Tips For Improving Truck Fleet Management

Published By: LogiPe on August 9, 2022

Logistics plays a significant role in connecting businesses and customers. A fleet manager executes activities at the logistics end of the company and ensures that the operations run smoothly. They keep the firm in good economic shape.

Caption: Truck fleet management includes mam cargo storage to delivery.ny responsibilities.

[Image credit: https://www.freepik.com/photos/logistics-export Logistics export photo created by wirestock -www.freepik.com]

Primary Responsibilities Of A Truck Fleet Manager

Knowing the responsibilities help understand the scale of the job at the hands of fleet managers. Here we become familiar with some of them.

Vehicle acquisition and sale

A fleet consists of several vehicles of different specifications and sizes. A truck fleet manager ensures that new vehicles are added to the fleet per requirements. At the same time, the firm must sell old trucks at competent prices. The acquisition and sale processes must occur in a timely and economically healthy fashion for the company.

Monitoring fuel policy

Fuel is a significant spending factor for a logistics company. A truck fleet manager makes sure that fuel usage is optimal. The fleet manager also notes factors leading to fuel wastage like idling losses, inefficient routes and sub-optimal driving practices. They are responsible for addressing and eliminating such issues with a better fuel policy. LogiPe provides Prepaid cards to fleet owners which can be used to earn cash back on fuel recharge at their partner fuel pumps. These cards can be given to drivers and easily track their expenses on the LogiPe app.

Attending driver safety

Drivers are a vital cog in the functioning of a logistics firm. Their safety has direct implications for the brand image. Further, ensuring their welfare means productivity is high and unforeseen losses are minimised. A truck fleet manager must understand in which areas the fleet drivers need guidance and education, and lead driver education programmes to address such issues.

Analysing fleet metrics

Fleet metrics include a spectrum of data such as route times, fuel expenditure, driving patterns, vehicle positions (using a truck GPS tracker) and asset utilisation. A truck fleet manager must stay current with these metrics and find ways to optimise fleet operations. Considering all these factors helps plan better for the future.

Fleet maintenance

Vehicles on the road regularly face wear and tear. This wear and tear can lead to breakdowns and losses in productivity if not addressed on time. A truck fleet manager’s responsibility is to monitor vehicles’ status regularly. Timely repairs and proactive maintenance help avoid unnecessary losses while keeping drivers safe. Scheduling such maintenance is also part of a truck fleet manager’s tasks. Further, well-maintained vehicles have better resale value when the time comes.

Tips For Improving Truck Fleet Management

As we have seen, a truck fleet manager has many responsibilities. They have to perform a range of tasks, often on a large scale, to increase the profits in logistics operations. A dedicated truck fleet management system helps simplify and streamline their job. Here we discuss how using a truck fleet management system can help.

Automate route planning

Using a truck fleet management system with large transportation networks helps automate route planning. There is no need to compare various routes manually. The software does this much faster than a human fleet manager could. Further, fleet management software can account for factors like fuel economy, vehicle type, cargo sensitivity, and driver habits while planning routes. GPS tracking of trucks also helps guide through the journey while staying up-to-date on possible route changes.

Increase driver productivity

Truck fleet management software can improve driver productivity. The software uses devices implanted in the trucks to track drivers’ driving habits. It can then alert the human managers of any possible driving issues that need correction, increasing driver safety and productivity. Further, truck fleet management systems also automate keeping track of drivers working hours. Knowing hours spent helps schedule dispatches and breaks as needed to prioritise driver health. The software also uses GPS tracking of vehicle availability in the fleet. This automation in alerts avoids delays in assigning drivers their corresponding vehicles, boosting productivity.

Keep track of fleet health

As we have seen, a fleet manager has to monitor the fleet health closely and know when repairs/maintenance is required. Truck fleet management software automates trucking fleet maintenance by using a range of vehicle sensors to keep track of their health. As a result, the software enables the fleet manager to act proactively and take preventive measures. Scheduling maintenance is also made more efficient by using the various vehicle health metrics to gauge how soon care is needed.

Using GPS features to track the fleet

Truck fleet management systems let you keep track of the positions of all trucks in a fleet using GPS tracking. Knowing the positions and status of the vehicles, the firm is in a better place to keep customers updated on the delivery times, increasing trust and brand value. This minimises issues like theft in transit. The firm can promptly address them should they, unfortunately, occur. Further, GPS data provides a wealth of information the company can analyse for planning.

Simplifying paperwork

A fleet manager has to deal with a large amount of paperwork. The paperwork includes vehicle compliance documents, driver hour tracking and bills, and customer invoicing. Truck fleet management software automates most of this work. For example, the software uses trucks’ sensors to track driving hours. Features like geofencing can automate billing and invoice once a delivery is complete. Reducing the need for paper helps the environment and saves time.

Gain better data insights

Using truck fleet management software also helps plan for the future. The manager is presented with a range of vital numbers regarding route and fleet performance based on truck GPS data. Issues leading to inefficiencies such as fuel losses due to idling and sub-optimal routes are flagged. Equipped with such information, the fleet manager can make decisions for the future to boost efficiency and increase profits. Such moves include designing a better fuel management system for trucks or charting more efficient routes.

LogiPe: A New Financial Solution For Fleet Managers

LogiPe brings expense tracking to fleet management services. It makes the fleet manager’s role of keeping track of driver expenses and payment reconciliation much simpler. LogiPe provides prepaid cards which can be used for FASTag payments, fuel payments and other transactions by drivers. They can earn cashback on every transaction made using prepaid cards by LogiPe. LogiPe also helps ease the cash flow and ensure funds are available for logistics operations to progress smoothly.

Conclusion

A modern fleet manager has an extensive range of responsibilities to address. Using capable truck management systems can make their job much more manageable. Implementing the tips discussed here can go a long way to smoother execution of logistics operations. Visit LogiPe for more information on how we can help in the financial aspects of logistics and fleet management.

The firm has to make well-considered investments in obtaining GPS for trucks. We at LogiPe can assist your logistics firm in streamlining cash flow and keeping track of payments. We help you manage FASTag payments, fuel expenses, and driver expenses using prepaid cards by LogiPe. to know more about the range of services we have to offer!