An Entrepreneur’s Guide To Vehicle Fleet Management

If you’re in the trucking and logistics business, you have to know that yours is a challenging business to run. There are demands left and right, a never-ending to-do list, and other vital functions to accomplish. Above all, keeping your drivers safe while on the road and safely delivering all the goods you’re asked to transport are the primary goals to achieve as a business.

However, attaining these entails top-notch fleet management, whether you have trucks, cars, or construction equipment like a crane truck hire. This begins with keeping a well-managed fleet. It’s a demanding industry to belong to, but if other entrepreneurs found their way through, you can do so, too.

This entrepreneur’s guide to vehicle fleet management may be what you need to be more efficient with this task.

Master The Ability To Multitask

Vehicle fleet management is no easy feat, particularly for the entrepreneur who owns the trucking and logistics business. There are many tasks to accomplish each day, which will eat up so much of your time. This is why an entrepreneur has to master the art of multitasking to do this job well.

A good vehicle fleet manager or entrepreneur is a juggler. They need to balance all the day’s workload so the fleet can continue with its route and to-do tasks effectively. Drivers are faced with the demands of the suppliers, giving the entrepreneurs the tough job of focusing on multiple areas all at once, like fuel economy, fleet image, and safety.

Don’t compromise one area in favor of another. As the owner, you have to give each one an equal portion of your attention, whatever you have on your list for the day.

Always Make Safety A Top Priority

To earn a profit, those in the transportation and logistics company need to deliver the goods they’re asked to ship on time. However, don’t let that be the sole driving force of your operations. Above anything else, the safety of your drivers should always be a top priority. 

Getting ahead of any potential problems your drivers may go through must be of paramount concern to the entrepreneur. Unfortunately, you’re in for more detrimental problems if you let this pass.

When you put your drivers’ safety at risk, it’s not just the profit-earning potential of your business that suffers. Your business may also be answerable to the law if neglect from your end is proven.

Inculcate The Value Of Good Time Management

Time management is a trait that should be at the forefront of your company culture. It’s not only for the entrepreneur and upper management but also for everyone. When your company practices good time management, you can successfully ensure timely arrivals and departure of your fleet without compromising safety.

Don’t be too consumed by the urgent tasks. Manage your time wisely to see how every department performs and that the tasks in your operation are completed accordingly.

Understand The Value Of Preventive Maintenance

An integral part of vehicle management is ensuring that your fleet stays in tip-top shape. You can’t report to work one morning and then face the problem of having 10 delays for the day because 10 trucks in your fleet all decided to break down on the same day. Most often than not, you can address such an issue with trucks early on through preventive maintenance.

This may seem like one that goes without saying, but its importance has to be regularly stressed. Some owners of trucking businesses and logistics companies may still choose to forgo this because of the costs involved. It’s expensive to follow the usual preventive maintenance each truck needs. Yet when you compare this with the costs and losses when trucks are not in use, the expense you cover is considerably less and advantageous in the long run.

The preventive maintenance discussed here doesn’t only include minor hauls like tire checks and oil changes. You also have to include general safety checks and any other repairs that the mechanic deems necessary if they discover any problems during maintenance.

Final Thoughts

For entrepreneurs of businesses in the transportation and logistics sector, maintaining a high level of performance every day is often easier said than done. It’s about balancing different chores and tasks, all of which contribute to the challenging act of vehicle fleet management. It’s not an easy feat, but it’s also certainly not one that you can’t accomplish. The guide discussed here should be a good starting point, whether you’re a newbie entrepreneur in the transport industry or you know you need a bit more push to improve.