This holiday season promises to be one of the most challenging yet for UK businesses. In particular, businesses that deliver directly to their customers are facing not only an increased demand for their services, but also a shortage of supplies and qualified delivery drivers.
UK delivery businesses looking to meet the increased demands of their customers this holiday season without compromising their high professional standards need to install a fleet management system. A fleet management system makes it easier to track a car’s location, ensure that every delivery makes it safely to the customer’s doorstep and provides a better overview of your delivery fleet as a whole.
This article will outline some of the top challenges UK delivery businesses are facing this holiday season, and how Vimcar can ease the stress of fulfilling time-sensitive holiday deliveries.
The Problem: Higher Demand for Deliveries
Vimcar recently conducted a survey of businesses in the food industry to gauge their expectations of the upcoming holiday delivery season. Of those surveyed, over half are experiencing an increased demand for deliveries in the runup to Christmas, in comparison to 2020.
Multiple industries are experiencing an increased demand for deliveries, not just those working in food. A higher demand for deliveries means higher fleet costs, additional fuel usage, quicker delivery times and more.
The Solution: Fleet Geo
Fleet Geo is the UK’s most accurate fleet tracking system. In addition to tracking a car’s location in real-time, Fleet Geo lets you review the routes of each delivery vehicle retrospectively. You can use this information to adjust delivery routes as needed to shorten drive times and subsequently reduce fuel costs.
Moreover, Fleet Geo can be used to provide customers with proof of delivery. This is especially important during the holiday season when customers expect to get their parcels before the holidays.
The Problem: Driver Shortages
It’s no secret that the UK is facing a serious shortage of lorry drivers at the moment. It’s estimated that there’s a shortage of up to 100,000 drivers in the UK. Fewer drivers, combined with an increased demand for deliveries, makes it harder than ever for businesses to deliver their goods on time — or at all. Additionally, the shortage of drivers has resulted in a shortage of electronics, foodstuffs and even Christmas trees.
With 96% of the businesses in the food industry that Vimcar surveyed expecting to require more delivery drivers during the holidays, the driver shortage is going to cause problems for many.
The Solution: Driver ID
We at Vimcar may not have the solution for the UK driver shortage, but our Driver ID software can help you better manage the delivery drivers you do have during this busy holiday season. Driver ID takes vehicle tracking a step further.
Rather than tracking a vehicle’s location (like Fleet Geo does), Driver ID actually tracks which driver is in which delivery vehicle. Knowing which driver is in which vehicle eliminates the need to make time-wasting, ad hoc calls to your drivers to determine their location. When orders are placed and a last-minute delivery is required, you can respond quicker and more efficiently.
The Problem: Increased Fleet Costs
The higher the demand for deliveries, the more your vehicles will be on the road. Coupled with the petrol shortage that took place earlier this year, UK businesses can expect deliveries to rack up additional fuel costs this holiday season. Businesses that don’t already have fuel-saving driving practices in place should consider implementing some immediately.
The Solution: Fleet Geo & Fleet Admin
Depending on the number of delivery vehicles in your fleet, Vimcar can help reduce fuel costs in a few different ways.
Fleet Geo assists with tracking a car’s location and recording its route(s). You can optimise routes retrospectively to reduce idling times, delivery durations and so on. Plus, Fleet Geo lets you create custom alerts to be notified if a vehicle is used outside of a specified time frame (i.e. working hours). Together, these functions can reduce a fleet’s fuel usage and minimise total fleet costs during the holidays.
Fleet Admin can be used in conjunction with Fleet Geo to track your fleet’s data. With it, you can manage your fleet costs all in one place. Plus, you’ll receive automatic cost outlier reports. If costs have risen unexpectedly in one area — such as fuel usage — you’ll be notified immediately and can respond accordingly.
The Problem: Quicker Delivery Times
Customers rely on fast, reliable delivery services during the holidays. Whether it’s last-minute ingredients for a holiday meal or one more gift to put underneath the Christmas tree, they need their order to arrive pronto.
However, the combination of an increased demand for deliveries and fewer qualified drivers makes it tough to ensure that your business can fulfill time-sensitive deliveries.
Read more: Car Tracker Fitting
The Solution: Fleet Geo & DSA
Fleet Geo can be utilised to optimise delivery routes, give ETAs and also provide customers with proof of delivery. You’ll be able to track a car’s location in real-time, and can see how long it took to complete any given delivery. If a delivery took longer than expected, you can discuss the matter with your driver to find solutions to the problem moving forward.
With that being said, a need for quicker delivery times does not mean that drivers should drive recklessly in order to meet customers’ demands. Quite the opposite, in fact! To make sure your delivery drivers are practicing safe driving behaviours, you should consider installing Driving Style Analysis (DSA) to track their safety and driving efficiency.
Vimcar Helps Minimise Delivery Pressure
UK businesses that deliver during the holidays can expect an increased demand this holiday season. Additional challenges expected this year include a driver shortage, increased fuel costs and time-sensitive deliveries.
Vimcar Fleet is a reliable business partner that makes fulfilling deliveries easier than ever. Fleet Geo and Fleet Admin in particular are useful for tracking a car’s location, keeping tabs on drivers and minimising fleet costs.
