Fleet software in the news

What can fleet management software do for my fleet? The answer is man things and as legislation demands more of fleet managers, software can, help to keep track of a wide variety of matters from driver licensing, vehicle record keeping, servicing and maintenance to disposal. This month we have focused on how software can help with maintenance issues and disposal. How can the software help and what sort of benefits can you expect to see?

Fleet software allows you to formulate clear policies and provides the infrastructure to implement them", reckons Neville Briggs, managing director of CFC Solutions. "So, when it comes to vehicle maintenance you can see how well your policies are working. For example, fleet management software will allow clear comparison reporting on your budget against actual spend, highlighting the vehicle types and even the models and manufacturers that are beating or not meeting your targets.

"Because software will automatically identify exceptions to your maintenance policy and alert you when they occur, it allows you to concentrate your efforts where they are most needed. In effect, it frees up the fleet manager to manage the wider strategy rather than just the day-to-day detail.

"Good fleet software will enable you to build up a picture of the maintenance history of manufacturers and models and the suppliers that service them, enabling you to identify those that are providing the best value as well as being most operationally fit for purpose.

In this way, you can feed your maintenance experiences into future vehicle acquisition decisions, or alternatively even terminate vehicles early where they are proving expensive to run and inefficient in daily use.

"Similar thinking applies to vehicle disposal", continues Neville, "Integrated fleet software provides an overview of your disposal strategy, automatically comparing your results with market data from sources such as CAP, showing where the best results are being achieved - through particular auctions or dealers, for example. It will also allow you to maximise the price achieved for each vehicle by providing a detailed service history, showing that the vehicle has been properly maintained."

It is with the routine, repetitive and detailed that Richard Wainwright of Tranman supplier Civica believes software can help most. "Accurate and regular analysis of maintenance cost trends across the differing types of vehicle in a fleet, coupled with vehicle mileage, depreciation and book value figures allows modern fleet management systems to accurately predict the optimum disposal time for vehicles, ensuring the best use of both capital and maintenance budgets and resulting in significant savings."

By using software, van fleet operators can reduce the cost of maintenance and save on
administration time. A good fleet management system should consolidate vehicle maintenance, scheduling several jobs at the same time to make maintenance more cost effective. Fleets with specialist equipment and ancillary items need software that brings these different items together on one maintenance job, minimising vehicle downtime.

For example, when a van needs an inspection, ancillary equipment checks can also be scheduled - reducing downtime and boosting workshop productivity. 'A web portal for maintenance authorisations can provide suppliers with online access which reduces administration for fleet departments authorising maintenance work and allows approved suppliers to get an authority number without using the phone."

Few fleet management companies have operations on the scale of Lombard Vehicle Management. Rob Bailey, Head of LVM thinks that Software and e-systems provide the company with significant advantages in the management of vehicle disposals."Our strategy differs from that of our major competitors in that we do not rely on the auction channel", says Rob, "Rather than put all our eggs in that basket, we make extensive use of a single system which means that all aspects of the process can be handled online. It provides comprehensive vehicle information, allows us to communicate and transact with multiple buyers and suppliers in real time, and provides automatic scheduling of things like movements and repairs.

"Competitors may believe that they are avoiding the additional expense necessary
but we believe that is a false economy as they do not have our ability to exploit other elements in the chain", continues Rob, "That is increasingly important in today's distressed used vehicle market, and the additional infrastructure is minimised.

For us, not to use software and related systems is a risk. "There are also benefits for our fleet customers. The process includes vehicle checks and recharging, providing a third-party evaluation with documentation and images to support the charge. This is especially important where vans are concerned, as wear and tear is inevitably greater than with passenger cars, and reduces the chances of disputes. The system also offers the capability for remarketing vehicles to customers and individual users."

Many fleet software packages such as Chevin's FleetWave are web-based and consequently can give an overall view of activities in all maintenance and workshop locations.

This helps users to stay competitive by ensuring service reliability and superior vehicle utilisation.

Software such as FleetWave can track vehicle maintenance and operating fuel costs,
better manage the inventory of spare parts and plan employees' work schedules to make the best use of their time and efforts. This allows advanced planning of preventative maintenance and associated parts fulfillment, weeks before any actual work is completed. A "dashboard" pane like that on the FleetWave home page can
show the critical preventative maintenance:

e status for each vehicle at all workshop locations. The "dashboard" can show a range of items including work order status costs for labour and parts. Software should improve the planning of all scheduled work, and ensure that the parts inventory matches the work plan. "Devaluation is the enemy for Fleet Managers", reckons Bill Raynal, Managing Director of TRACKER", which is why they prefer to sell unwanted vehicles quickly. A comprehensive picture of how a van has been used can aid in the disposal of a vehicle.

Buyers like to know that a vehicle has been maintained properly and anything less will command a lower price. Email and text reminders for servicing and MOT ensure vehicle certification is up-to-date at all times. "Vehicle Asset Management (VAM) systems enable Fleet Managers to anticipate faults and implement better preventative measures - protecting a vehicle's final sale price. TRACKER's systems can provide information on the distance a vehicle covers, as well as hours of use and the type of journeys. Information includes the speed a vehicle has been driven at and the time spent idling, offering vital management information.

"State-of-the-art software allows monitoring of driving behavior, including everything from excessive speeding to unplanned deviation from a route. By combining all the available data, fleet managers are in complete control of the status of their vehicles, while allowing them to focus on driver safety. The key to keeping an eye on the budget is being able to assess all aspects of the fleet and VAM does just that. With the right information at their fingertips, fleet managers can effectively maintain vehicles, ensuring a good resale price, while reducing maintenance and
insurance costs.

"Maximising residual values and ensuring vehicles are maintained in tip-top condition is crucial for all fleet operators. Utilising twenty-first century online software is vital in ((( The key to maximizing residuals is to ensure that all vehicles are serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer schedules throughout their life. )))

Jason Francis, managing director, Jaama. achieving those objectives", suggests Jason
Francis, managing director of fleet software provider Jaama.

"Systems such as Jaama's Key2 Vehicle Management software can be used to manage
planned and unplanned maintenance costs", continues Jason, "Such a system should be able to take into account the supplying company's service level agreements, the cost of removing livery on vans, excess mileage charges etc. During the life of a contract it can charge each operating company a percentage of the cost so unbudgeted expenditure does not come as a nasty surprise.

The advantages of fleet software are not confined to vehicles supplied on contract.
"The benefits are similar for outright purchase fleets and they can manage their maintenance by ensuring invoices match order numbers and forward invoices to cost centres for payment", Jason maintains. Software such as Key2 should provide fleet operators with access to residual value information from a number of providers including CAP According to Jason, "Whether vehicles are owned or leased and whatever the chosen disposal route, all depreciation financial indicators are available to fleet managers. "A vehicle disposal software module should enable fleet managers to access historic market values of vehicles. This helps fleet managers to pick the most financially astute time to sell a vehicle, given its age and condition. Software should be able to manage the entire disposal process, including transactions with the auction house, retailer or whoever buys the vehicle.

"However, the key to maximizing residuals is to ensure that all vehicles are serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer schedules throughout their life. Good software will manage the whole process and flag-up urgent areas of attention so unnecessary expenditure is avoided and cost savings will accrue."

-Ends-

About Jaama

Jaama is a fleet software and occupational road safety specialist. As a certified Microsoft® development partner, Jaama uses the latest technology to provide customers with greater integration, control and automation. It brings innovative vehicle management software to fleet operators, contract hire and leasing companies. In addition Jaama is the first to combine fleet management software and risk management services to help customers meet their driver health and safety responsibilities under occupational road safety regulations.

http://www.jaama.co.uk


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