As Fleet360 gets ready to attend the The Fleet Europe Days, we have been reflecting on 2023 and some of the challenges the market and indeed the people responsible for fleet have been experiencing. Your fleet strategy for 2024 could be a very different one.

Fleet manager challenges

The fleet industry has once again had a challenging year. Our clients have had several various challenges in their role. Do you recognise any?

Cost control: Fleet managers need to optimise the fleet expenses, such as fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation, while meeting the operational and customer demands. They also need to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the fleet industry, such as supply chain disruptions, vehicle shortages, delivery delays, and changing customer needs. There is also the continued threat of additional pandemics that might be on the horizon.

Driver Mobility: The changing driver patterns now means offering your employees full flexibility in fulfilling their personal mobility needs is key. The creation and understanding of mobility budgets is critical.

Driver shortage: Fleet managers need to recruit and retain qualified and skilled drivers, who are essential for the fleet performance and customer satisfaction. They also need to provide adequate training, safety programs, and incentives to motivate and engage the drivers.

Safety management: Fleet managers need to ensure the safety of the drivers, vehicles, and other road users, as well as comply with the regulatory and legal requirement. They also need to monitor and prevent risky driving behaviours, such as speeding, distraction, fatigue, and impairment, using technology and data.

Regulatory compliance: Fleet managers need to adhere to the emission standards, safety inspections, driver training, and reporting requirements, as well as keep up with the changing rules and regulations in the fleet industry. They also need to adopt electric vehicles and alternative fuels to reduce the environmental impact and fuel costs of the fleet.

Technology and innovation: Fleet managers need to leverage the latest technology and innovation, such as telematics, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and connected vehicles, to improve the fleet efficiency, productivity, and customer service. They also need to integrate and analyse the data from various sources and systems to optimise the fleet performance and outcomes.

“The fleet topic has been high on the agenda in 2023 with many of clients carrying out some key strategic changes and benchmarking to fully understand the health of their car policy and how robust it is for 2024 and beyond.”

Hans Damen, Partner

Your fleet strategy for 2024

It is essential to know your starting point for 2024. Did your 2023 plan achieve its primary objective? If it did, then how do you maintain that momentum. If it didn’t, what can you do differently for 2024. We all know how things can change in 12 months – so it is always good to fully understanding your local and global fleet position to see how ‘healthy’ it really is:

• Conduct a fleet analysis to assess the current state of the fleet, such as vehicle inventory, utilisation, lifecycle, costs, and environmental impact
• Update or check that your fleet policy is for purpose in the changing landscape. Define the roles and responsibilities of the person or department responsible for fleet, other stakeholders, as well as the rules and guidelines for fleet operations, such as vehicle selection, acquisition, maintenance, fueling, and disposal
• Implement a fleet optimisation plan to identify and execute the best practices and solutions for fleet improvement, such as right-sizing, vehicle replacement, preventive maintenance, driver behaviour monitoring, and fuel management
• Monitor and evaluate the fleet performance and outcomes, such as cost savings, efficiency gains, safety records, and customer feedback, using key performance indicators (KPIs) and data analytics
• Review and update the fleet strategy periodically to ensure its relevance and effectiveness, as well as to incorporate new trends and challenges in the fleet industry

We will report back on The Fleet Europe Days conference to see what key topics arose and if these should be on your fleet strategy for 2024.

If you would like to review your car policy or future mobility strategy and get the transparency to make decisions on the right basis, do not hesitate to contact us.