It’s a new year – which means it’s a great time to evaluate your fleet operations and make some changes towards better efficiency. Here, our fleet fuel card company shares some tips for improving your management and completing more jobs or deliveries:
Map out Routes Ahead of Time
The best way to be efficient is to be on time, and being on time requires your drivers to know their routes and drive them well. By mapping out the best routes, you can assign certain ones to certain vehicles and make sure that the ones you’re selecting offer the shortest route to the destination. By mapping the routes out ahead of time, your drivers will be more confident about where they’re going and should be able to get there faster.
Invest in Fleet Fuel Cards
If there’s one thing that takes up time during a delivery or job route, it’s getting gas. No one likes driving around searching for an approved gas station and once you find one, waiting in line to pay for your gas can be even worse. Instead, increase your efficiency with fleet fuel cards. By giving each of your drivers a fleet fuel card to use, they can stop at virtually any gas station in the country, swipe their card, fill up, and get back on the road quickly.
Don’t Skip Maintenance
A well-running car, truck, or van can be the difference between a destination that’s reached on time and a destination that’s reached late. In addition, a driver who encounters vehicle issues (such as a breakdown) can end up not completing his/her route altogether. All of this can be avoided by keeping up with your vehicle maintenance. From oil changes to tire rotations t0 annual inspections and more, taking care of your vehicles can improve your efficiency.
Use GPS
One thing today’s drivers virtually can’t go without is a GPS system. Once they hit the road, things like traffic stops, accidents, detours, and more can slow down a route and cause a backup on deliveries or job completions. With a GPS system, however, drivers can reroute their path and stay on track to reaching their destinations on time.
Try New Things
If you’ve been running your fleet the same way for awhile and seeing minimal improvement, maybe it’s time to switch things up. Try a new technology, revise your route schedules, make a few staff changes, or upgrade your vehicles. Sometimes trying new things can revamp the way your fleet operates and increase your efficiency which, in turn, can increase your bottom line.
