Features
3 Mar 21

7 steps for sustainable fleet management in North America

“Getting what you pay for has become a greater focus,” says Adam Orth (pictured, right), a fleet professional with 15+ years’ experience in the industry. Below, he details 7 steps to implement a sustainable fleet management strategy.

1. Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement must be early and start with the support of senior leaders. Fleet is unique because it is has the ability to touch more aspects of your company than any other department within your business. With senior leadership support, you have the means of engaging the vast amounts of internal partners and stakeholders needed to make any type of fleet project or transition successful.

2. Strategy and policy development

Strategy and policy must reflect what works for your company. Thorough communication, feedback, and stakeholder involvement will allow for strategies and policies that everyone feels a part of and thus will strive for collaborative outcomes. Don't underestimate the amount of collective and consistent change management needed when working on any aspect of strategy or policy.

3. Driver eligibility

Each company, fleet, region, etc. is different, so analysis and true understanding of current state and realistic possibilities for the future must be taken into account. As the industry evolves, so must the driver and vehicle. Many of the vehicles that drivers have today will no longer be available in the near future. Knowing that, it is imperative that you have already begun discussions with HR and other stakeholders to properly set expectations for what your future driver will be.

4. Funding and Supplier management

With the evolution of your fleet, you must continuously assess what you are purchasing, why you are purchasing it, and how you are using it.  Supplier service offerings and partnerships are ever-changing, thus making more important than ever to stay educated on what is available and what could potentially assist you in the future. As an industry, getting what you pay for has definitely become a greater focus within the past 12 months.

5. Sustainability

The drastic shift to more sustainable platforms by car manufacturers will continue to change the future of fleet. The thought process can no longer be to wait and see what happens over time. Leadership conversations, driver feedback, and pilot programmes are essential in properly preparing your fleet and company for the shift.

6. Technology & Connectivity

As the industry has evolved, technology and connectivity moved from something that was available to something that has in many instances become standardised. The focus needs to be on how all of the technology can be best utilised, especially if you are already buying vehicles with the equipment. It is important that you are having discussions with all of your suppliers in order to best understand how to do so.

7. Monitoring and control

Fleet industry suppliers have become major sources of data, analysis, and best practices. If you are utilising the services and gathering constant data, it must be monitored. Whether you are completing the analysis internally or paying a supplier to do it, simply obtaining the data and not taking any actions on it is not effective. As the shift to more sustainable methods of doing business drive the scrutiny of how each mile, kilowatt, and hour is paid for, proper analysis and control will be expected at every level.

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