Transforming Data into Insights: The Definitive Guide for Fleet Managers to Generate Business-Changing Decisions

The growing influence of technology in society has remained consistent for decades, and even now we are seeing more advanced developments such as those which concern the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

It’s also clear that businesses which embrace new technologies are provided with a cutting-edge advantage. This is true for almost every industry, and so includes the area of fleet management.

Namely, fleet managers who digitise their operations will find that the data they generate as a result can be transformed into insights which, when acted on, lead to fundamentally business-changing decisions. So that you can understand the specifics of the value generated by fleet data, we’ve put together this definitive guide for fleet managers.

Fleet Data and Insights for:

Reducing Fuel Consumption

Fuel consumption is one of the biggest expenditures for vehicle fleets collectively. Meaning, that any reduction in fuel consumption signals considerable financial savings for a business. The first step to achieving this is by having hardware implemented into a fleet, such as fuel monitoring systems which track the rate of each vehicles’ fuel consumption.

By collecting and analysing the data generated here, fleet managers are able to gain insights which, in turn, can result in better fuel management for overall cost reduction. Similarly, data like this is integral for identifying where vehicle upgrades may be necessary. This is particularly useful when fuel prices are relatively high, as they have been in recent years.

Optimised Route Planning

The planning of more optimised fleet routes feeds into reduced fuel usage. However, beyond routes which inherently use up less fuel, optimised route planning is also vital for the elimination of unnecessary idling. Idling essentially equates to the consumption of fuel, and thereby money. Therefore, it should be the goal of the fleet manager to cut this out as much as possible.

Idling can be reduced in fleets by looking at data regarding a vehicle’s route history and from there seeing where improvements can be made. For instance, it could be that a particular route often entails large traffic jams. Additionally, fleet managers can use software to set up geofenced zones so that their drivers do not embark on any inefficient detouring, alongside simply advising them to not warm themselves using a vehicle’s heaters during the colder months.

Effective Maintenance Scheduling

At its core, fleet management is about maximising the longevity of a vehicle fleet. Fleet vehicles are expensive, and so it’s of great importance that each is kept running safely and in a fuel-efficient manner. The primary way of doing this is by upholding logical maintenance schedules.

Vehicle maintenance should be carried out daily, this being the principal behind daily vehicle checks. Although, this doesn’t represent an infallible method of maintenance. Instead, preventative maintenance should be scheduled when fleet management hardware detects potential faults or failures. This proactive approach, driven by predictive data, helps prevent breakdowns and accidents before they occur, as opposed to addressing issues reactively.

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance

Every year, authorities seem to get progressively more stringent with enforcing on-road regulations. There are severe penalties and fines for failing to comply with such regulations, and so it’s in fleet managers’ best interests to uphold them at all times.

Ensuring the compliance of an entire vehicle fleet is difficult. However, this task is made relatively easy with a database that uses a dashboard interface as well as tachographs that track driver hours. Compliance also ties into driver safety, meaning that maintaining it reduces the risk your drivers face when they are on the road, and that you ultimately save on insurance costs too. For regulations, having the data at hand to prove your compliance is an absolute necessity.

Transitioning to an Electric Fleet

As we near towards the 2035 ICE ban, it’s relevant to mention the data which supports businesses that are thinking of transitioning to a greener fleet. Electric fleets, though they imply a high initial cost, have been shown to result in larger long-term savings. Such an insight provides a clear incentive for businesses which are looking to eventually make the switch.

Fleet Management Solutions to Support your Business

As this article demonstrates, fleets generate a mass of data which is ripe for being transformed into actionable insights. The slight disadvantage of having so much data at hand is that fleet managers can become overloaded if it is not organised properly.

This is where we at MICHELIN Connected Fleet come in. Our solutions provide you with both the software and hardware needed to handle rich fleet data, but we also go the extra mile with our consultative approach to fleet management, meaning we’re here to help with everything involved.

If you’re interested in reducing your fleet’s fuel consumption, planning more optimised routes, scheduling effective maintenance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and are at the same time debating the switch to EVs, then be sure to make an enquiry into how we can help your business with all of this today.