If your business handles its packaging, shipping and deliveries on its own, then that’s likely going to be one of the most important operations of the whole company. It can also be one of the costliest. Running a fleet is rarely cheap. But that doesn’t mean you have to let it run wild with your money. Making a safer, more efficient, and actually suited to your demands is going to help you save a lot on it.
Know when you actually need a new vehicle
One of the first things you need to figure out about your fleet is just how many vehicles you’re going to need at any one time. The geographical area you serve, the amount of deliveries you have to make from week-to-week, these all factor into it. But it’s also important, for your finances, to note that the demands on your delivery system don’t stay the same. If you get enough vehicles to cope with the kind of demand you’re going to see at your busiest time of year, then the rest of the year might be spent with extra vehicles that cost you even when you’re not using them. Be more conservative in your estimates and consider services like www.hertztrucks.com.au to temporarily get your hands on the extra vehicles when you need them and not a day longer.
An eye on safety
As for making the best use of the resources you do need to buy, then you should be most concerned with the physical state of the vehicles. Thorough maintenance of the fleet is essential. For that reason, it might be worth hiring mechanics internally if you have enough need for them. But the physical condition of the vehicles is also impacted by the safety of them on the road. Fitting your vehicles with equipment from suppliers like www.safetydave.com.au is an investment worth considering. From reverse cameras that keep drivers more informed on the situation of the road around them to fire safety products that can let them deal with more situations on the fly. The safer your vehicles, the less you have to spend on repairs.
Another eye on the data
Providing that maintenance is thorough and safety as close to guaranteed as can be, economic use of your vehicles is about making more efficient trips. To that end, you need gear like GPS trackers from www.fleetminder.com.au. Get to know your drivers’ routes and see if you can’t come up with alternatives they could take that could get them visiting more locations on their route in less time. Of course, traffic and other conditions will play into the availability and efficiency of a route. But without at least tracking the data, you can never be sure if your team is driving as well as it should.
As with all things, creating a financially sound fleet is all about making the best possible use out of the resources you need. Not too much, not too few. Hopefully, the three key points above are going to help you keep those resources for longer and use them more efficiently.