The process of developing and managing a fleet of vehicles for your business can be long and full of learning experiences, but the number of mistakes made and revenue lost due to those “learning experiences” can be limited if a new fleet manager will learn a few of the best practices for the industry.  The practices, or methods and tactics, for managing a commercial fleet can change from industry to industry and from business to business, but the general aspects for quality fleet management will all be roughly the same.

Some of the best policies and practices to implement into your fleet management method include the following:

• Formulate and compose a fleet management plan which includes short term and long term goals as well as the specific goals you desire your fleet to achieve for the company as a whole; thus merging the fleet with the overarching purpose and vision of the company.  These goals can then be used to drive every action within your fleet management policy.
• Utilize software tools to automate processes, keep records, and store database material.  This will greatly boost the overall efficiency of the entire fleet.
• Educate employees on every level of compliance regulations concerning commercial fleets.  State and federal laws mandate various codes to be enforced and violating any of these, either knowingly or ignorantly, can cause severe reparations to the fleet and the company.
• Establish an effective vehicle-replacement cycle that will keep the fleet operating at cost-efficient levels.

Again, while each industry and each company will have variants that make their fleet management achievements different from another, the above general practices of fleet management will allow young and growing fleets the best possibility for future success.