Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If run correctly, a business in the trucking industry can be very, very lucrative whether you’re operating your own truck, or if you own a fleet of trucks and don’t drive any of them. With so many moving parts, it’s critical to make your operation as efficient as possible. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Your Fleet.
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Managing a fleet can be an incredibly difficult task. After all, you have expenses that you need to control, and you also have a ton of vehicles that you need to maintain. As if that wasn’t enough, you also have staff that you need to keep on-task. This gives you very little room for error, but it is possible to make the whole thing easier on yourself.
Preventative Maintenance
The key to operating any fleet is to try and keep your vehicles on the road. Preventative maintenance can really help you to address any minor issues as soon as possible. It also helps you to keep on top of any fluid refills, hose inspections, tyre checks and more. This can save you money and it will also help to keep your team safe as much as possible. Accidents cost way more than you think, and if you do not keep on top of your fleet then this increases the chances of one happening. If you want to know more about that then check out HD Fleet.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-dump-truck-near-pine-tress-during-daytime-93398/
Tyre Management
Your tyres are vitally important, and they are the third largest operational cost for a fleet. You need to take care of your tyres if you want to maximise their lifespan, so set up a maintenance plan and also check the tread, inflation and for signs of wear. The reason why tyre maintenance is so important is because it can save you a ton of fuel, not to mention that if you have to drive in icy conditions, it also ensures the safety of your team.
Fuel Management
It can be hard to control fuel costs. If you want to try and save money here, then you need to invest in GPS. A GPS tracking device will help you to know if your team are staying on track for their deliveries and it also makes sure that they are taking the most efficient route. Fleet management software can really boost the operation of your fleet as well, as it will show you which vehicles are driving for the longest journeys, and how the profit of each delivery weighs up against your fuel cost.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/action-automotive-cargo-container-diesel-590839/
Go Paperless
There is absolutely no point in you creating more paperwork than what is absolutely necessary. Filling out paperwork can be time-consuming and it can also be daunting to your technicians. It can also leave a lot of room for error. If a technician records their hours incorrectly then this can be a disaster for your finances, and this is the last thing that you need when you are trying to focus on efficiency. One way for you to prevent all of this would be for you to invest in management software. As mentioned above, it comes with many benefits, and it’s great for recording the hours your team drive without requiring any input from them at all. On top of that, fleet management software is very affordable when you look at the amount of money it can save you every single day.