3 Simple Ways To Improve Fleet Efficiency
Joe Dickman | June 23rd, 2022
Fleet efficiency describes how you manage operations to improve overall fleet productivity. Fleet managers can divide the metrics of fleet efficiency into safety, cost-efficiency, and compliance metrics. The objective for maintaining fleet efficiency is to use these combined metrics to improve day-to-day operations. For instance, if you’re a fleet manager viewing a refrigerated box truck for sale, you must evaluate the fuel costs and required maintenance to determine if the investment will hinder or improve your fleet. Learn a few simple ways to improve fleet efficiency through reduced costs, preventative maintenance, and maximizing digital fleet resources.
Fleet Efficiency Metrics
There are three primary metrics you can use to measure your fleet’s efficiency.
- Safety: The preventative measures, calculated incidents, and overall maintenance
- Compliance: The number of goods delivered on time per hour of fleet service
- Cost-efficiency: The cost of fuel routes, maintenance, and overall fleet productivity
Understanding how to measure fleet efficiency can help integrate the following tips for improving fleet efficiency.
Use Fuel-Efficient Routes
Plan fuel-efficient routes to minimize fuel costs on the road and improve the cost-efficiency of your fleet. Traffic jams, closed roads, and natural disasters can make a route inefficient for fleet operations. It’s important to utilize fuel-efficient routes to reduce mileage and ensure deliveries arrive on time.
Create a Maintenance Schedule
Create a preventative maintenance schedule to limit the number of ongoing repairs for fleet vehicles. Ongoing repairs contribute to cost-inefficiency and time loss in a fleet. It’s best to have a proactive maintenance schedule to avoid work cycle disruptions, reduce costs, and improve fleet efficiency.
Use Fleet Management Software
Implement fleet management software to help customize operation plans and improve overall fleet efficiency. Fleet management software allows you to track vehicle conditions, fuel costs, incident reports, and real-time location updates during day-to-day fleet operations. Using a fleet management software program also helps minimize paperwork and communication delays and provides a tool to help you track data more efficiently.
Investing in high-quality fleet vehicles is a critical first step to achieving fleet efficiency. Emerald Transportation Solutions is your one-stop shop for all your fleet delivery vehicle needs. Explore our broad selection of insulated trucks, vans, and reefers to optimize your transportation process.
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What does under DOT mean?
Questions regarding DOT requirements come up often. 10,000 lbs GVW (gross vehicle weight) and over are commercial vehicles that fall under the Department of Transportation regulatory requirements.
What is the difference between GVW and payload?
GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight is the entire weight of the vehicle including the payload. The payload weight represents the amount of cargo you are hauling.
What is a self-powered unit and a vehicle-powered unit?
A self-powered unit has its own fuel source and will run independent of the truck. This is the heaviest and most expensive option. While vehicle-powered units run off the engine via a compressor mounted on the engine. These are less expensive and lighter in weight but you must run the truck or plug the electric standby into shore power.
What does K-factor mean and why is that important?
K-factor is a term that stands for the overall insulating value of the container (truck body). Quite simply the lower the K-factor the better the truck body will be able to maintain a given temperature and require less energy to do so.
How much lighter is a Poly Van vs a US spec body?
Poly Van bodies are very light. On average we estimate we are 75-150 lbs per foot lighter than a traditional sheet and post foamed in place body. These weight savings translates to less fuel burn and less CO2 emissions, along with added payload, the most important benefit.
