If you’re a company with a fleet of work vehicles, chances are you are looking for ways to cut costs. Running a fleet of cars or vans can be expensive and it can eat into the overall profit of your company. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are several simple ways to reduce your fleet costs.
Here, Lookers, retailers of the Ford Transit Connect, look at the top solutions to manage your fleet correctly:
GPS fleet tracking
By adding a tracking device to your fleet, your company can significantly reduce its operating costs. It enables you to monitor where any of your fleet are in real time and helps you to review the routes and daily activities your vehicles are taking. Doing this will help you establish how productive your staff members are and where you can tighten any slack work time. By finding the optimum route, you will not only save fuel, but you’ll also be more productive as there won’t be time lost in between jobs.
Driving style
Did you know that drivers who drive 12,000 miles a year can save an average of £250 each year just by improving driving habits? Keeping engine revs low when accelerating and changing gears in a ‘block’ – i.e. third gear to fifth – can help improve your fuel consumption. Another way to do this would be to slow down your average speed. By driving 70mph instead of 60mph you can use up to nine per cent more fuel.
You can use an optimization tool to monitor your drivers’ capabilities and ensure that they don’t rapidly accelerate or brake late on.
Vehicle maintenance
While you may not actually be the one driving any of the vehicles, making sure you keep on top of maintenance can save you a lot of money. By keeping the tyres at the right pressure, you’ll avoid wearing them down quicker than expected; worn tyres can cause fuel consumption to increase by 10%.
Removing clutter from the boot of your car or van can also make slight savings due to lightening the load. However, any saving must be seen as a good thing! The same goes for any roof racks and bars that are attached to your vehicle. Surprisingly, this can increase your fuel consumption by a massive 30%. If they are not necessary, take them off.
Maintenance and fuel cards
Some companies choose to incorporate maintenance and fuel cards. By having a single fleet card that’s accepted across most petrol stations and maintenance facilities can increase your workers’ productivity. If they are out on a job and constantly going from site to site, a card that’s accepted in a number of locations can help them to make a quick pit stop in between jobs to refuel without needing to go off track.
Team Incentive
Most of us work better with a little incentive. By can make us feel like part of a team as well as feeling like they’ve earned the praise of those above them. This motivation can really help boost productivity. Including incentives for your fleet works in exactly the same way. If you introduce a system of rewards that your fleet of drivers acknowledge as being achievable, then this can accelerate their improvement in driving capability, which could lower fuel costs, maintenance costs, accidents and insurance.
Running a productive fleet is crucial to hitting targets and being a profitable business and following the points above will stand you in good stead.
Author: Jamie Roberts on behalf of Lookers Ford CV.
Sources
- https://www.pendragonvehiclemanagement.co.uk/fleet-management-solutions/fleet-advice/fleet-cost-reduction/
- http://www.linxup.com/uses/gps-fleet-tracking.html
- https://www.totallandscapecare.com/green-industry-news/managing-your-companys-fleet-effectively/
- https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jose-costa/incentives-the-importance_b_10972834.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/ramcommercial/2016/04/22/managing-a-delivery-fleet-4-tips-for-small-business-owners/#4aacd2797308
