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Fleet Software Guide

The best Fleet Software integrates many elements of fleet management, delivering the required data on intuitive dashboards, for fast, insightful analysis.

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Fast-forward to…

• What is fleet software do?
• Data management?
• Efficiency and compliance enhancements
• Choosing the right software
• Operational insights and routing efficiencies
• Fleet Software summary

Fleet Software Buying Guide

What can Fleet Software do?

Whether a fleet is 20 vehicles or 20,000, efficient organisation of the assets saves time, money and stress.

Data is king when it comes to successful fleet management, but the challenge comes when you have a multitude of vehicles all submitting in-depth data on an hourly basis. This tsunami of information is totally overwhelming for any fleet team. That makes choosing the right software package, the key to success when it comes to fleet data management.

Fleet software provides essential tools for effectively organising the numerous facets of vehicle management. By digitising, centralising and professionally delivering data, fleet software can enhance decision-making and compliance, while also offering measurable savings and efficiencies.

Fleet Software usually comes in modular formats, where the supplier can customise it to suit your exact business needs. The range of fleet functions a good software will manage is astonishing, and will include some or all of the following:

(Note: some of these functions may overlap with other FleetWise product categories)

Vehicle tracking and telematics
- Real-time GPS tracking of vehicles
- Monitoring vehicle location, speed and routes
- Geo-fencing and route optimisation for efficiency

Fuel management
- Tracking fuel usage and costs
- Fuel card integration for detailed reporting
- Identifying fuel inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities

Driver management
- Monitoring driver behaviour (eg: speeding, harsh braking & idling)
- Driver safety and compliance reporting
- Training and driver performance assessments

Maintenance scheduling
- Automated maintenance alerts based on mileage or time intervals
- Scheduling regular vehicle inspections and servicing
- Managing repair history and costs for each vehicle

Compliance and legal requirements
- Ensuring vehicles meet legal standards (MOT, insurance, emissions)
- Keeping records of licences, certifications and compliance documentation
- Reporting on fleet compliance with UK regulations (eg: Ultra Low Emission Zones, ULEZ)

Fleet cost management
- Tracking total cost of ownership (TCO) for each vehicle
- Analysing fleet-wide expenses such as fuel, repairs, insurance and depreciation
- Budgeting and cost forecasting tools

Asset and inventory management
- Managing vehicle lifecycle, from acquisition to disposal
- Tracking vehicle assets and availability
- Vehicle utilisation reporting to optimise fleet size

Vehicle procurement and leasing
- Managing vehicle acquisitions, leases and contracts
- Monitoring lease agreements, including mileage caps and renewal dates
- Cost comparison for leasing-versus-purchasing options

Fleet insurance management
- Managing insurance policies and claims
- Tracking premium costs and coverage details
- Providing accident reporting and analysis

Fleet sustainability and carbon reporting
- Tracking vehicle emissions and environmental impact
- Optimising fleet for fuel efficiency and sustainability
- Reporting on progress towards reducing carbon footprint (eg: transitioning to EVs)

Electric vehicle (EV) management
- Monitoring EV battery health, charging status and range
- Managing EV charging infrastructure and energy consumption
- Scheduling charging times to optimise energy costs

Incident and accident reporting
- Real-time incident and accident logging
- Managing insurance claims and accident reports
- Analysing incidents to improve safety measures

Fleet reporting and analytics
- Customisable reports on fleet performance, costs and driver behaviour
- Data visualisation and trend analysis
- Fleet-wide performance benchmarking

Route planning and optimisation
- Dynamic route planning to reduce mileage and fuel consumption
- Managing delivery and service schedules efficiently
- Integration with GPS and traffic data for real-time route adjustments

Vehicle replacement and disposal
- Tracking vehicle depreciation and optimal replacement times
- Managing the sale or disposal of vehicles at the end of their lifecycle
- Calculating resale values and minimising disposal costs

Communication and notifications
- Automated alerts for maintenance, compliance and driver issues
- Driver communication tools for quick updates on routes or tasks
- Centralised communication between fleet managers, drivers and stakeholders

“By centralising data, fleet management software enables better management of information, which aids in identifying potential savings and ensures compliance”

Data Management

Fleet management software allows for the consolidation of data from various sources such as telematics, fuel card transactions, maintenance records and more. This integration into a single platform prevents data fragmentation and enhances visibility across the entire fleet operation. Managers can view this data in customisable dashboards, facilitating quick access to critical information through visual representations like graphs and charts. Often, the data is highlighted using a traffic-light system to prioritise the most urgent issues.

Data management also highlights anomalies in any fleet quickly and easily, identifying vehicle issues and even fraud.

Efficiency and Compliance Enhancements

By centralising data, fleet management software enables better management of information, which aids in identifying potential savings and ensures compliance. For instance, automated exception notifications and maintenance reminders eliminate the need for manual tracking and hugely reduce the risk of oversight. This helps to ensure that vehicles are operated safely and legally, allowing for swift resolution of any compliance issues, and it leads to critical time savings in administrative tasks, which is the number-one fleet pain point according to recent research by 360 Media Group.

Choosing the Right Software

Fleet management systems can be either cloud-based or legacy. Cloud-based solutions, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), allow for real-time data syncing, can be accessed from multiple devices, and automatically update to ensure the latest software version is always in use. This flexibility is contrasted with legacy systems, which are typically confined to specific on-site hardware and may become outdated without manual updates.

Customisation and Scalability

Fleets can tailor the best data packages to their specific needs, when they engage certain software providers. Some suppliers offer modular systems so that fleets don’t pay for unnecessary functionalities, or customisable tools that can cater to complex, individual fleet operations. Features are adaptable to changes in the fleet size, the company's growth or shifts in industry demands. For example, systems like Civica's allow fleets to manage under-utilised vehicles.

Integration and Implementation

Fleet management software involves careful planning to ensure it integrates seamlessly with other company systems such as HR and finance. The process includes defining clear requirements, understanding the integration capabilities with external systems, and choosing a provider that can fulfil these needs effectively.

Operational Insights and Routing Efficiencies

Beyond just managing static data, fleet management software often includes routeing and scheduling capabilities. This becomes interesting when analysing driving styles or vehicle powertrains. The use of advanced algorithms can determine the most efficient routes and schedules, considering various constraints such as delivery windows, vehicle capacity and traffic conditions. This optimisation not only reduces operational costs, but also minimises environmental impact by cutting down unnecessary mileage and emissions.

For electric vehicles, planning routes with lighter payloads or user-friendly terrain, ie: fewer hills, enables the range between charges to be optimised.

Training and Support

Software providers typically offer training or onboarding for users, which is crucial for maximising the benefits of the software. Ongoing support and back-up is an important consideration, too, ensuring that any issues can be resolved quickly to minimise downtime.

Security and Data Management

Security is a critical aspect, especially when managing sensitive information. Cloud-based systems need to adhere to data-security standards, like ISO 20001, to protect data integrity and privacy. The ownership and portability of data should be clarified to avoid issues if changing providers.

Summary

Fleet management software streamlines operations through effective data integration and delivery. It enhances compliance and operational efficiency, and provides customisable and scalable solutions that adapt to specific fleet needs. This can lead to significant cost savings, better resource management and a more strategic approach to fleet management.

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