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Breedon fleet cuts emissions and idling time with driver rewards tech

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Leading construction materials group Breedon has succeeded in introducing significant improvements to its fleet of delivery vehicles with the help of Lightfoot’s pioneering real-time in-cab driver coaching technology.

Instances of aggressive and inefficient driving have been dramatically reduced, resulting in a 12.2% fall in fuel costs, a 10.9% drop in carbon emissions, and a 24% reduction in pollution caused by vehicle idling. Over the next 5 years, Breedon is on target to reduce fleet CO2 emissions by 1,651 tonnes – the equivalent of removing 359 passenger vehicles from the road.

Lightfoot’s fleet management system works by providing drivers with visual and verbal feedback as they travel, helping them to correct their driving in the moment and adopt a safer, smoother style. Better driving is incentivised through the Lightfoot Driver App, which rewards drivers who reach the performance target with weekly giveaways, exclusive discounts, and top spots on the leaderboard.

Installed across Breedon’s 380-strong fleet, Lightfoot has been key to improving driver safety. Within a month of being fitted, aggressive driving had decreased by 80%, with harsh acceleration falling by 63%, severe braking by 28%, and cornering at speed by 19%.

Learn more about Breedon’s achievements with Lightfoot here.

Clean Air Zones: Why you should refresh your knowledge of motoring law

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Clean Air Zones are appearing in a growing number of cities around the UK. If your vehicle does not meet emission standards, you’ll have to pay a daily charge if driving in the city centre. With active Clean Air Zones already underway in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford and Portsmouth, other cities like Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle are following suit, with staggered charges to be implemented from winter 2022.

UK drivers are encouraged to give their knowledge of the highway code a refresher – alongside the new Clean Air Zones, you could be caught out by the implementation of a couple of recently updated driving laws. Just 40% of Britons feel ‘very familiar’ or ‘fairly familiar’ with the highway code, though it’s important to ensure your knowledge is regularly updated.

Allan Hetherington, Head of Prestige Car Finance at Anglo Scottish Asset Finance, comments: “Many drivers are concerned about rule changes regarding Clean Air Zones because of the varying introduction dates and classes. But they’re also surprised to find their existing knowledge of motoring law isn’t up to scratch. There are plenty of driving nuances that could land you in hot water with the law, so we always recommend staying up to date with the latest law changes.”

Anglo Scottish Asset Finance, which worked with Bath and North East Somerset Council on its Clean Air Zone, has highlighted two new rule changes as well as some common areas where UK drivers may be likely to slip up.

Key points

  • Just 40% of Britons feel ‘very familiar’ or ‘fairly familiar’ with the highway code.
  • Failure to pay Clean Air Zone charges within 6 days of your journey could result in a penalty charge notice.
  • After an update to the mobile phone use law, drivers can no longer use their phone whilst driving for any purpose. Previously, drivers were not allowed to use their phone to communicate but were permitted to use it to change songs and other small tasks.
  • Contrary to common belief, eating or drinking behind the wheel is not illegal. However, if you’re deemed to not be in proper control of the car, you could receive a £100 fine and three penalty points.
  • Splashing a pedestrian with rainwater could net you a fine of up to £5,000 if you’re adjudged to be driving without proper consideration for others.
  • You could receive a fine of up to £1,000 in court if you’re caught paying with your phone whilst the car engine is running and handbrake is off.
  • You could receive a minimum of 10 points on your licence and a fine if you’re caught sleeping in your car whilst drunk.
  • Flashing your headlights to give way could result in a minimum fine of £30.

Clean air charges

Depending on your vehicle, you may be subject to charges whilst driving in one of the new zones. The rules of the new Clean Air Zones are in effect 24/7, 365 days a year, meaning drivers could easily be caught out during a late-night journey.

If your vehicle doesn’t meet the emission standards, you’ll be liable to pay the charge. There are four different classes of Clean Air Zone in your city – A, B, C, or D, and they determine the types of vehicles covered. Drivers should also be aware that, if eligible, they have six days to pay their charges, or they could receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

The new mobile phone laws

Communicating on a mobile phone at the wheel has been against motoring law for many years – drivers talking or texting on the phone while driving have long been subjected to £200 fines and six penalty points on their licence. However, until recently, drivers were permitted to use their phone for non-communication purposes, such as changing the song they were playing.

The new law stipulates that UK drivers may not use their phone whilst driving for any purpose. In order to use any unmounted handheld device behind the wheel, you must be parked with the engine switched off.

This means that you could even be in trouble if you use your phone to pay for a meal at the drive-thru. Any driver caught using their phone whilst driving could then receive a further fine of up to £1,000 in court, so you could end up with a VERY expensive Big Mac if you’re not careful!

Eating and drinking at the wheel

The actual act of eating or drinking whilst driving is not strictly illegal. However, if you’re distracted behind the wheel while enjoying a bite to eat and are spotted by officers, you could still be breaking the law. If they deem that you aren’t in proper control of the car, you could be on the receiving end of an on-the-spot fine of £100 and three penalty points.

Turning on a light in the car

At some point or another during your childhood, the chances are that you’ve turned on a light in the car, only to be scolded by your parents and told it’s illegal. Despite this long-held myth, there’s no law against driving with interior lights on. If the light is adjudged to be distracting for you or even other drivers, however, you may be charged with careless driving.

Splashing a pedestrian with rainwater

Ever driven through a deep puddle and drenched a pedestrian? Sometimes, avoiding a puddle might be impossible. However, if you’re deemed to have driven ‘without reasonable consideration for other persons,’ you could be in (hot) water yourself. In that event, you could face a fine from £100 up to an eye-watering £5,000.

Smoking in the car

Smoking in a car on your own, or in a car full of adults, is not illegal. However, if there are any under-18s in the car with you, smoking is not permitted and has been illegal since 2015. Offenders could be punished with a £50 fine and five points on their licence – even if it’s one of your passengers who is smoking with a child in the car.

Driving in incorrect footwear

Did you know that certain types of footwear are prohibited behind the wheel? Though it’s not against the law, Rule 97 of the Highway Code states that ‘the footwear and clothing you wear whilst driving must not prevent you from using the controls in the correct manner.’ This means any footwear without a closed back or strap could earn you a £100 fine, as they could slide off your feet or get stuck under the brake pedal – so no flip-flops!

Improper use of the hard shoulder

When you’re stuck in standstill traffic on the motorway, the hard shoulder could look like a great way to get around. However, since March 2018, this has been a finable offence. With fixed charges of £100 and three penalty points to be dished out for hard shoulder users, don’t get caught out!

Sleeping in the car whilst drunk

You’ve had a few too many and – correctly – decide that driving would be far too dangerous. Probably best to sleep in the car and drive home in the morning when you’ve sobered up, right? Wrong. The law states that whoever is in charge of a vehicle should not be inebriated, and police have often classed sleeping owners as being ‘in charge.’ You could therefore receive 10 points on your licence and a substantial fine.

Flashing your lights to give way

You see it daily on the road – a driver flashing their lights to allow another driver through, or to allow a pedestrian to cross the road. Many of us see this as a polite and helpful gesture, but you aren’t legally allowed to do this – you could encourage someone to make a manoeuvre when it isn’t safe. Using your headlamps in this way could carry a minimum fine of £30.

So, how many of these infractions were you aware of? And how many have you managed to avoid doing so far? It’s always worth giving your knowledge of the road a refresh from time to time to ensure that you are driving as safely as possible for yourself and the other drivers on the road.

Take your fleet management career to the next level with these excellent online courses

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Our selection of online courses tailored specifically for the fleet sector will enable you to both learn new skills and improve existing ones in 2023 and beyond – sign up today!

These are specially-curated online courses designed to help you and your team improve expertise and learn new things.

The Management, Leadership & Business Operations online learning bundle provides you with over 50 courses, which cover all areas of both professional and personal development:

  • Costs, Volumes and Profits Certification
  • Agenda Setting Certification
  • Health and Safety in the Workplace (UK) Certification
  • GDPR in The Workplace Certification
  • Project Management Foundation (Small Projects) Certification
  • Project Preparation Certification
  • Making Meetings Matter Certification
  • Marketing Certification Level 2
  • Managing Emotions at Work Certification
  • Managing Your Workload Certification
  • UK Employment Law Certification
  • Workplace Monitoring and Data Protection Certification

And many more!

Find out more and purchase your ticket online here.

Additionally, there are a variety of bundles available on all spectrums;

  • Personal & Professional Development
  • Healthcare
  • Sports & Personal Development
  • Human Resources
  • Customer Services
  • Health & Safety
  • Education & Social Care Skills
  • Sales & Marketing
  • IT & Personal Development

Book your courses today and come out of this stronger and more skilled!

What you need to know about automotive software

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The automotive industry is moving forward rapidly with the help of software applications and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Vehicle data has become a crucial asset for automotive companies, helping to accelerate their digital transformation. Going digital has become essential for the auto industry nowadays and requires reliable and trustworthy automotive software.

Here’s what you need to know about Automotive Software.

1. Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles can operate without human intervention and work in the same way as traditional cars. These vehicles rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sense their environment, allowing them to know what’s going around their surroundings. AI can recognise objects and identify whether they are a person, another vehicle, etc. They can also detect if these objects are moving or stationary. AI must predict what will happen next and pass this information to the decision software to decide the next course of action.

Autonomous vehicles rely on sensors, complex algorithms, actuators, machine learning systems, and processors to execute software. The software is responsible for processing the sensory input, establishing a path, and sending instructions to the actuator that controls the acceleration, steering, brakes, etc. Hard-coded rules, object recognition, and predictive modelling help software follows traffic rules and navigate any obstacle. Automotive companies need to recruit automotive software engineers to check the car and ensure the software works efficiently.

Developing an autonomous vehicle is a complex process. Whether retrofitting an existing vehicle or building one from scratch, there’s plenty of work involved. Automotive software engineers will not only need to program more than 200 million lines of code on the vehicle’s hardware, but they must also navigate through the tools and programs to develop, optimise, deploy, and manage the software of autonomous vehicles.

However, not all autonomous vehicles are the same. These vehicles rely on different tools to operate. Automotive software engineers use more than a hundred different tools to build and maintain these vehicles. Luckily, automotive software tools and platforms are constantly evolving, which helps to improve the accuracy of autonomous driving software.

2. Electrification

Vehicle electrification means powering the vehicle with electricity and replacing every component that uses conventional energy sources with those that use electricity. It focuses on the powertrain driven and its auxiliary systems, including on-board and off-board charging systems and wireless power transfer. Electrification also covers several other functionalities, such as the electronic stability program, electronic-powered steering, intelligent light system, electronic traction control, airbag deployment system, and many more. Electric vehicles rely on software to manage their battery systems and other key critical functions. Software is also crucial for protecting these vehicles against cyberattacks.

The main objective of vehicle electrification is to replace the gasoline drive with an electric powertrain. With an electric powertrain, a traction battery pack will use the energy stored in it to operate the motor with the help of the power electronics converter. When you step on the brake, electric energy gets moved back to the battery through the regenerative braking system. The converter’s control technique and topology will vary depending on the electric motor type.

Electric vehicles must be plugged into a charge point and take electricity from the grid to work. It then stores the electricity through the rechargeable batteries powering its electronic motor and is responsible for turning the wheels. Electric vehicles accelerate faster compared to those that operate with traditional fuel engines. Therefore, they are much lighter to drive. To charge the electric vehicle, plug it into a home charger or a public charging station. There are now several charging stations in various countries worldwide, so your car stays fully charged as you go out and about. When using home charging, ensure you have the right EV electricity tariff to save money on your electric bill.

The distance you can travel on a fully charged vehicle will depend on various factors, but the main factor is the vehicle type. Each EV has a different battery size, range, and efficiency. Choose the vehicle you can use for your everyday journeys without having to stop and recharge halfway through.

3. Connectivity (IOT)

Automotive IoT is a complex system of devices connected to the cloud, offering real-time data to optimise the process of manufacturing vehicles and develop a more efficient transport system. IoT solutions transform vehicles into “smart transportation” by leveraging AI-powered driving assistance, direct car-to-car interaction, predictive maintenance, and other advanced features to enhance road safety and improve driving efficiency. Most car manufacturers rely on IoT to automate production processes, minimise human errors, and improve quality control.

Connected cars have simplified things for both the manufacturers and the drivers, especially in terms of software upgrades. Vehicles are becoming increasingly more complex as time goes by. Before, the only way to keep cars updated is returning them to the dealer, which can be an inconvenience for the car owners and very costly for the manufacturers. Thanks to IoT connectivity, it’s now possible to update the software-reliant components of vehicles remotely.

Automotive IoT can also help improve vehicle performance. Electronic vehicle manufacturers have been regularly sending software fixes, such as suspension lifts and battery performance. Automotive IoT developments will cover more updates in the future, specifically related to feature enhancements.

Another benefit of IoT in the automotive industry is providing a clear picture of the manufacturing floor. Industrial IoT solutions can collect enormous amounts of data during vehicle production. Real-time processing and analysis of data collected can help manufacturers optimise the production process, introduce higher standards for safety, and minimise losses. The data that the IoT sensors collect can be analysed to predict failure car conditions, alerting users to take proper safety measures to avoid malfunctions and minimise car maintenance costs.

Thanks to IoT, car owners can now enjoy a range of vehicle entertainment systems, telematics, navigation solutions, driver assistance systems, and other features that can improve efficiency and comfort. In addition, IoT-enabled safety features like pedestrian and lane detection, object recognition, and automatic braking systems offer driving assistance to minimise human errors and make vehicles safe for everyone.

Guide to health and safety in the fleet industry

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Fleet companies have to stay updated on the legislation affecting how they run their business. They must be proactive in managing and improving the safety of their vehicles and staff. Compliance with regulations is essential to avoid fines and lawsuits and help the business operate more efficiently since their assets and employees will be safe and healthy. So, check out this guide to health and safety in the fleet industry.

1. Need for Risk Assessments

Risk assessment refers to the careful examination of certain aspects of the workplace that could cause harm. It helps fleet owners decide whether they have done enough to protect the vehicles and the drivers from potential danger.

Fleet drivers face different types of hazards every day. Some of these risks apply to drivers of commercial vehicles, while others apply to specific industries. Fleet companies must be able to assess a driver’s level of risk exposure and come up with a plan to ensure they have the proper resources and systems to minimise these risks.

Consider doing online training in health and safety regulation to know more about risk assessments. When conducting fleet risk assessment, fleet managers must identify potential issues that could make a fleet unsafe or non-compliant. After identifying such risks, they must determine a proper framework of practices to improve safety and prevent further hazards. The ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of the fleet of vehicles, their drivers, and other motorists. There is no “one size fits all solution” to risk assessment in the fleet industry. However, adopting a set of practices, programs, and tools would be a great place to start.

By law, a risk assessment should be sufficient and suitable, which means it has to be good enough to ensure the safety of employees. It does not need to be technical or complicated. In fact, you can carry out risk assessments during the regular course of business operations.

It’s crucial to conduct a thorough and accurate assessment. If you have more than five people in your organisation, you must jot down any significant findings from the risk assessment you have conducted.

2. Managing Lift Trucks

Lift trucks are some of the most dangerous fleets of vehicles. They are involved in almost a quarter of all accidents in the workplace. While these vehicles are highly effective at moving heavy loads and increasing efficiency, they also come with hazards that could endanger drivers and pedestrians. Fleet managers and owners should be aware of the dangers of using lift trucks in the workplace.

Some of the most common hazards associated with lift trucks are unsecured loads that could fall on drivers and pedestrians, tipping of the lift truck due to imbalanced load and excessive speed, collisions, and workers falling while standing on the forks.

The HSE has established standards for the safety of using lift trucks. It requires operators to undergo basic training before operating any lift truck, even if they don’t drive the vehicle regularly. Operators have to be trained as per OSHA requirements. Employers should devise a training program incorporating the general principles of the safe operation of lift trucks. The training should also educate drivers about the hazards created by these vehicles. Trained operators should know how to safely conduct the job, as specified in the workplace evaluation.

Fleet managers and owners must provide operators with formal and practical training on the proper use of lift vehicles, which may include a combination of videos, lectures, software training, demonstrations, written material, and practical exercises. Moreover, employers have to certify that operators have been given the necessary training and evaluate them at least once every three years.

Fleet owners and operators must work together to ensure the safe use of lift trucks before they get behind the wheel. They must conduct a daily inspection of all the lift trucks. These include examining the tires and oil levels, checking any water, oil, or radiator leaks, testing the brakes, lights, steering wheel, and horn and ensuring that the forks are straight and don’t have any cracks.

When operating the lift truck, the operator must ensure the load is well-balanced and secure to keep it from tripping. The driver must also check any obstructions and uneven surfaces in the surrounding area to prevent accidents.

3. Vehicle Safety

Businesses that operate vehicles, including fleet companies, have to be aware of the consequences that could arise from road traffic accidents. Hefty fines, insurance claims, personal injuries, charges of corporate manslaughter, and even prison sentences are some potential consequences you could face if you fail to comply with vehicle safety. Therefore, you must ensure that you’ve done everything necessary to fulfil your obligations and have something to prove your compliance.

Establishing a process for reporting faults can help to avoid accidents and is also essential in assessing if the safety measures you have put in place are effective. When it comes to this, one of the legal requirements is to conduct daily vehicle checks to identify potential issues. Fleet owners must give drivers proper training in conducting necessary checks and reporting any problems. They should also consider providing drivers with a daily checklist to sign for their vehicles, like checking if the tyres were properly inflated.

Drivers must immediately report any faults on the vehicle to anyone with enough authority to ensure proper actions. They should also make them aware of anything that could affect the vehicle’s roadworthiness and must record these. If they detect any fault, they must make a report about it and include the date, vehicle identification mark or registration, details of the problem, driver’s name, etc.

Fleet managers should conduct regular safety inspections and maintenance vehicles according to time or mileage using a maintenance scheduling system, planner, or wall chart. They should conduct safety inspections according to the vehicle handbook, which includes noting the inspection details and frequency. Anyone conducting the safety inspection of vehicles has to be competent enough to assess any signs of defects. There should be a system to ensure that any unit not safe on the road will be removed from service until they are deemed fit for use.

Green fleet tech provider scoops Sustainability Award at Highways UK Excellence Awards 2022

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Lightfoot has been recognised for their pioneering driver training and rewards technology at this year’s Highways UK Excellence Awards, with the fleet innovation specialists winning the Sustainability Award.

Part of the UK’s premier highways and transport show, the newly revitalised Highways UK awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 2nd November at the NEC in Birmingham. With a focus on collaboration, sustainability, and innovation within the highways sector, the awards sought to celebrate individuals and organisations who are leading the way in improving Britain’s roads.

With a mission to decarbonise the transport industry and help make the UK’s roads cleaner and greener through their work with fleets, Lightfoot is a company with sustainability at their core. Their innovative technology helps businesses cut down on carbon emissions, improve fuel economy, and boost driver safety through real-time, in-cab driver coaching alongside a rewards app where drivers can win prizes and cash giveaways for their improved performance behind the wheel.

The smoother driving style introduced to fleets through Lightfoot also leads to a decrease in harmful pollutants such as NOx (oxides of nitrogen) and NEE (non-exhaust emissions).

Learn more about Lightfoot’s work to decarbonise Britain’s roads here.

Mer charges up Dawsongroup

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Dawsongroup is one of the UK’s leading asset management specialists. Its vans division offers a wide range of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) available to hire, lease, or purchase, from 13 locations, nationwide. The company had started investing in Vauxhall Vivaro all-electric vans and needed a charging infrastructure partner to support this process.

Dawsongroup needed a provider who could deliver the right infrastructure that was both reliable and scalable. The company turned to Mer, an established and experienced supplier of workplace EV charging, with unique expertise in smart chargers and the back-office systems to manage them.

Simon Ridley, Managing Director of Dawsongroup Vans, said: “We had worked with two different suppliers previously but ran into problems with reliability of the charging products. So, when we approached Mer, we not only wanted them to recommend a solution to us, but we also needed to know that they would deliver.

“With light commercial vehicles, you need to have charging infrastructure in place where the vehicle is stored overnight, so it’s ready to operate the next day. If you’ve got the charging in place, and you have thought it through, those electric vehicles can remain on rent for as long as a diesel vehicle would.”

Experts from Mer carried out electrical surveys at every Dawsongroup depot, enabling Mer to recommend and deploy chargers with load balancing capabilities – meaning they work within the limits of the available power, on each site at all times. Mer’s customer services team also helped to prepare information on EVs and infrastructure for Dawsongroup’s customers and drivers.

Mer has now successfully installed 22kw dual fast chargers all Dawsongroup Van sites. The project went so well that the client has expanded its partnership with Mer to other divisions of the group. Mer has installed fleet and workplace charging across the UK for Dawsongroup’s Truck and Trailer, Finance, and Sweepers divisions. All four divisions use Mer’s Operator Portal to monitor the infrastructure and track usage.

“We continue to support Dawsongroup by delivering rapid charging capability across more locations,” said Natasha Fry, Mer’s Head of Strategic Accounts – fleet and workplace charging. “We have formed an extremely exciting partnership with a forward-thinking group; and aim to develop it for years to come.”

For further information on how Mer can help your business with EV charging infrastructure, visit https://uk.mer.eco/ev-fleet-charging.

Do you specialise in Fleet Service, Maintenance & Repair? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Fleet Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the fleet market – and in December we’ll be focussing on Service, Maintenance & Repair solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help fleet buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Service, Maintenance & Repair solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our features list in full:

Dec – Service, Maintenance & Repair
Jan – Electric & Hybrid Vehicles
Feb – Dash Cams
Mar – Driver Training
Apr – Accident & Risk Management
May – Fleet Management Software
Jun – Telematics/Tracking
Jul – Contract Hire & Leasing
Aug – LPG/Alternative Fuel & Fuel Management
Sept – EV Infrastructure
Oct – Duty of Care
Nov – Grey Fleet
Dec – Service, Maintenance & Repair

Learn about grey fleet with the AFP’s Ric Baird and James Pestell at the Fleet Summit

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is a not for profit body that supports, educates and trains the corporate fleet industry.

We love meeting fleet operators and are back to chat all things fleet at November’s Fleet Summit as well as hosting a seminar on Grey Fleet Management on 8th Nov, 9.00 – 9.45am.

Come and say hi to AFP Board Members Ric Baird and James Pestell and chat about the challenges you are facing running a fleet.  Find out about the AFP Fleet Academy – our training programme – and what the AFP are currently working on to support the fleet industry.  If you’re not already a member, you can learn about the many benefits of membership including:

  • Supportive advice and guidance covering the latest issues of the day
  • Networking – connect with like-minded individuals in similar roles to sense check your approach to fleet issues.
  • Online member’s area – your go to for information on running a fleet.  Our growing Resource library aims to pool and share the best practice and advice from the industry.
  • Personal development and career enhancement via the AFP Fleet Academy education and training programmes
  • Regular webinars
  • Free members only events, including lunches, seminars and our annual conference – all included in your membership fee
  • Advance consultation on new legislation and government initiatives
  • Representation of members’ views via our lobbying activities and regular dialogue with Government departments and officials

You can find out more here.

Don’t miss James and Ric’s seminar session on Grey Fleet Management on 8th November at 9.00-9.45 which will cover facts, myths and useful advice on the two types of grey fleet drivers; cash allowance takers and occasional business travellers.

 The seminar will include:

  • What is Grey Fleet?
  • What is a business journey?
  • Driver and vehicle checks
  • Policy
  • Alternatives to grey fleet – green travel/mobility allowance
  • Driver communications/engagement

We look forward to seeing you.

Keys to improving motorpool management operations

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By Stacey Papp, Director, Content, Ridecell

There are a lot of variables to consider when it comes to looking for ways to improve your motorpool management practices. With multiple drivers and vehicles constantly moving around and making trips to a large number of destinations, trying to manage the daily operations of a busy fleet business can sometimes feel too challenging.

However, with so many innovations now becoming a vital part of any productive motorpool fleet, the ability to harness these tasks into a more efficient and simple fleet management system, has never been more important.

To meet deadlines and make the most of the vehicles at your disposal, embracing new ideas and technologies is key. To help your company catch up with the latest changes to the industry, here are six tips for improving your motorpool management operations.

Tip #1: Making the Process Easier on Drivers

Take the guesswork out of the picture. Entrust your motorpool supervisor to designate clear vehicles for each driver. By providing some basic and informative instructions on the fleet vehicle each driver will be using throughout the week, you’ll be minimalizing any questions and concerns.

Consider the time a driver spends searching for their vehicle, the journey to the dispatch location, and the dropping off of keys. By the time this has been done and all vehicle safety checks have been completed, you’ve lost hours of the day to menial tasks.

Whether you’re a small-scale fleet company or a global motorpool business, these hours equal time spent and money wasted. So, search each and every task – find ways to improve the process and get drivers moving, to increase your efficiency.

Tip #2: Making the Most of Every Available Vehicle

By taking a closer look at those small-scale daily tasks and finding ways to improve them, you’re also able to find new ways to monetize your motorpool management operations. A more scheduled approach will show which vehicles aren’t being used to their fullest potential.

It can even shed some light on how many vehicles could be taken out of the business, while keeping you functioning at optimum speed. Removing unnecessary expenditures to your fleet management operations can save tens of thousands of dollars – while eliminating time wastage in the process.

Tip #3: Automate to Accelerate

The rise in automated technology over the course of the last few years has simplified and sped up everyday motorpool management operations. Through one true source of automated technology, your fleet operations can be optimized for greater efficiency, through automated fleet solutions.

Innovations like a fleet automation and mobility solution have turned cloud-based platforms into actionable workflow triggers. With cutting-edge tools like keyless technology, automation can save time and instantly locate and diagnose issues.

By creating one platform for each and every task, you help motorpool supervisors to focus on bigger picture tasks – and eliminate the human element of errors and oversights.

Tip #4: Using Innovation to Reassess the Basics

Disruptive technology that pushes the automotive industry forward is a good thing. It can expose areas of your business that need improvement – and help you to pinpoint the areas that are no longer needed to function smoothly in the modern age.

But, innovations like this should never come at the expense of sound business foundations: customer service, safety, and other fleet or motorpool management basics. Instead, the issues that innovative technology exposes should be reassessed and recalibrated to create the ultimate combination of tech, simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

This ability to evaluate standard procedures and practices alongside the latest cutting-edge industry tools is important. You may find it’s more cost-effective to embrace electric vehicles and decrease the reliance on the heavy gas use that comes with your current fleet – or discover how apps and keyless technology have reduced the manpower needed to run front desks and depots.

Tip #5: Setting Realistic and Measurable Goals

Any motorpool supervisor can say that they want their business to grow by X amount in X amount of years, but those long-term goals can sometimes feel impossible to reach.

Implementing smaller and measurable short-term goals alongside the bigger picture milestones can place your motorpool business on a path to easier and more achievable guideposts. These guideposts should be based on simple observations of your strengths, or even weaknesses.

In no time, you’ll discover that completing and exceeding your small-scale objectives will lead you to huge quarterly or annual successes. However, it’s important to remain flexible with these realistic goals and adapt to any sudden changes in the industry. Keep your long-term aims rigid and the small-scale ones more fluid to maintain a well-structured, but versatile game plan.

Tip #6: Encouraging Communication Companywide

All of the motorpool management software in the world will still require that human element to achieve absolute success with your management operations. This begins with how your fleet management company reacts to things like customer and employee feedback.

If you have the insights to welcome other points of view, you may uncover untapped sources of revenue, a commonly shared problem that has a simple solution – or even help to prevent an unforeseen accident, just waiting to happen.

This clear and concise method of communication should also be present in your procedures and processes. Whether it’s a safety guidelines document or a vehicle checklist before departure, being proactive with your communications is essential.

 

Digitize keys to improve your motor pool operations

Improving Motorpool Management Operations

Freeing up your key staff members and applying automotive technologies to manual processes improves your motorpool management on several levels. Not only are you creating a faster and more effective response to security and safety issues, you’re also allowing your management teams to access real-time data, ensuring your business is at the forefront of industry advancements.

Several of the world’s biggest and most forward-thinking companies now use fleet automation solutions to upgrade their systems. Fleet businesses across the world are all experiencing a better process to propel themselves into an exciting new phase of the automotive business.

Learn how Ridecell has helped motorpool management become more efficient, putting automation at the forefront and increasing productivity without adding additional resources.