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The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Buying into a software system is all well and good, but don't think it will do your job for you. The right package can turn around the way a fleet is run day-to-day and generate plenty of savings, but the wrong one can overcomplicate things and, if you're not using it properly, end up as a real cash haemorrhage.
The technology has developed a great deal of late, but in terms of what businesses need, the demands are still pretty old-fashioned. Rhys Harrhy, development consultant for leasing firm ALD's Profleet 2 system, says the reason for fleets buying into the technology can be varied, but they often boil down to simple things.
"We're seeing a lot of customers getting back to basics. Traditionally, drivers have been able to manage mileage by inputting data into some sort of spreadsheet and that exposes businesses to scrutiny by HMRC," he says.
"Other customers are focusing exclusively on cost, so the tools to measure their drivers are crucial for them to reduce their overheads. Others focus on how those vehicles are being driven and where they are.
"Duty of care and risk management are high on the agenda but accurate mileage data and cost reduction are the highest priorities at this moment."
Ian Hughes, commercial director at leasing firm Zenith, which operates its own Pulse fleet management system, agrees that demand mainly comes from tightening up spending, and adds that fleet policies can quickly be altered for the better off the back of the work a proper software system does.
"The main thrust is cost management or other leakage where drivers or policy can be tightened or managed," he says. "We've been able to look at the types of accidents a particular fleet has undergone, for example, and the type of policy, and adjust that. That change drove a significant improvement and cut downtime and end-of-contract damage charges. That's typically what we're seeing. [Fleets] really do appreciate that extra data."
Even though companies pour time and money into decking out their fleets with trick software systems, cases where the packages are left largely unused are not unheard of.
They're not necessarily common - not least because someone has made the effort to buy and install the thing in the first place - but it does happen.
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