Today, government fleets are navigating an onslaught of new challenges and opportunities from regulatory guidelines, restricted budgets, and emerging technologies. As our economy enters a new technological revolution, local councils that stay on top of the opportunities this brings will benefit immensely. For example, advances in automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and predictive analytics have paved the way for indispensable telematics systems like fleet management software.
Fleet management software can gather vital data on vehicle location and driver behaviour, which can aid fleet operators in making their fleets more productive, efficient and safe. Below, we’ll show you 3 ways local councils are leveraging fleet management software to maximise resource use and reduce costs, accidents and environmental impacts.
1. Maximise Resources
Unfortunately, while fleets in both the government and public sectors are necessary, they’re seen as an expense more than a profit-generator, making it difficult to gain financial support. The scarcity of budgeted dollars means local council fleets need to maximise resources—by reducing fuel costs and minimising idle vehicles, for example.
This is where fleet management systems can play a vital role in helping public sector fleets become more proactive instead of reacting to problems. For example, a fleet management system can help reallocate unused vehicles by assessing the hours and days vehicles are driven in a month.
Fleet management systems can also help public fleets undergo preventative maintenance to reduce vehicle downtime. For example, the system can alert both the fleet managers and operators when vehicle maintenance is due. It can also provide data for vehicle diagnostics like the odometer mileage and engine miles to prevent any larger issues down the line.
2. Reducing Costs and Accidents
Fuel costs are one of the largest expenses for any fleet, making up as much as 60% of the operating budget. When it comes to calculating fuel costs, fleet managers that lack a fleet management system often need to enter large volumes of data like receipts, mileage and transactions manually to come up with cost projections. Not only can fleet management systems automate this process, but they also reduce potential errors and allow fleet managers to view the data all in one place. This allows managers to uncover a wealth of information.
By gaining access to all of your fleet’s data, you can significantly cut back on fuel costs by:
- Reducing vehicle idle time
- Locating the nearest vehicle and driver for the job
- Monitoring driving styles to discourage harsh usage (e.g., heavy braking or speeding)
- Optimising routes to reduce any out-of-route mileage
According to Megan Ray Nichols, a contributor at Boss Magazine, with fleet management software, you can “Make necessary adjustments to your vehicles of driving patterns to improve efficiency. Any number of factors could impact fuel economy, and fleet management software helps you narrow it down.” A fleet management system’s GPS tracker will encourage drivers to drive more safely and effectively.
3. Reducing Environmental Impacts
Government fleets often face greater public pressure to operate in environmentally friendly ways. According to the Australian Local Government Climate Review 2018, 56% of councils that responded to the Review, had a corporate emissions reduction target.
To meet their Green Fleet Strategy KPIs, many local councils are using telematics to cut back on emissions through optimising driving routes, reducing vehicle idle time and managing driving behaviour to reduce heavy braking and speeding.
Local council fleet managers face many challenges in maximising their resources while continually struggling to reduce costs and environmental impacts. Telematic solutions like a fleet management system can help you tackle these problems so your fleet is more productive and safe. By leveraging location, vehicle and driving data, you can maximise your resources, cut back on fuel expenses, improve driver safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you want to leverage fleet management software to these ends, learn more by requesting our Fleet Complete demo.
