The best fleet management programs consider drivers, communication, alerts, and reports together. Creating a holistic plan not only helps you organize these elements, but it also helps you measure their effectiveness.
Here is an example of a fleet management program for the first year, separated into phases:
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Mar | Apr-Jun | Jul-Sep | Oct-Dec | |
| Overview | Introduction of GPS tracking program. Benchmark period. |
Determine departmental fleet goals, and establish KPIs. Review three-month benchmark period, and take appropriate action with scheduled reports and moderate level alerts. |
Review last quarter to quantify fleet performance compared to benchmark period. Increase alert level to be more aggressive if needed. Increase report frequency if needed. |
Identify the year's fleet trends, and recommend actions. Establish agreement from management on fleet initiatives for the next year. |
| Reports | Schedule weekly reports for direct managers and monthly reports for higher-level managers. Suggested reports to schedule: *Fleet Utilization *Performance *Beginning/End of Day *Idle Summary *Posted Speed *Odd Hours |
Identify other people (in addition to managers) who can use fleet data and who need scheduled reports. Identify additional reports to schedule based on benchmark results, such as Landmark and Maintenance. Increase/decrease report frequency if needed. |
Review Fleet Utilization reports to identify recommendations on right-sizing fleet. Solicit feedback regarding scheduled report frequency, and adjust as needed. |
Identify areas that require improvement, and schedule additional reports. Create high speed, high idling, and high odd hours vehicle groups, and assign egregious vehicles to those groups for monitoring purposes (i.e., schedule reports on those groups to be delivered to responsible managers or human resource representatives). |
| Alerts | No alerts set aside from device health. Alerts to set: *Switch Alert (External Power Loss) *Switch Alert (Battery Voltage) |
Alerts set for egregious violations sent to management. Alerts to set: *Posted Speed (20+ MPH) *Idle (30 min) Other |
Set moderate alerts: *Speed (15+ MPH) *Idle (10 min) *Landmark *Maintenance *Odd Hours *Other (consider people not directly related to fleet) |
Identify areas that require improvement, and set additional alerts. Set aggressive alerts on notification of Speed (11+ MPH) and Idle (5+ min). Set egregious groups to be delivered to managers. Notify drivers via email. |
| Communication | Notify managers, fleet managers, and dispatchers regarding new fleet tracking program. Start product training. |
Distribute Phase 1 results to management. Notify drivers regarding fleet tracking program and provide overview of driving goals. Distribute driving policy to drivers for signature. |
Distribute Phase 2 results to management. Educate fleet managers regarding best practices and coaching methods. Managers review results with drivers to coach on needed improvements. |
Distribute fleet performance yearly Account Review to management and other shareholders. Recommend a plan for the next year. Managers review results with drivers to coach on needed improvements. Update driving policy if needed and redistribute to drivers. |