7 tips to become a better fleet manager

April 10, 2019

Fleet management of corporate vehicles is a multi-faceted and complex task, and its importance is often underestimated. The team or person in charge of it in a company must be competent in various aspects, with high-level administration, operational and logistic skills.

Plus, since the profession is in constant evolution, it is not always easy to adapt to the growing technological, structural or regulatory changes.

After years of collaborations with fleet managers on the topics of parking management and employee mobility, we were able to learn the best tips and tricks from them. We've put together a small summary of these tips.

Be the visionary your business needs

You hold in your hands the mobility strategy of your company since you can directly influence it. Do not miss this opportunity to shine. It is up to you to synthesize your knowledge and experience of technological and societal developments, to imagine how they can apply to your organization and make a concrete action plan. Never hesitate to consult experts in the different sectors that concern you (fleet management, parking management, mobility plan, etc.) to challenge your opinions.

Stay informed about innovative solutions

You work in a field witnessing perpetual change! You must consistently stay on top of the latest innovations and technologies to prepare and anticipate the challenges you will face tomorrow. For example, for several years now we have been witnessing a change in mindsets towards sustainable development. For this reason, some companies have implemented car pooling, parking management or soft mobility solutions for the benefit of their employees.

In our opinion, the best resource for keeping up to date is FleetEurope, whose website and publications are a gold mine. And it's free!

Those articles might interest you:

How can you encourage carpooling within your company?

4 tips to encourage your employees to use bicycles

Cultivate your positivism

Optimism is a key element in a function such as the one you occupy. Be a source of motivation for your employees in the face of the diversity and complexity of the tasks they face, but also the difficulty of getting changes made at every level of your company. Positivism can make all the difference between the success or failure of the implementation of your projects.

Communicate like a pro

The management of the fleet and / or parking lots of your company is at the crossroads between logistics, operations and HR as it is not uncommon to offer access to the parking lot or company vehicle as part of the benefits to employees. This implies the need to make clear decisions on attribution and use policies, as well as an ability to communicate the importance of fair and efficient management of these assets to all employees benefiting from them. Always favoring a controlled and controllable approach to avoid chaos. Finally, make sure you document and communicate the burdens of certain aspects of your daily life to your superiors to make them aware of the reality of the job, as well as the effects generated by a non-optimal management (costs, stress, lack of visibility etc.).

Use the right tools

As a fleet manager, you manage multiple tasks at the same time: management of the fleet, management of the parking lot, development and management of the mobility plan, and related HR aspects of parking management. Do not make the mistake of using a tool that does it all ... Because it probably does everything for you, but probably does it badly.

Use the right tools

On the contrary, try to identify the tools whose action scope is clearly defined. Work with companies offering specialized SaaS software (parking management software) that have the advantage of evolving with you and can integrate with your other software to let you have full visibility of your operations. It is this visibility that will allow you to make the right decisions.

Limit your suppliers


Emphasising quality rather than quantity is without a doubt one of the keys to success. Limiting the number of providers will allow you to simplify your work, optimize your time but also strengthen your image, your relationship and your bargaining power.

 

Do not neglect taxation


Stay informed about the tax aspects of parking lots, CO2 emissions, employee benefits or alternative transportation. These taxes and benefits vary from region to region and are therefore specific. Knowing the different aspects will give you a head start in your work.

Again, FleetEurope has country information sections on its website, where you can read the latest information of your country on fleet management.

 

Are you ready to become the agent of change? We give you the keys that can help you there. If you want to start a conversation about parking and mobility, contact us!

 

New call-to-action

Subscribe to blog updates