The most effective way to optimize the life of vehicles, equipment, and driver retention is through great fleet management.
They don't just know how many people they are managing, but they know them personally. It's not a list of people; it's a team and each driver has unique abilities that a fleet manager can work with.
They trust and believe that their drivers have good judgment and want to succeed. Great fleet managers understand this and work to help their drivers perform their best and help them when times get tough.
There might be eight billion people in the world, but each person is unique and comes with varying backgrounds, beliefs, and behaviors. A savvy fleet manager handles each person separately and helps to keep everyone moving in the same direction.
They know exactly how many trucks and trailers they have access to along with the details of each truck, where each truck is, and what it can do. The vin, make, model, weight, commodity, maintenance, fuel efficiency, can be rattled off the top of his or her head quickly.
Making deliveries happen on time is a cakewalk. They can pair the truck they know with the driver they know making nothing shy of magic happen.
Part of being able to manage time well is knowing what to do in the event Plan A goes up a runaway ramp. The best fleet managers always have the answers and have a helpful attitude even when things don't go accordingly.
The methods behind the additional planning for running a strategic fleet are founded upon maintenance management, data collection, and the labor force behind it.
They are not afraid to try new tech to keep pace or, in many instances, stay ahead. GPS tracking guarantees deliveries happen on time and helps with dispatching a driver to the next pickup.
And they are not afraid to follow them. Staying compliant is a priority for fleet managers because it keeps trucks on the road and making money. The bottom line is important and not knowing the rules and regulations that keep drivers and motorists safe is costly.
Rather than wait until a citation is issued or a truck is placed Out-of-Service to address an issue, they have pre-emptively taken measures to see it doesn't happen.
Deep knowledge on statutes or ordinances within the Department of Transportation as well as the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration is a must for them.
"It's my fault and I've fixed it," isn't something a leading fleet manager would shy away from saying. Accountibility matters and a great fleet manager knows a company will prosper with someone who is responsible enough to own up to their mistakes and prevent those same mistakes from happening again.
They know by owning a problem and taking action others can succeed.