As the manager of a small fleet, you face unique challenges in your day-to-day operations. You may not have the same resources as larger fleets, meaning that staying competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment doesn’t come as easy for you.
Maybe you’re struggling to ensure driver safety and productivity because you’ve only got a small team handling everything from administration and accounting to fleet operations. And you likely have a limited budget, so you need low-cost solutions to help manage your fleet.
In this article, we discuss how to overcome these challenges with best practices for small fleet management so you can build a solid operating foundation and prepare for future growth.
Small Fleet Management Challenges
Cost Management
Cost management is a major concern for small fleets and encompasses a wide variety of expenses, including fuel and fuel theft, vehicle efficiency, emergency repairs, tools, and technology (e.g., phones, GPS, etc.).
These issues are so prevalent that 44% of fleets rated increasing costs like these as a top challenge to daily fleet operations.
Small fleets are especially affected because they don’t have access to the most sophisticated software solutions or the ability to buy in bulk or negotiate higher discounts at their preferred gas stations or maintenance stores.
Driver Behavior
Are your drivers reporting fatigue and distraction on their routes? Maybe you’re noticing an uptick in accidents or increased fuel use across the board. These common challenges are often caused by inefficient driver behavior, such as excessive idling or harsh accelerating and braking.
For small fleets, driver behavior can be tricky to manage because they lack the resources to invest in advanced technology that can help monitor what drivers are doing behind the wheel, as well as the resources for sophisticated driver training programs.
Vehicle Maintenance
For small fleet managers, handling vehicle maintenance and unexpected breakdowns can be almost as difficult (and costly) as controlling fuel costs.
This is because small fleets don’t have an in-house team to manage maintenance internally, so they outsource repairs in a mostly reactive manner — meaning maintenance isn’t a priority until something breaks.
That makes it more difficult and costly to be proactive and prevent minor vehicle issues before they turn into bigger problems.
Regulatory Compliance
Regardless of the number of vehicles in your small fleet (even if it’s just one), you must comply with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
This means abiding by the mandates and standards set forth by the Department of Transportation (DOT), International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).
Sending even one vehicle on the road that isn’t in compliance with these organizations’ rules can result in heavy fines and other penalties that can seriously restrict fleet activities and put a dent in your bottom line.
Unfortunately for small fleets, staying in compliance can often be more difficult than it is for larger fleets because of a lack of resources.
Best Practices For Small Fleet Management
Develop Preventive Vehicle Maintenance Schedules
A preventative vehicle maintenance schedule gives everyone involved in the day-to-day operation of your fleet a better idea of what they need to do and when they need to do it to maintain the safety and integrity of each vehicle.
As a small fleet — possibly without access to sophisticated software — you can implement simple solutions to adopt a proactive approach to maintenance. For example, use calendar reminders or low-cost fleet management software to track key service intervals like oil changes, tire rotations, and brake inspections.
Another low-cost solution is to implement pre- and post-trip inspections for all drivers and vehicles.
Before heading out on the road (and when stopping for more than a few hours), drivers should walk around their vehicles looking for anything out of place and examining each system and component on the inspection checklist.
These inspections can help you find and repair small issues before they become more catastrophic and more costly.
For more information on dialing in your vehicle maintenance program, check out these articles from the Coast blog:
- The Complete Preventative Maintenance Checklist
- A Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist For Fleet Managers
- A Post-Trip Inspection Checklist For Fleet Managers
Implement Ongoing Driver Training Programs
Addressing fuel-saving practices such as steady acceleration, smooth braking, consistent highway speeds, and reduced idling in an ongoing driver training program can help bring costs back under control.
In addition, consider other driver training programs to cover:
- On-the-road vehicle monitoring and maintenance
- Risk management
- Loading and unloading
- Local, state, and federal compliance
- Record keeping
The more your drivers know about these issues, the better prepared they’ll be to operate their vehicles and represent your business effectively, efficiently, and safely.
For more ideas about effective driver management and training, take a few minutes to read these articles from the Coast blog:
- 10 Effective Ways To Improve Driver Performance
- Driver Management: 12 Solutions For Managing Your Fleet
Reduce Fuel Costs With Smart Fuel Cards
Fuel costs are a major pain point when it comes to small fleet management. Fortunately, a smart fuel card can help. With a smart fuel card, you get access to powerful controls and reporting, without the complexity.
It also helps you reduce fuel costs with strict and customizable card limits, intuitive and proactive reporting, rebates on every gallon on your statement, wide acceptance, and seamless integrations.
Get Relevant Data With Fleet Management Technology
The most important pieces of fleet management technology for small fleets are fleet management software, telematics, and smart fuel card software. Each provides a unique perspective on your operations to help you control the costs associated with small fleet management.
For example, fleet management and maintenance software (FMS) is an effective way to see under the hood of your operation, where many of the essential details about your business lie.
Telematics gives you an unparalleled view inside your vehicles so you can manage them more efficiently. If this technology is within your budget and you can afford the upfront cost, telematics might be worth the investment because of the time it saves your team time on manual tasks.
Bridging the gap between the two, smart fuel cards give you a tangible way to use the insights you gain with FMS and telematics in order to control fuel costs throughout your fleet — often in real-time.
Take Advantage Of Software Integrations
The right software integrations allow separate components of your small fleet management to work together seamlessly to help you get your job done.
For example, advanced smart fuel card software should integrate with common fleet management providers, telematics, and accounting apps that you already use to create a robust, well-rounded suite of tools that opens up new levels of transparency in your business.
Plan For Scalable Growth
One of your goals as the manager of a small fleet is to prepare your operation for growth. You need to be prepared with systems and processes already in place so when that growth happens, you’re not faced with chaos trying to manage it all.
Implementing the right tech — like fleet management software, telematics, and a smart fuel card — is a great place to start. Once those are set up, you’re in a strong position to handle any growth that comes your way.
Reduce Costs And Increase Transparency With Coast
Managing a small fleet is not for the faint of heart. It requires strong organizational skills, the ability to handle multiple areas of your business at once, and the willingness to try new tools to help streamline it all.
Fortunately, The Coast fleet and fuel card is one such tool. Coast gives you an advantage in one of the most important aspects of small fleet management by helping you monitor and control fleet-related expenses.
Coast’s Visa acceptance means your drivers can fill up on the way to their next job without going out of their way, and the detailed expense reporting increases transparency into fleet spending and operations to see where you can boost efficiency and decrease costs.
Learn more about how Coast can help your small fleet excel at CoastPay.com.
