What is Fleet Management?
Fleet Management encapsulates and refers to all the actions involved in managing a group of vehicles or aircrafts operating together or under the same ownership. Fleet management is there to keep a fleet running on time, efficiently and within budget. Any organisation that needs commercial vehicles to function participates in a form of fleet operations or management.
The overall aim and purpose of fleet management is to ensure continual improvement and to allow organisations to see and manage all the information associated with their vehicles and other assets. The process of fleet management has many goals including monitoring the ongoing changes of commercial vehicles while mediating any risks, tracking vehicles and its equipment, finding ways to increase driver safety, boosting overall efficiency, maintaining compliance with regulations, and enhancing productivity.
Read more about the benefits of Truckfile’s fleet management here.
What is the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme?
In 2018, the Drivers and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) launched its ‘Earned Recognition’ scheme for heavy good vehicles and public service vehicle operators. This is an important measure as it allows the fleet operators to prove they have met driver and vehicle standards.
To become an exemplary operator, your fleet manager needs to report your compliance of five aspects in a digital format. The scheme involves DVSA-validated IT systems which updates vehicle maintenance records and the drivers’ hourly data automatically every four weeks.
As well as being an important and necessary scheme, there are also a few benefits that you can earn once a recognised operator. The scheme proves that you are an exemplary operator which helps secure new contracts, you are recognised on the Gov.uk website and carry the DVSA marque. Also, you will receive access to a dedicated support team from DVSA, you’ll be less likely to be stopped on the road which helps save time and money and it reduces the chances of the DVSA visiting your premises.
Find out more about how to achieve the DVSA recognition scheme with us here.
What is a driver check and driver walk around?
A driver check includes showing digital proof that your vehicles have been checked and are fully legal and DVSA compliant. The driver checks are to be performed every day and the ‘first use’ check is a legal requirement. The first check of the day is so important because it can help you spot any defects early which will reduce maintenance costs and vehicle downtime. Any defects you find should be reported immediately to your relevant manager.
Each driver check will be bespoke to your individual vehicle and specialised assets. By documenting and providing proof that your vehicle has been checked and is fully legal each day, you are demonstrating your business compliance. You may need to perform more frequent checks if you operate a heavy-duty vehicle as, due to their complexity, have a higher risk of developing mechanical faults.
Learn more about the driver check here.
What is the fleet compliance checklist?
As a business that requires fleet management, it is important to work within the guidelines for fleet compliance. There are five key areas of fleet compliance to follow which include regularly inspecting your vehicles to check for mechanical faults, tracking driver activity with telematics to mitigate risk and driver safety, limit the time each driver spends on the road to ensure they receive enough rest, creating a risk management policy to avoid fines and legal fees and making sure all the drivers hold the correct certificates and licenses.
How are Telematics involved in fleet management?
The use of telematics in fleet management is very important as it allows the managers and clients to track the driver’s activity and is a place where the driver can store their daily reports and locations. Telematic software can reduce the possibility of collisions by providing information about the driver’s behaviour and how safely they’re driving, so you can retrain them where necessary.
At Truckfile, we have our own DVSA-compliant driver app with makes the drivers daily pre-use checks quick and efficient. You can easily report any defects you find by taking photos and videos within the app which are then reported immediately to the relevant managers via email. The app uses QR codes at the key inspection points around the vehicle to ensure the drivers inspect critical zones for compliance.
Another helpful function of the app is how it stores a complete history of each pre-use check, including any defects and alerts, as well as all your key documents in one place. By having access to 7 days of pre-use checks direct from the app, this will ensure any roadside stop is dealt with quickly. Using the app provides proof that your vehicles have been checked and are fully legal which demonstrates your business compliance, and it can minimise the risk of roadside fines.
The app stores the geographical location of the vehicle along with the completed checks. Our fleet management app will automatically notify chosen workshops to help with any defect rectification which saves valuable admin time.
To read about all of our fleet and workshop features, click here.
