Basic areas of fleet management

Well-organized fleet management plays a central role for companies with a fleet of vehicles. It not only ensures smooth coordination of vehicles and drivers, but also helps to control costs and optimize the use of resources. In the following, we will introduce you to the basic areas of fleet management and show you which digital application can provide valuable support.

Definition: What does fleet management mean?

Fleet management refers to the efficient organization, coordination and monitoring of vehicles that a company owns or uses. These vehicle fleets can consist of cars, commercial vehicles or specialized machines. The aim of fleet management is to optimize vehicle operation, control costs, guarantee driver safety and ensure that the fleet complies with legal requirements and regulations.

Contracts and agreements

Fleet management often begins with the definition of clear rules and agreements. This involves the use of vehicles, driver responsibilities, maintenance schedules and insurance issues. In particular, a car policy should define detailed guidelines for vehicle use and the reporting of damage or the need for repairs.

Coordination of drivers: efficient vehicle allocation

The coordination of drivers and vehicle assignments are important tasks in fleet management. Each vehicle must be assigned according to the employee’s requirements and tasks. In corporate car sharing, for example, it is important to maintain an overview of vehicle availability in order to avoid double bookings and ensure that the fleet is optimally utilized and that the required number of vehicles is available at the respective location at all times. Coordination also includes monitoring driver licenses and training to ensure that only qualified drivers use the vehicles.

These processes can be significantly simplified by implementing a suitable system for vehicle allocation.

Fleet controlling: increasing efficiency and optimizing costs

Fleet controlling is the key to effective fleet management. By precisely recording and analyzing costs and services, well-founded decisions can be made and savings achieved. This also includes monitoring fuel costs, checking maintenance requirements and identifying inefficient processes. This is usually only possible with the help of precise key figures.

Decisive factors here are, for example, fuel consumption, repair costs, the damage rate or downtime and idle costs. In some companies, fleet controlling is carried out by an independent department, the logistics department or the management itself. In medium-sized companies, the fleet management often takes over this area of responsibility.

Fleet management with Excel

Many companies often rely on Excel spreadsheets to organize their vehicle fleet. Vehicle lists, repair and maintenance schedules and cost overviews can be created and maintained in Excel. A major advantage here is that many employees are familiar with the application and it is easy and cost-effective to use for fleet management. Despite this, Excel often reaches its limits when it comes to complex analyses and automation. In addition, data maintenance is often very time-consuming and there is an increased risk of errors.

Fleet management with the help of software

Where Excel reaches its limits, fleet management software can be the solution. By implementing such software, administrative tasks can be significantly minimized and efficiency increased. It helps to meet deadlines and schedules, reduces costs and facilitates data evaluation.

Another practical feature is the option to extend the module. Ideally, fleet software should have a modular structure so that modules can be added or removed as required. For example, an electronic driver’s license check can also be processed digitally.

While most applications are specialized for larger fleets, Fleethouse offers you Fleethouse offers you the opportunity to optimally coordinate, maintain and monitor your fleet, even with just a few vehicles.