How To Make Your Fleet More Efficient.

Efficiency is one of the most important aspects of any business, and the more efficient you can be, the more successful you’ll be – they follow on from one another. The thing to remember is that you’ll need to be as efficient in every area of your business as the next, even those areas where you might not think about efficiency as a priority – including your fleet. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to make your fleet more efficient; read on to find out more.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Use Technology

One of the best ways to make your fleet more efficient is to use technology, and the great news is there are various types of fleet management software you can choose from, helping you get the most out of your vehicles and drivers and making sure everyone and everything is as efficient as possible. 

Fleet management software gives you real-time data on where your vehicles are, how much fuel they’re using, and even how the driver is handling the vehicle – are they being careful and taking good care of their vehicle, or do you need to speak to them about their behavior on the roads? Once you’ve got all the information, you can make sure you implement any changes necessary to make your fleet as efficient as possible. 

Fuel Management 

One of the biggest costs associated with your fleet has to be fuel, especially if your drivers are traveling long distances and/or carrying heavy loads. By putting a good fuel management system in place, you can save a lot of money, and make your fleet a lot more efficient. 

This means you’ll need to track fuel usage, look for any areas that aren’t so efficient, and even train your drivers (or outsource the training) so they can drive in a more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly way. Plus, if you invest in fuel-efficient vehicles, like those from Allison Transmission, and have them serviced regularly to keep them running well, you’re already off to a good head start. 

Optimizing Routes

If you’re able to optimize your routes better, that could be a critical aspect of your fleet management, so that’s definitely something you’ll want to look into and do if it’s possible. You can use the technology we mentioned above to analyze driving patterns, and then you’ll need to spend time looking at delivery schedules and customer locations and make sure you’ve planned out the very best and most efficient route between each one. 

The last thing you’ll want is for your drivers to be going back and forth down roads they’ve already been on, so that’s why it’s better to spend some time planning and then spend less time on the road, which is better for the environment, your workers, your reputation, and your vehicles. 

That sounds like a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? Well, in the past it definitely would have been, and it would have involved maps and long calculations, but today you can input all your deliveries into one program and get a ready-made route plan for each driver. Technology is definitely a fleet manager’s friend!