The big fleet challenges and how to overcome them

Whether a fleet consists of five vehicles or 500 plus, certain management issues are universal. Challenges change as impacting factors shift, but any firm that relies on a commercial fleet, including bulk logistics companies, must find ways to address and work around them.

The Arval Mobility Observatory (formerly the Corporate Vehicle Observatory) surveyed nearly 4,000 fleet managers for its 2019 UK Fleet Barometer, asking them – among other things – what they felt were the biggest fleet challenges for the next five years.  Top of the list by a long way was ‘Lack of road infrastructure causing increased congestion’, identified by 49% of respondents. 

Our transport system is undoubtedly getting more clogged and, while they’re undoubtedly necessary, government plans to get more ultra-low emission vehicles on the roads is creating increasing pressure on the logistics industry to cut its carbon footprint. Day to day, bulk operators can ensure their drivers are making every journey as direct and unobstructed as possible by automating route planning in real time. 

This certainly isn’t the only challenge faced by fleet managers though. Let’s look at a couple of other big issues at the heart of fleet management, and how bulk logistics companies can rise to them with the help of optimisation software.

Maximising value for money  

It’s not just efficiency for the purpose of sustainability that bulk fleet managers must think about; there’s a constant need to squeeze financial value out of every mile too. Every vehicle should be performing and utilised to optimum capacity.  

Vehicle utilisation is a cost implication for any fleet manager, especially those heading up larger fleets, where it’s easy for uneven usage to go untracked and unnoticed. But, monitoring usage of individual vehicles through a logistics optimisation system can highlight those that are underused, allowing them to be redeployed where needed and maximising their contribution to a company’s bottom line. Equally, any overused vehicles can be flagged for maintenance checks, in addition to the regular schedule and a driver’s ability to carry out checks in the field.

Duty of care for drivers

Any occupation that involves driving time comes with risk. The Department for Transport estimates that more than a quarter of all road traffic accidents may involve someone who is driving as part of their job at the time. Fleet managers have a duty of care towards their drivers and other road users are not put at risk by organisational driving or the road worthiness of their vehicles.

This is an area being greatly enhanced by logistics optimisation software and connected on-board sensor technology. Telematics record driver behaviour and flag any illegal potentially dangerous habits, such as speeding or harsh braking, engine and tyre pressure diagnostics monitor the operational status of the vehicle’s key systems, while night vision-enabled reversing cameras give your drivers essential visibility. Crucially, all the data captured by this technology, including the reversing camera feed, can be displayed to the driver on a single in-cab mobile computer, keeping dashboards uncluttered and free from distractions.

Fleet managers have the tools to minimise risk for their drivers and other road users, and boost fleet safety records drastically over time, reducing insurance premiums and providing protection from false claims. What are your fleet management issues? Of course, every organisation faces its own unique fleet management challenges. When it comes to bulk logistics, these will largely depend on what your firm ships; specialist sectors such as oil and gas, chemicals and hazardous and non-hazardous waste all have their own specific issues to face. At Touchstar, our decades of experience have made us experts in logistics optimisation systems for every kind of bulk industry. Our systems can help you capitalise on both universal fleet management challenges and those particular to your field of operation.

Contact our bulk logistics specialists to discuss your business needs and find out how we can become part of your fleet optimisation plan.