Business Fleet: 5 Money Saving Tips for Business Vehicles

Marlena Stoddard

March 12, 2014

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You do your best to maintain your fleet of company vehicles and get as much out of them as possible. Even though you do your best to keep your fleet in the best shape possible, there are still ways that you can save money on your business vehicles.

Invest In A Better Routing System

You may have a GPS in every vehicle, but is it a GPS designed to save you money? Many fleets are making the change to routing software that is designed specifically for the trucking industry. These devices plot direct routes which reduce the amount stopping and turning your vehicles due, which cuts down on gas and maintenance.

Check Into Bulk Gas Discounts

If you are just asking your drivers to fuel up your vehicles at the local gas station, then you could be wasting a lot of money. Contact the local fuel companies in your area and ask if they offer any fleet discounts. If your fleet is large enough, then you may want to consider working out a deal where a fuel company puts a storage tank and gas pump on your premises.

Monitor The Driving Habits Of Your Employees

You can have tracking devices installed into your vehicles that will tell you how fast your drivers are going and if they have any bad driving habits such as sharp turns or sudden stops. By monitoring your employees' driving habits and instituting driving policies, you can lower your costs.

Contract Repair Services

By selecting contracted repair services, a company can receive multiple competitive bids, or lock in lower service fees in exchange for a higher volume of business. This could work on everything from oil changes to transmission problems to windshield replacement. If, for example, you had a branch of your business in Alberta, you could contract to have your fleet's auto glass replacement done in Edmonton by a reputable company like All-West Glass Ltd., and save money in the process.

Schedule Loads More Effectively

If you have a shipping or delivery company, then your entire world revolves around moving packages from one place to another. You need to invest in logistics software that will help you to balance loads and get more out of your vehicles. For example, you can schedule pick-ups to be done by one truck instead of having several trucks out there for each client.

Hire The Right People

Check with your insurance agent to see what kind of discount you would get if you hired drivers with clean driving records. Most insurance companies will give your fleet a premium discount if you hire safe and reliable drivers.

It can cost a great deal of money to maintain and operate a fleet of company vehicles. But when you take the necessary steps to reduce your costs, then you have more money you can put on the company's bottom line.