How to improve pool car management? Whether fleet management is your main activity or a secondary one, here are ten tips.
Answering the question “how to manage a fleet of cars” is not a simple task. Whether fleet management is your main or secondary activity, many factors must be considered to avoid this fleet becoming a source of uncertainty and uncontrolled costs. This is why, in addition to our tips for improving fleet management, we present you with 10 essential points to consider in order to calmly tackle this mission of how to improve motor vehicle fleet management.
What is pool car management?
What is pool car management? It refers to all the practices and solutions implemented to oversee a shared fleet of vehicles, whether for rental, corporate use, or other purposes. This includes managing acquisitions, lease contracts, maintenance, cost tracking, insurance, and regulatory compliance. The primary goal of pool car management is to optimize vehicle usage, control expenses, and improve overall efficiency.
What are the first nine car pool management tips?
Car pool management is a major challenge for companies looking to reduce costs, improve productivity, and ensure vehicle availability. Efficient organization requires adopting best practices and using the right tools. Following motor vehicle and fleet management best practice guidelines helps businesses streamline operations, optimize resource allocation, and enhance fleet performance. Discover nine essential tips to effectively manage a corporate vehicle fleet with efficiency and peace of mind.
The general policy
Define who is responsible for establishing the general policy and procedures for your automobile fleet management. You must communicate this policy to all persons involved in fleet management, including vehicle users. Plan to review this policy and procedures regularly, such as annually.
Fleet budget and costs
Establish and monitor the annual budget allocated to your fleet. It is essential that you clearly identify all the costs generated by your fleet. You must set up a system for reporting and centralizing information in order to control these costs and improve your motor fleet risk management.
Calculate the optimal number of vehicles for your fleet
In order to know how to manage a fleet, you must define at which level(s) of your activity your fleet will be used. The maximum distance that vehicles should travel must also be determined. In addition, it is wise to set a maximum operational cost per vehicle. Establish a calculation method that allows you to know the optimal number of vehicles in your fleet. Many variables can be considered depending on your company’s pool car management (consumption, distance travelled, maintenance, vehicle capacity, taxation, etc.).
Acquisition of vehicles
First of all, you must choose the mode of acquisition of the vehicles: purchase, rental, leasing, a combination of several of these modes. If you decide to buy used vehicles, define a maximum mileage or age limit. Also choose what type of energy or fuel you want to use for your fleet: diesel, gasoline, hybrid, electric, hydrogen, a combination of several of these energies. Establish which make and model of vehicle you want to buy, with which options and equipment.
One point not to be overlooked is the choice of insurance policy for your fleet, here again, many parameters are to be taken into consideration depending on your activity such as user profile, location and many others, including automobile fleet management. You now have to define your supplier, he will be a decisive partner for the management of your fleet.
Vehicle operation
Set up a maintenance program for your fleet management and motor vehicle in order to prevent rather than cure. You must establish a list of your vehicles by defining which ones have priority for maintenance or repair operations. Also choose if you want to use original or alternative parts for consumables replacement. Establish a program to control the fuel consumption of your vehicles. Define a system that allows you to regularly check the tyres of your vehicles. Establish procedures to prevent and minimise the number of road accidents, such as regular medical visits by users or checking the validity of their driving licences. Choose to internalise or outsource routine maintenance operations according to your means and budget. Define suppliers for spare parts, consumables and repair and maintenance operations if the latter are outsourced.
Reselling of vehicles
Determine the criteria according to which your vehicle will be resold or replaced in your pool car fleet management: mileage, age, date or the first criterion that appears among the latter. Choose a partner who will buy back your vehicles, often your supplier will be able to offer you buy-back options. This choice will depend on many criteria, including the size of your fleet.
Information collection system
Define what data you want to collect about your fleet. Establish relevant indicators according to the activities (maintenance, use, accident…). Choose a frequency at which this information and indicators should be analysed in order to improve your management of pool car.
Fleet performance tracking
Tracking fleet performance is essential. By identifying areas for improvement through fleet analysis, you can implement corrective actions such as optimizing routes, establishing a preventive maintenance program, or adopting more fuel-efficient vehicles. To learn more about all possible improvement strategies, we recommend checking out this blog on fleet management.
Vehicle and carrier fleet management
Managing fleet vehicles and carriers is essential to ensure smooth operations, cost control, and optimal vehicle availability. A well-structured management strategy involves tracking vehicle usage, scheduling regular maintenance, and optimizing routes to reduce fuel consumption and wear. It also requires selecting reliable carriers, negotiating favorable contracts, and ensuring compliance with safety and environmental regulations. Choose an insurance company according to the desired level of coverage. Define and schedule a technical maintenance schedule for your vehicles. Implement a fuel card management system. Establish a management system for contraventions.
How to choose your automobile fleet management software?
This is the final key step to selecting the right automobile fleet management software efficiently. The use of a software solution dedicated to fleet management is a significant tool. A fleet and motor pool management software is able to collect the information you need, centralise it, analyse it and possibly export it. The software can also integrate with other management tools, such as accounting software or a geolocation system, to track your fleet’s performance in real time. The possibilities are endless, and choosing the right car pool management software can be challenging. That’s why hitechsoftware recommends myrentcar, a fleet management solution that offers all these essential features.
Used by over 500 companies, myrentcar offers a comprehensive motor fleet management software to optimize fleet operations by automating all essential tasks: real-time fleet tracking, maintenance and inspection scheduling, contract and cost management, as well as vehicle resale. For businesses managing shared vehicle fleets, myrentcar also serves as an efficient pool car management software, enabling seamless vehicle allocation, reservation management, and usage monitoring. With customizable dashboards and smart alerts, myrentcar allows fleet managers to anticipate needs, reduce downtime, and maximize fleet profitability. Easily integrable with existing systems, myrentcar also streamlines invoicing, claims management, regulatory compliance, and the automatic reassignment of fines. By incorporating every best practice in fleet management, myrentcar significantly enhances the performance and monitoring of your fleet.