For effective fleet management, it’s important to maximise fleet efficiency wherever it makes sense to do so. Although this principle sounds straightforward, it can be challenging for managers to identify every area where fleet efficiency could be improved. We’re going to share three ways to increase fleet efficiency and keep your fleet budget as low as it can be.

3 Ways to Increase Fleet Efficiency

1. Use Fuel Cards
Fuel cards are a game-changer when it comes to improving fleet fuel efficiency. They enable you to monitor fuel usage and mileage across your fleet so you can identify drivers or routes that expend the most fuel. With this knowledge, you can strategise ways to improve fleet fuel efficiency in the future, and drivers will feel more accountable.

There are different types of fuel cards, and certain ones offer discounts per litre of fuel - a great way to keep your fleet budget down. Fuel prices are constantly fluctuating, even in stable economies, so keeping costs as low as possible is really helpful to maintain fleet fuel efficiency.

As a fleet manager, you’ll have access to an online fuel card account where you can monitor activity and download reports with ease. This will improve fleet efficiency by streamlining your fuel data and cutting down administrative time.

2. Monitor Vehicle Health

Another effective way to better your fleet efficiency is to stay on top of monitoring vehicle health. In fact, it’s one of our top ten fleet management tips. Vehicles are a significant expense and important asset, so having solid knowledge of the health of your vehicles is critical.

Preventative maintenance is vital for reducing the likelihood of a breakdown and upholding fleet safety standards. Not only does a breakdown put the vehicle out of action, reducing fleet efficiency, it also generates repair and rescue costs.

Also, be sure to refer back to your fleet budget whenever a vehicle repair check is undertaken. As a manager, you need to think critically about when it’s more cost-effective and better for fleet efficiency to replace an older vehicle as opposed to repairing it.

3. Go Digital
Effective fleet management is all about reacting and adapting. For example, keeping up with the latest technology is often an effective way to improve fleet efficiency. Firstly, consider how much you rely on paper records and files. By digitising your files and records, you’ll save heaps of time (or your administrator’s time) organising and searching for information. You’ll also cut costs on paper and filing systems and save on office space. By minimising these costs, you can put your fleet budget to better use.

Secondly, think about how you can implement new technology to improve fleet efficiency. Utilising the online reports and dashboards provided by fuel cards is a great place to start for improved fleet fuel efficiency. You can also use advanced telematics for more precise data about vehicle location and performance.

Thirdly, for most commercial fleets, walk around vehicle checks are compulsory. By using a digital app that integrates with your telematics or fleet management system to conduct such checks, you’ll dramatically decrease paperwork and save valuable time.

Improving fleet fuel efficiency is a key managerial responsibility, so consider our three top tips when analysing your fleet budget.