help?
Fleet management software is the perfect solution for fleet businesses. With its features, it becomes easier for managers to automate and optimise their fleets. Some of these features are:
- Driver Behaviour Monitoring – Keeping an eye on driver activities helps managers monitor practices like idling, overspeeding, abrupt acceleration, harsh cornering, and braking. All these practices negatively affect vehicles. It stresses the vehicle’s engine and also wears down its tires.
With driver behaviour monitoring, such activities are reduced. The fleet management system alerts managers every time any ill-practice is detected and this makes drivers conscious of their habits. This reduces accidents and keeps vehicles in their optimal state.
- Servicing And Maintenance – The software allows managers to schedule services for their registered vehicles. Therefore, whenever a due date is nearing, the software alerts managers days prior. This helps keep vehicles in good shape.
- Route Planning – This feature of the fleet management system allows managers to create trips based on their requirements. Planning is often done keeping in mind the vehicle availability and condition.
Less time spent on roads means better vehicle health. Vehicles get to rest between trips which is good because overburdening can lead to breakdowns.
Using route planning, managers can look for shorter paths for trips. They can also allot tasks appropriate for vehicles and their conditions, avoiding bad or usually congested areas.
Benefits Of Healthy Fleets
There are so many ways in which fleet businesses can benefit from well-maintained fleets. Here are a few of them-
Raised Productivity
Out of all their vehicles, managers will always choose the ones in good condition to complete important tasks. Less wearing and tearing means, more tasks performed, better efficiency, and higher output. Thus, a healthy fleet will definitely mean more profit as more vehicles are in optimum condition.
Usually, cars in a good state are pressured into performing more tasks than others. But using a fleet management system broadens this selection of cars since the entire fleet is optimised.
When more vehicles are on road running in optimal condition, businesses will be able to complete more tasks. This makes them more productive within the same time as before.
Better Fleet Reputation
The first thing clients judge before hiring a fleet business is its physical condition. A well-maintained fleet is bound to look more reassuring for transporting high-value consignments. Similarly, when a fleet does not look like it is in an optimal state, clients will definitely question its reliability.
Improved vehicle health will also result in better task performance. This will increase customer satisfaction, creating a strong clientele for the business.
Fuel Efficient
Maintaining vehicles properly can improve fuel economy by up to 10%. This is because when a business adopts measures to maintain vehicles, it optimises all aspects of a fleet. This includes driver habits monitoring and route planning.
How drivers handle vehicles is an essential factor in determining fuel consumption. By cutting activities like idling, businesses not only maintain the engines of their vehicles but also reduce fuel consumption.
Similarly, by using route planning solutions, managers take control of routes covered by their vehicles. Shorter routes mean less fuel consumption on the journey.
Less Maintenance
A vehicle running in its optimal state will require way fewer repairs. The service and maintenance feature of the fleet management system keeps managers updated about all the due checkups for their vehicles.
With regular maintenance procedures, vehicles tend to break down way less than usual. It also saves fleet businesses from wasting money on unnecessary repairs.
Secure Driving
Adopting better driver habits results in fewer accidents. Aware drivers are in control of their vehicles at all times.
Keeping vehicles in their optimal state through regular check-ups also means discovering all faults that might lead to a road fatality at an early stage. A vehicle in good condition will always be easier to control on road than one that is on the verge of a breakdown.
Eco-Friendly
Sustainability is a major topic for debate all around us. Production of harmful gases because of vehicles is kind of inevitable. Burning a litre of gasoline can cause almost 2.3kg of CO2 production. But with a well-maintained fleet, fuel consumption is less. This leads to fewer emissions.
Other factors like tyre pressure also affect the fuel consumption of a vehicle. Inflating tyres to the correct pressure could improve fuel mileage by more than 3 percent. With fleet management software, you can iterate sensors that report tyre pressure levels to the system. Mangars can use this information to optimise their vehicles.
This is how vehicles can not only save money on fuel consumption but also reduce their carbon footprints.
Time-Saving
Time is money. We have heard it a million times but let us tell you, as businesses rise, this statement stands more accurate than ever before. When fleet management software helps vehicles stay in good health, they help businesses save time.
Managers spend way less time getting their vehicles repaired, with the exception of regular check-ups, and this time is instead used for other tasks. Thus, it increases the efficiency of managers. Vehicle health maintenance also means reduced downtime of vehicles. This aids drivers in making better profits by completing more tasks.
Increased Profits
As discussed in all the above cases, well-maintained fleets incur less expenditure for fleet businesses. It helps owners complete tasks more efficiently and also cuts down unnecessary maintenance costs.
Fewer road accidents are also a reason for a fleet’s lower function cost. Overall, when a fleet is kept in its optimal condition, the need for vehicle replacement slows down. Buying a vehicle is an expensive affair so businesses can save a lot by maintaining vehicles already under working for them.
Conclusion
The idea of maintaining good vehicle conditions for a large fleet might seem intimidating, but we assure you it is not. The fleet management system automates the fleet’s entire maintenance process.
With its multidimensional features, it will not only cut your losses but also ensure the safety of both your vehicles and drivers.
Get to know TrackoBit, the leading fleet management software that understands your unique needs. Build it from scratch with everything your fleet might need. Request a demo and experience its effects for yourself.
