5 Common Mistakes Made by Fleet Managers

Ask any fleet manager what their biggest headaches are, and you’ll probably hear a handful of frustrations. Between managing fuel, drivers, trucks, and customers, there will always be something they have to handle.

What are the mistakes that fleet managers are making and how can you avoid them? Let’s talk about it!

Being Irresponsible with Your Fleet

You might be thinking, me? Irresponsible? Never!

But sometimes we are irresponsible in our ways without even thinking about it. Perhaps you get complacent in vehicle maintenance, or you just want to stretch out your repair schedules until the next few checks clear – it might sound reasonable, but think about it. You’re just risking your fleet’s integrity!

Whether you’re loaning out equipment or keeping lackadaisical records, don’t risk the business with irresponsible decisions!

Not Being Accountable for your Employees

There are plenty of mistakes we can make as managers, but one of the worst is how we treat our employees – specifically drivers. Now, we don’t mean how we treat them on an interpersonal level, but more so how we treat them in a professional way.

First of all, you can’t just let your drivers roll in and work however they want. Set (and keep) standards for your drivers, in order to raise the bar on how your fleet functions. Something like making sure your truckers clean their cabs could seem like a nuisance, but research shows a clean cab equals a happier trucker.

Sometimes we’re tempted to cut corners, and if we need a new driver, we may bring one on the team without fully vetting their driving records. While you need that load taken, there’s nothing worse than having someone out and finding out they’re ineligible to drive because of their records.

Don’t cut corners! Trust us on this one.

Not Balancing Life and Work

This might sound funny, but try not to take work home with you. Every now and then, you just need to relax, kick your feet up, and take it easy.

Sometimes drivers, managers, and dispatchers may find themselves working extra hours. While a little bit of overtime can help pad the coffers, it can also leave you drained and eat up all your free time.

One way you can improve your quality of life is with a good trucking management software system to ease the burden of paperwork, scheduling, accounting, and routing.

Not Watching Where You’re Going

Knowing where you’re headed makes all the difference for a trucker – which makes us wonder if you know where your freight is headed?

Roads can change from time to time, and depending on where you go, construction can be a constant thorn in your drivers’ sides. Sure, you can check Google Maps and look for traffic hotspots – but we also recommend cross-referencing something like ProMiles in order to check the truck friendly routes, too.

By being proactive and keeping tabs on every route your drivers take, you will know where every bit of freight is and ends up.

Expanding Too Fast

Between managing your company’s finances and growing your trucking business, you have plenty to worry about. But as you grow, the last thing you want to do is stretch your resources too far.

Maybe it’s buying too many trucks, or maybe you’ve lost track of your maintenance schedule for the number of trucks you have – regardless, you simply need a strong system to keep up with your finances and trucks.

As far as trucking software, our recommendation would be TruckLogics – because truck management and fleet communication shouldn’t be complex. With TruckLogics, you have access to truck routing with ProMiles, QuickBooks software integration, and maintenance schedules, plus much more.

Interested? Contact us for a demo (or) sign up for a free 15-day trial!