Fleet Management Tips part 1
If you’re anything like me, (handsome, witty, funny… you get the gist) you find inspiration to run your business from almost any and everything. I am a proud member of the National Property Management Association (NPMA), a non-profit membership association for professionals who are responsible for the effective and efficient management of equipment, materials, and other moveable and durable assets for their organization.
So What, Why do you care?
If you’re reading this there’s a good chance you’re interested in running a profitable and efficient business. If so, check out the following Fleet Management tips (previously shared on our Facebook Group) and learn how even if you don’t have a fleet, these tips can help you run your business more effectively. Here’s how:
Fleet Tip #1 Control fleet size
Fleets should contain the fewest number of vehicles it takes to do 
the job, and no more. To avoid having underused and unnecessary vehicles, fleet managers should conduct periodic reviews of fleet usage.
Does your business manufacture a product? Perhaps you have equipment, tools or other assets that take up real estate in your shop, require maintenance and/or take up resources. Are you conducting inventories on these items? if so, you may be wasting time and money unnecessarily.
Fleet Tip #2 Control fleet composition
Vehicle selection should be guided by the needs of fleet users, not
the wants. Fleet managers should ensure that the types of vehicles and the options selected should be aligned to the job that the vehicle is supporting.
Pay careful attention to your acquisition of materials, equipment and other assets. Often times we have to balance Wants vs. Needs, and ensure any extra expenses or options will make the business more profitable. Whether you’re purchasing a printer, or investing in a new office space, carefully weight out your options.
Fleet Tip #3 Manage life cycles
In the short-term, repairs appear less expensive than replacement. This can mask the true costs of keeping vehicles too long. Fleet managers should analyze costs to set replacement cycles that minimize total cost of ownership.
When was the last time you invested in an upgrade? Sure, Option A is already paid for, however, has technology advanced and are more efficient options available in Option B? Are frequent repairs eating up your budget? Are you spending more time jerry-rigging and workarounds than you would if you had the right tool for the job? You may benefit from considering Leasing vs. Buying. Here’s a webinar outlining some additional tips.
Join NPMA’s Fleet Management Special Interest Group (SIG) this month (January 2016) and be entered in a random drawing for a chance to win a free NPMA webinar. This is a great way to interact with other fleet management professionals and stay on top of the latest industry information. Join now at: http://www.npma.org/group/Fleet-Management-SIG
Thats it for now, coming soon is Fleet Management Tips part 2. Learn industry leading practices you can incorporate TODAY.
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