What is a Fleet Manager
A fleet manager oversees all aspects of a company’s vehicles, including the procurement of the vehicles, hiring and management of the drivers, safety, regulatory compliance, and ensuring maximum efficiency at all levels of their department.
What Does a Fleet Manager Do?
Fleet managers not only purchase the vehicles, as well as decide on whether to lease or buy them, they must ensure that each vehicle is properly maintained and operated to ensure that the department’s total cost of ownership is low and that they are getting the most out of each piece of equipment.
What is the Role of a Fleet Manager
The role of a fleet manager is not restricted to the vehicles and drivers, but also those that their team shares the road with. Fleet safety is a hot button topic for any company, and fleet managers bear the responsibility to ensure their vehicles and drivers are performing safely whenever they hit the road. Fleet managers must first develop an effective safety program and make sure that all employees are trained on both vehicle and driver safety. While training is the important first step in ensuring overall fleet safety, managers must also track, record, and correct any ongoing risky driver behaviors, such as speeding, harsh braking, and driver distraction.
Fleet Manager Responsibilities
Fleet managers must also assist in the recruitment of safe, qualified drivers and develop driver schedules that help to cut costs and maximize profits. They are also in charge of finding strategies to increase fuel efficiency, maintain proper records of vehicle servicing and inspection, as well as driver licensing, and comply with all U.S. Department of Transportation rules and regulations. By scheduling regular vehicle maintenance, fleet managers ensure vehicle and operational efficiency throughout the department. A strict service and maintenance schedule minimizes downtime, maintains route schedules, and keeps customers satisfied. They must also monitor driver behavior to ensure a high level of safety for their team and the drivers they share the roads with. By analyzing data from different software solutions, fleet managers can increase operational efficiency and further cut costs.
Fleet Manager Job Duties
- Purchasing (and/or leasing) and maintaining vehicles
- Recruiting quality drivers
- Developing efficient driver schedules
- Managing driver safety and training
- Registering and licensing vehicles
- Monitoring driver behavior and ensuring a high level of safety
- Developing plan to keep operational costs down
- Ensuring best possible fuel efficiency practices
- Maintaining vehicle service and inspection records
- Complying with U.S. Department of Transport laws and regulations
- Scheduling regular preventive maintenance
What is Fleet Manager Software?
By utilizing fleet management software, fleet managers can monitor every vehicle, piece of equipment, and driver from a single platform. These software solutions can locate and track vehicles, monitor driver behavior, measure vehicle and driver performance, and ensure fuel and route efficiency.
How to Become a Fleet Manager
In many cases, fleet managers have past driver and management experience. While some fleets require a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, logistics, or business, almost all of them require a valid CDL and clean driving record, ASE certification, knowledge of OSHA and Department of Transportation regulations, and both technical and organizational skills.
Fleet Manager Certification
There are also certification programs available to fleet managers. The Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) certification program includes eight core competencies of fleet management: asset management, business management, financial management, information management, maintenance management, professional development, risk management, and vehicle fuel management. It is a self-study program available to anyone with a minimum of one year of experience in a fleet-related position.
Does LifeSaver Mobile Work With Fleet Managers?
Fleet managers are primary stakeholders where LifeSaver Mobile works with and sells to fleet safety personas. Fleet managers are always involved in deploying and managing the business end of the fleet when deploying our technology, and in turn a key implementer of our solution in a fleet.
