Cutting the Costs of Your Business Fleet

If you’re running a business that takes care of deliveries or stocks retailers in the area, then it’s likely that you’re using your own vehicles to take care of the supply chain. However, there’s no denying that fleets can easily be the most expensive part of running such a business, so what can you do to keep the costs manageable?

Ensure they’re being used right

The habits of your drivers will contribute in large part to the costs you can expect from your fleet. First of all, the efficiency of their driving habits will contribute to how much fuel they consume on each journey. Choosing routes that involve more stopping and starting will also lead to earlier replacements of brake pads and other parts, too. For that reason, make sure you introduce a GPS telemetric system to your fleet that captures data on where your vehicles are going and how they’re being driven. Any inefficient driving behaviors, you can catch and train out of your team.

Take proper care of the fleet

One of the benefits of ensuring that the cars are driven efficiently is that it will also decrease the wear and tear on them that can increase your costs over time. In general, you want to make sure that your vehicles are in the best condition possible with a thorough preventative maintenance schedule. The longer you let issues build up in your vehicles, the more they’re going to cost you when you do eventually take the time to fix them. Stay on top of any problems early to quell those costs.

Always look for savings on fuel

When running a business fleet, rarely if ever should you be content to pay the same prices as the average person at the pump. There are several ways you may be able to find savings. Fuel cards directly from the suppliers can work but it’s also worth looking to see if you can buy red diesel drums that you can store in your business premises. Just make sure you take all the proper safety precautions when storing them.

Consider outsourcing some journeys

For most trips, since you already have the vehicles, it’s going to be more cost-effective to have them simply taken care of by your own vehicles than paying the additional costs that come with hiring another driver with their own vehicles. However, if you’re dealing with an especially high volume of orders, such as during the holiday season, or you have an order that might take your drivers well out of their usual routes, then giving outsourcing a try might make sense. It could be cheaper if having your own vehicles drive there would interrupt other deliveries to the point that you stand to lose more than the cost of outsourcing.

To make sure that your fleet is more of an asset than a cost, ensure that you’re taking the proper care of the vehicles involved and using them as efficiently as possible. Hopefully, the tips above help you steer clear of too many overheads.