Fleet care is a broad term that encapsulates many key fleet management tasks, such as monitoring driver behaviour, cleaning fleet vehicles and more. Taking proper care of a fleet requires advance planning, good company policies and driver cooperation. Thankfully, new fleet management software makes it easier than ever to manage and care for a fleet.
This article will share some of the most common fleet care tasks and provide tips on how to encourage drivers to better care for their fleet vehicles.
Essential Fleet Care Tasks
Fleet care involves so much more than simply keeping vehicles up and running. Below are some of the key tasks required when caring for a fleet.
1. Monitoring Driver Behaviour
Regular wear and tear on fleet vehicles is expected when they’re driven frequently for work purposes. This type of wear and tear can be accounted for when creating a routine maintenance schedule for your fleet.
However, poor driving behaviour can cause additional wear and tear on vehicles that can lead to unexpected repairs or even compromise a vehicle’s safety. As such, it’s important to track your drivers’ behaviour as part of your fleet care schedule.
The easiest way to track individual drivers’ behaviour behind the wheel is with a driver monitoring software like Driving Style Analysis (DSA). DSA scores each driver based on factors like speeding, acceleration, idling and phone usage.
If a driver isn’t taking proper care of their fleet vehicle, you can send them the report that DSA automatically provides to demonstrate which of their poor driving behaviours needs to be corrected.
Read More: Why It Pays To Monitor Your Drivers
2. Cleaning Fleet Vehicles
In addition to being road-safe, fleet vehicles should also be clean. Your fleet vehicles make up part of your company’s image, so they need to appear tidy and professional at all times.
When it comes to cleaning fleet vehicles, you have a couple options. You can either have professional cleaners come to your business premises and clean the vehicles there, or you can drop off fleet vehicles at the cleaners’.
Depending on the size of your fleet and your internal budget, you may even be able to keep vehicle cleaning in-house.
3. Scheduling Maintenance Checks
Routine maintenance checks are critical to caring for a fleet. If you’re using a fleet administration software like Fleet Admin, you can automate all of the various maintenance reminders in one place.
Plus, you’ll receive reminders when a maintenance check needs to occur. This way, you’ll never overlook a crucial appointment and can keep your fleet vehicles on the road at all times.
4. Completing Walk-Around Checks
Conducting walk around checks reduces the risk of driver injury and keeps your fleet vehicles road-safe. Walk around checks should be performed daily, or just before a vehicle is driven.
Walk around checks can be logged manually using pen and paper, or they can be recorded using a fleet administration software like Fleet Admin. It’s recommended that you file each walk around check so that you always have up-to-date records on each of your fleet vehicles.
Read more: What Is A Commercial Vehicle?
Encouraging Drivers to Take Better Care of Vehicles
One of the main difficulties of caring for your fleet is ensuring that drivers take proper care of their fleet vehicles. If you’re struggling to get drivers to care for their vehicles, it’s recommended that you review your company policies and / or provide drivers with incentives to do so.
Proper fleet vehicle care guidelines should be outlined in your company policies. Moreover, drivers should receive basic vehicle education that explains how to care for fleet vehicles and what constitutes good driving behaviour.
Additionally, you should provide incentives that encourage drivers to follow company fleet care policies. For example, if a driver scores well using Driving Style Analysis software, they could be rewarded with a gift card or another perk.
Read More: How Does Vehicle Tracking Improve Your Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Tracking Software for Improved Fleet Practices
Caring for a fleet is a big job that includes important tasks such as monitoring driver behaviour, cleaning fleet vehicles, scheduling maintenance checks and conducting walk around checks. These tasks can be simplified — or even automated! — using fleet management software like Fleet Admin and Driving Style Analysis.
