Modern Fleet Maintenance Management – How to improve fleet management?

Pen & Paper, Microsoft Excel or Fleet Management System?

Fleet managers and other personnel who manage organization’s vehicles and other assets know how difficult it is to keep up with the status of the fleet. Less than ten vehicles are still manageable with Excel or pen and paper if the fleet has just a few drivers. However, there will Excel, or pen and paper methods will prove challenging if the vehicles are used by multiple staff members, they are located in many different locations, or if you intend to track expenses real-time.

Defect reporting to the fleet manager or maintenance manager via telephone is time-consuming. Especially the smaller defects, dents, window cracks & chips, wear and tear, and anything else which doesn’t stop the vehicle from operating safely, are often overlooked. All these smaller problems may come as a surprise to the fleet manager and maintenance personnel when the vehicle comes to service. In the worst-case scenario, these minor defects may prolong the service downtime if the necessary spare parts are not available, fail a safety inspection, and even get the driver fined by a police officer.

All types of IoT and vehicle sensors are more and more common in new vehicles, and it is even possible to retrofit these sensors to older vehicles. Nonetheless, if the fleet management and fleet maintenance processes are not adequate, it is difficult to fully utilize the data those devices provide. Sensors and other IoT devices can give useful information to the driver and management, but they can’t entirely replace human perception.