Almost every fleet owner realises the importance of finding new ways for improving efficiency and streamlining operations. And in 2021, it has become even more important so that they can survive through the pandemic and remain competitive in their industry. With the right tools, systems, and processes to monitor the operations, you can make sure that your fleet stays ahead of the curve.
As the logistics industry is still struggling, reducing costs has become a major concern for every fleet operator. Here are 5 smart ways you can cut fleet costs this year:
#1 Reduce Your Fleet’s Fuel Consumption
If you invest in fleet management software and tracking tools, you can reduce the fuel consumption of your entire fleet. They will help in three significant ways:
- You can track your asset’s location, route, and any stops made by them in real-time. It will help you to identify and reduce out-of-route miles that may be increasing your overall fuel consumption.
- You can improve dispatch efficiency and allocate the closest resources to customer calls and guide them on the most fuel-efficient route.
- You can analyse the engine runtime and idle-time data to eliminate incidents of prolonged idling. It will help you save fuel that is wasted on trucks that are left running.
#2 Optimise Your Fleet Routes
Inefficient routes significantly raise the operation costs by consuming more fuel, diminishing the fleet’s productivity, and causing delivery or service delays. You can use fleet tracking tools to create optimal routes. This way you can minimise fuel waste while ensuring on-time or quick delivery that guarantees enhanced customer satisfaction. It will not only reduce the run time of your fleet but will also increase its lifespan.
#3 Educate Drivers
Any reckless driving habits of your drivers can cause preventable accidents and unnecessary repairs. It may have a big impact on your fleet’s productivity and cost-efficiency. With fleet management software, you can monitor the behaviour of the drivers and identify major issues (including rapid acceleration, speeding, hard braking, or unnecessary stops). You can then use these insights to coach their behaviour and encourage them to stay compliant and reduce the risk of costly fines incurred by violations.
#4 Ensure Regular Maintenance of Your Fleet
It is a simple yet effective method of reducing overall fleet costs. With timely checks and maintenance, your drivers can detect early issues and avoid any expensive repairs in the long run. You can schedule regular maintenance and repair of your fleet to minimise downtime, save on fuel expenses, and improve driver satisfaction.
#5 Analyse Fleet Lifecycle
With proper and frequent maintenance, you can increase the lifespan of your fleet and save on unnecessary costs. However, if you continue to use your fleet longer than necessary, it could cost you more than even leasing new ones. You should use fleet management software to monitor and track data on fleet usage, breakdowns, accidents due to bad driving behaviour, vehicle wear, and more. This data can be then analysed to make well-informed decisions on the timing of vehicle replacements.
The constant advancements in technology should be utilised to monitor and assess maintenance costs. With access to real-time data from these digital solutions, you can pinpoint rising maintenance costs and bring them down by taking efficient steps.
