Fleet management is becoming more and more challenging. Fuel costs are going up, parts and labor are going up if you can even get parts in time. Backorders, shipping delays, more uncertainty, and your fleet is getting older every day. The great fleet shrinkage during COVID meant you have fewer vehicles on the road that are bringing in the same dollars. Those vehicles are working harder which means they need more maintenance.
Fortunately, you have some budget and approval to move on from the old fleet and get some new vehicles. What do you need to look out for? Any gotchas when talking to the boss? You want everyone to be positive about this, so here are some points to keep in mind.
Electric Vehicles – Pay Now & Save Later
The argument to the boss for electrical vehicles is pretty straightforward, after all the initial capital expense is higher but delivery and pickup trips end up being more economical. Fewer parts mean less maintenance equals lower costs, plus you’re not paying for fuel, oil, or filters anymore. If you’re in a city or state that has incentives to go electric, even better. Get all the rebates and incentives you can to offset your capital expense.
What about maintenance? This is new technology we’re talking about after all. Many of the electric vehicles on the road have over-the-air updates, just like your computer or cell phone. OTA updates won’t fix a flat tire, but they can add new features, improve battery life, provide better accident detection, and fix issues that come up.
And, since EVs are all connected by nature, the best part is that you don’t need to bring your vehicles to the shop for OBD installation, it’s all doמe seamlessly.
Connected Vehicles – Pre Warned Saves Time & Money
Everyone wants the safest and best drivers in the world to be driving their fleet vehicles. You want someone that accelerates and decelerates slowly, corners smoothly and at the appropriate speed, is cautious, and has a good feel for the vehicle to know about the issues. Connected vehicles have sensors that can record all that information. Not only do they tell you what kind of driver you have, but they also provide insights into wear and tear on parts, which is great to know because the regular maintenance schedule is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Drive a vehicle hard and maintenance is required sooner. Professional race cars get full engine and brake tear downs after every race. Hopefully, your fleet doesn’t have anybody who treats your vehicles like race cars.
Fleet management easily done – Instantly Onboard New Vehicles to the Fleet
Now that you’ve chosen the best vehicles for your and your customers’ needs, how can we get them into your fleet with minimal downtime? The easiest path is to have a vehicle that comes factory connected. No need to deal with aftermarket devices that need be fitted by your regional TSP. Connected vehicles can be instantly onboarded with just a few clicks. Once you have a device, service, and data you can then start planning for the next step…making the data work for you.
Making the Data Work with Otonomo
Getting access to fleet vehicle data is an extremely powerful tool. However, to reap the most benefits out of it, that data needs to be enriched with weather, real-time traffic, smart city alerts, construction data, and more.
Otonomo provides data and insights so you can reduce costs through predictive maintenance, improved driver training, optimized routes, and more so that you can drive your business forward while reducing operational costs.
You may also be interested in ways to make your fleet more sustainable, visit our blog to learn more.
