Effective tools for a fleet manager…

It’s no secret that road safety is a passion of many people. Whether they are the driver, the parents of younger drivers, fleet managers or business owners, there’s a lot to be said about being a safe driver. But for some fleet managers or business owners, there can be more than being a safe driver than what meets the eye.

Saving money, being productive and making things easier for commercial drivers can be a win-win for both parties. As a fleet manager, being organized and saving time can be related to saving money and having safe drivers on the road. There are ways to combine both other these. One way is to have your drivers use a fuel card and telematics with your company vehicles.

As some people may wonder, what makes using fuel cards a better and more useful alternative compared to not using them? Fuel cards are a quick way to pay for fuel as well as being a secured and safer alternative to carrying cash. They also help a fleet manager maintain a tighter control of their business expenses. And depending on the card you choose and the size of your fleet, there could be a sizable savings in fuel costs. This could be done with fixed weekly prices where fluctuations in fuel prices won’t affect your budget. And decreases in price can be refunded and increases would essentially be ignored. Sounds like a profitable discount to me, especially if your fleet is large.

As a fleet manager, telematics is a great way to monitor the pattern of each of your employees as they travel in the company vehicle. Telematics can be used to monitor what a vehicle doing at any time of day. By combining the GPS system on the vehicle and on-board diagnostics from the vehicle, it’s possible to record and determine exactly where the vehicle is located and determine exactly how fast the vehicle is moving. In other words, it monitors the driver behaviour.

Telematics is the new way to ensure your drivers are getting the most out of their daily drives. Drivers who know you’re monitoring their driving tend to behave better behind the wheel and will often avoid more risks on the road. It also shows how smoothly they’re driving. Smooth driving can be more cost effective as well. For those who do, it’s important to reward those drivers on a job well done. Safe driving not only saves the company money, it reduces injuries to the drivers, which can lead to extended time away from the job. That too can increase a company’s costs.

So let’s combine the savings of money with that of being a safe driver. Fuel cards and telematics can both save you money in the long run. They can go hand in hand. Do your homework to find the best company that can provide more options for you and your business, such as iCompario. Vehicles are changing each year and it’s important to get the most out of them and your drivers. That too becomes a win-win situation in my books for both driver and company.