Small Business Fleet Management: What’s The Best Choice?
By Space Coast Daily // March 19, 2021
When it comes to small business fleet management, you companies might feel like there aren’t many options. From considerable prices to unnecessary features, many things can make it harder to find the best tool for the job.
However, even if you’re running small business fleet management 30-40 cars, There’s an app for you. As Akveo explains, every business should have access to proper fleet management.
Why should I care about fleet management for small business?
Fleet management is as important as it can be complicated. Countless variables in all vehicles and pilots can cause trouble. That’s why it’s great to know we have many fleet management options.
However, seeing these problems can be difficult for small businesses. Small business GPS fleet management might not be vital if you have a couple of vehicles. That’s why many ventures fail to see its importance.
Monitoring
Knowing the location of your vehicles at all times is vital for proper management. Small business fleet management software lets you monitor all assets anytime you want. You can study their operations as well, with metrics like distance traveled, idle times, complications, and more.
Safety
Understanding the conditions of both your cars and routes is vital to care for the health of your drivers. You can spot problems way before they can arise. Many apps even let you communicate with your drivers through their dashboard.
Maintenance
One of the main ways in which fleet management for small business is vital for keeping your fleet in good shape. Estimating when repairs are due can be difficult if you’re not an expert. Thankfully, most apps let you receive notifications once maintenance becomes necessary.
Fuel management
Fuel is an inconspicuous expense that can get out of hand very quickly if you don’t stay on top of its consumption. Many small businesses miss huge potential savings just because they don’t track this metric. That’s not a problem with most fleet management apps.
Upfitting
Not all vehicles are good to go as soon as you get them. You might need special additions and fittings for your fleet. Proper large fleet management is vital to ensure this process doesn’t take too long. Otherwise, you risk your vehicle delivery delays, which impact your profitability.
Disposal
No vehicles last forever. You’ll eventually have to move on to new assets while ridding yourself of those no longer useful. Fleet management apps can help you estimate your vehicle’s useful life accurately. There’s no need to risk forgetting something important.
Route optimization
Finally, the ability to assess the routes of your cars and their efficiency is vital to optimizing your business. Small business GPS fleet management lets you measure these metrics in real-time. These features allow you to spot any necessary change immediately.
Best small business fleet management software
There’s no shortage of small business fleet management solutions. Sources, like the US Chamber of Commerce, have plenty of documentation on the best solutions. Finding the best fleet system for you is quite easy thanks to that.
But, what makes a good system for small businesses? Essentially, you want them to offer the following features:
■ Fuel usage tracking.
■ GPS location for every driver.
■ Real-time information about routes.
■ Intuitive interface for beginners.
■ Maintenance and compliance assessment.
GeoTab
GeoTab is among the best solutions if you want accessibility. It’s web-based, so you don’t have to download software for tracking your fleet.
You can study current trends affecting your business, like weather reports and the behavior of your drivers. Therefore, it’s an easy introduction to the market.
Fleet Maintenance Pro
On the other hand, this fleet management software for small businesses focuses on tracking inventory. It’s the ideal choice for staying on top of regular maintenance and repairs.
You get to track any asset you wish. It lets you categorize them into different types as well. It tracks fuel expenses, work orders, and inventories.
US Fleet Tracking
This is easily one of the ideal tools for US-based businesses. It specializes in GPS monitoring. You can receive live reports, including driving behavior, speed, and idling.
It even breaks down individual vehicle mileage throughout different states. Oil and tire changes are also part of its notifications.
Fleetio
Finally, Fleetio is almost synonymous with fleet management for small business. Entire teams can access for remote collaboration via different devices from everywhere.
You can access all the details you need, like renewals for licenses. Even loans and relevant documents make it to these reports. You can also employ calendars to assign drivers and days for certain assets.
Final thoughts
In the end, no one can really tell you what’s the best solution for you. You might need to track bus fleets. Other people could be running a delivery business and need delivery management dashboards.
When assessing what kind of features you need, make sure to consider the following:
■ How many vehicles are you using?
■ What’s your budget?
■ How complicated are routes and traffic in your city?
■ Which features could make management easier?