Fleet management is evolving rapidly and many tools are available to effectively implement your Fleet Wellness Program. Consider which tools are right for you and implement those that help you achieve your overall Fleet Wellness objectives. Let’s dive into the fourth tenet of our five-part Fleet Wellness Program series.
Fuel programs
A proactive fuel management program helps control cost, improve driver productivity, meet regulatory requirements, and provide for the collection of essential data used for management reports.
A typical plan issues one fuel card per vehicle and a unique pin number for each driver. The card is only valid for fuel purchases. A driver must enter the mileage and their unique pin number to enable the fuel pump. The unique codes allow data to be collected for each vehicle and driver. Management reports show mileage, grade of fuel, and fuel economy. It identifies drivers who are filling up with mid-grade or premium fuel or whose fuel economy is below average. The data captured from fuel programs drive push notifications for preventative maintenance.
Fleet Management Maintenance Plans
Like an employee wellness plan, Fleet Wellness focuses on preventative maintenance. Good preventative maintenance can reduce the likelihood of costly repairs, extend the life of the vehicle, reduce downtime as well as increase the value at disposition. Fleet Maintenance plans are available through fleet leasing companies.
Preventive Maintenance
Fleet Management Maintenance Plans systematically notify the driver through automated push notifications when preventative maintenance is due on the vehicle. Monthly reports provide which vehicles are in compliance with preventative maintenance guidelines.
Repairs
The Fleet Management Plans also cover unexpected repairs on vehicles. The Fleet Management Plan includes a predetermined list of repairs and approved costs for those repairs as well as approval levels within the organization. When a company vehicle is taken into a local repair shop, the repair cost is compared to the approved limits. If the cost and repair is within the guideline, the repair is automatically approved. If it is outside the approved limits, it goes through a very efficient approval process before any costs are incurred and will result in significant cost savings overall of 20-40%.
GPS/Telematics Solutions
Telematics, very broadly speaking, is the integration of telecommunications and information, and the process of sending and receiving information across mobile and remote devices. A perfect example many people recognize is the mobile GPS unit in vehicles.
With Telematics, drivers can find the fastest route to their destination in real-time because the vehicle’s location information is partnered with current traffic reports.
That means drivers can avoid time-wasting traffic jams and, for those who want to make sure drivers aren’t taking unnecessary detours, telematics can monitor which routes the driver did take.
And thanks to the data captured by Telematics from the vehicles themselves, a more efficient maintenance schedule can be implemented, putting cars back on the road faster and cutting down on unproductive repair time.
Finally, Telematics has been shown to help decrease vehicle accidents, not only by providing real-time traffic information but also through the monitoring of driver behavior. Thanks to Telematics, reckless driving can be captured, and addressed, before an accident happens. Additionally, if an accident has already occurred, Telematics can help answer questions about it, such as fault and timeline.
So while every fleet is unique, Telematics is a universal tool that can help all fleets increase their productivity and efficiency, if implemented appropriately.
Gamifying the Driver Experience
Gamifying the driver experience can affect fleet behavior and does so in a positive and rewarding way to your team members. Telematics units can provide progressive scorecards about each driver and can also give in-cab feedback with audio and light warnings when drivers exceed nominal threshold behaviors.
Safety teams could focus on rewarding those drivers who actively modify their behavior to comply with established threshold conditions. Rewards not only stop bad practices, it also provides incentives to drivers for long-term adoption of positive behaviors, such as shutting off the engine rather than idling during long stops and discouraging harsh braking.
It is important to keep up with the developments in fleet management technology and ensure you are implementing the right tools to match your objectives.
No time for that? Consider partnering with a fleet management expert that is on top of the tools, best practices, and financing sources.
To learn more about how you can use the Fleet Wellness program to assess, track, and measure the health of your fleet and your progress toward your strategic goals, download our eBook.
