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As a business owner, you know that having a fleet of vehicles is essential for getting your products and services to your customers, and keeping your employees on the road doing their jobs. But managing a fleet can be logistically challenging, especially if it's only a small part of your job to manage this. Here are seven tips for managing your fleet efficiently and keeping everything running smoothly.

There are many reasons why it makes sense to have your own fleet of vehicles as a business. First, it can save you money in the long run if you use your vehicles frequently, as it means you do not have to constantly source and hire vehicles from third party suppliers. It can provide a more convenient and flexible way to get around for your employees, especially if they have to travel as part of their jobs. Offering employees a company car can be a significant perk of the job, helping you attract and retain good quality employees. Having your own vehicles also gives you an opportunity to add your own branding to them, serving as a vessel for advertising and promoting a positive brand image.

The benefits of having a fleet of vehicles if you're a business owner is clear. But managing everything that relates to it can be time consuming. Here are seven tips for managing a fleet of vehicles if this is an area of responsibility for you in your job.

1. Keep Track of all Vehicles

The first thing you need to do is to create a good system for keeping track of all the vehicles in your fleet. This includes make, model, year, license plate number and any other important information. You need to know which employee is driving any vehicle at any particular time, and where it is habitually kept on the business premises, or at an employee's home.

2. Maintain Accurate Records

You also need to develop a system of maintaining ongoing records for things like vehicle maintenance and repairs. This will come in handy if there are ever any issues with a vehicle, or if you need to track down a history of previous repairs. Good records will also be useful for managing warranty claims or resale value.

3. Schedule Regular Inspections

Prevention is often better than cure when it comes to looking after a fleet of vehicles. As such, you should schedule regular inspections so you can keep on top of any arising issues. This could be anything from a simple visual inspection to a more comprehensive service. Regular inspections will help you identify any potential problems early on, before they have a chance to cause serious damage or break down completely. Take the chance to get vehicles washed when they do come in for regular inspections; providers such as TNT Services work specifically with washing fleets of vehicles. Keeping vehicles clean helps them run better and presents a good brand image. You could view this as a preventative maintenance schedule, that is ultimately helping to keep your vehicles optimized and on the road. 

4. Track Fuel Usage and Expenses

If you want to keep your fleet running efficiently, it's important to track fuel usage and expenses. This will help you budget for fuel costs, and also identify any areas where employees may be wasting fuel or racking up unnecessary expenses. You'll need to create a system for how you manage this, and communicate it clearly to all employees. For example, you'll need to decide on things like whether employees are responsible for fueling up the vehicle, and assign them with fuel cards or another process to claim ad hoc vehicle related expenses.

5. Create Guidelines for Safe Driving

If employees are given company cars to drive, it comes with some responsibilities on their part. As such, you should develop some rules, policies and guidelines around safe driving practices for employees. This might include things like a maximum speed limit, rules around using mobile phones while driving, or how to handle accidents. Employees should be given a copy of these guidelines and be expected to sign off that they've read and understood them.

6. Establish Rules for Personal Use

It should also be made very clear to employees what the rules and regulations are for using company vehicles on personal time. In some cases, employees may be allowed to use company vehicles for personal use, but there should still be some clear guidelines in place. For example, you might limit the amount of personal miles employees can clock up, or only allow them to use the vehicle for a certain number of minutes outside of work hours – such as commuting to and from work. If personal use is not allowed at all, this should also be made clear.

7. Plan Routes and Schedules

Part of your responsibility for maintaining a fleet of vehicles is that you should try to optimize efficiency while minimizing wear and tear on the vehicles. You can do this by planning routes and schedules for the drivers that take this into account. This is especially important if you have employees who travel a lot for work, as you'll need to factor in things like rest stops, traffic and weather conditions. If you use GPS tracking devices for your vehicles, this can be a useful tool for route planning and optimization.