How Fleet Management Works

Fleet management involves the administration, supervision and tracking of business vehicles to differing levels. Common applications include a fleet of production and delivery vehicles, where fleet management methods can be used to:

1. Coordinate deliveries,
2. Utilise personnel, routes and other resources optimally
3. Speed up proceedings,
4. Improve overall efficiency,
5. Reduce costs incurred due to fuel consumption, and
6. Eliminate wear and tear and costly maintenance.

It can also be a great way to make public transport systems more efficient.

All over the world, many private and government organizations use fleet management techniques to ensure better workflow and efficient operation. There are a few different aspects of fleet management that are used to differing degrees depending on fleet use, complexity and, of course, budget, and these are –

1. Tracking – The basic concept of fleet management is the tracking of individual vehicles in a fleet, using radio transmitters installed in these vehicles along with an integrated GPS or Global Positioning System. With satellite tracking, users can receive data about the positions and directions of individual vehicles on their fleet in real time, and can use the data to plan routes, timelines and coordination. This is also a great way to reach field stations fast, using only those vehicles that are in close proximity to a particular location.
2. Diagnostics and Driver Profiles – More advanced concepts of fleet management involve the collection of vehicular diagnostics data, and the creation of driver profiles. Remotely monitoring a vehicle’s health enables fleet controllers to schedule maintenance and repairs proactively, minimizing the risk of vehicle health hazards and failure. Driver profiles help controllers determine the general reliability and track record of their drivers, helping them to assess their efficiency and thus improve business profitability.
3. Security – One important aspect of fleet management is security. Fleet management enables fleet controllers to monitor the location and status of all vehicles, and gives them the power to remotely disable vehicles that get stolen or abandoned. This is a great way to minimize losses from cargo loss and damage.
4. Administration & reporting – One of the basic areas of fleet management is the ongoing administration and reporting functions necessary to ensure all vehicles are run optimally.  It involves creating efficiencies by centralizing the administration functions of the fleet to one area and providing detailed fleet and accounting reporting to ensure these efficiencies are maintained.