4 Fleet Essentials to Become the Best Parent and Fleet Manager

Almost a year in, and most of the Fleet Managers we serve continue to work from home. While some plan to go back to the office when the company allows, most plan to remain either hybrid or remote.

That means both family and professional duties. We trust you can do both day in and day out.

Fleet Managers used to work alongside their vehicles, drivers, and staff. Taking a stroll down the warehouse or into the parkway to ensure the operation is ship shaped is no longer possible. However, that does not mean you cannot keep a hawk-eye view over your fleet operation.

Cutting edge technology allows you to receive both descriptive and actionable data into any area of your concern. Whether analyzing the fuel consumption of your 480 vehicles or pinpointing what tire needs to be replaced - you can do it from the comfort of your home. In fact, most advanced tools provide this data in real time - enabling precise decision making on the spot.

Here is a list of working from home fleet essentials:

1. Ensure you are using a cloud based platform so you and your team can access any information, data, and documentation from any device with wifi at any time. That way you can stay connected to your team and enjoy frequent flow of information.
2. Use a collaboration tool where you can create different user permissions for each member of your team in his/her area of responsibility. Collaborating under the same platform creates faster workflows, prevents data mismatch, and eliminates long email threads and time consuming due diligence.
3. Provide your drivers with smartphones/tablets so they can avoid paperwork and use the mobile app to check driver-vehicle assignments, maintenance requests, checklists, among others, and also retrieve vehicle documentation. Maximizing fleet digitization means you are no longer the only source of information - thus less emails and calls on your voicemail while everyone works faster. Digitization also ensures that if a vehicle is pulled over, any documentation is available.
4. Use a fully customizable FMS that adapts to your operational processes. For example, create a workflow where you can approve or reject maintenance fixes above a certain budget, lease renewals, or any type of alerts when parts inventory is low. Customization and integrations allow you to minimize manual inputs and human error. 

Trust us and you’ll be able to play ball with your son, build a treehouse with your daughter, and probably barbecue at the same time. Good news is that you’ll be doing your job better than ever before as well. Go you.