How to increase fleet productivity with 5 actions

Increasing fleet productivity does not simply mean putting more trucks on the road, buying larger vehicles or demanding more speed from drivers. These are valid questions, but the result does not necessarily depend on more vehicles or larger machines: it mainly depends on reorganizing activities and understanding where the key operational points are.

This work starts with data produced by the routine itself. Information recorded throughout management allows you to analyze what happened and make decisions based on real, concrete results rather than relying solely on impressions of the operation.

Before exploring ways to increase productivity in depth, however, it is worth understanding what this indicator includes and why it goes beyond the time devoted to each trip.

What is fleet productivity?

Making more trips in less time or reducing the time of each journey can be part of fleet productivity, but the indicator is not limited to working hours. The analysis also considers how cargo and vehicle capacity are used and whether deliveries take place within the defined deadlines.

The following types of information about the fleet's work can therefore also form part of this assessment:

• amount of cargo transported per trip and per vehicle;
• capacity of each vehicle in the fleet;
• percentage of deliveries made within the defined deadline;
• time spent loading and unloading goods;
• maintenance costs;
• average vehicle idle time;
• number of trips per driver;
• speed and mileage traveled per driver;
• other data recorded in the operation.

There are many factors related to the driver, vehicle, cargo, freight demand, route and trip planning. It is therefore inappropriate to attribute a lack of productivity solely to drivers. The fleet manager organizes trips and load distribution, and everyone involved in the transport operation needs to work together to optimize work and improve results.

Want to see this in your fleet? Talk to a Prolog specialist

What can you do to help increase fleet productivity?

Analyze the previous year's results

Real data obtained during a year of management shows how the operation behaved. By analyzing the right information and comparing recorded results, the manager can better understand the completed period and define where to begin the next work cycle.

Data that can be gathered in this study includes driver performance, vehicle efficiency and locations with greater freight demand, among other records produced by operational activities.

Train drivers

By observing which drivers had better or worse results, the manager can understand what training and skills development are needed. Investment in these activities can then be directed according to what the analysis revealed.

Freight transport control also helps keep track of whether drivers follow traffic rules, tips and the company's general instructions. It also allows you to observe which vehicles perform well and which need to be checked by the team.

Keep maintenance up to date

Preventive maintenance brings together a truck's routine tasks that help extend its useful life or at least meet the expected life of the vehicle. Oil changes and tire calibration are examples of activities carried out at this time.

This is also the time to replace broken parts or those close to their wear limit and discover frequently occurring problems. Keeping the work up to date and following the planned schedule helps avoid financial losses and lost fleet productivity.

Track and analyze KPIs

Performance indicators, also called KPIs, help control what happens in the fleet and prevent waste. Fuel consumption and maintenance spending are examples of data that can form the history used to plan how to meet company objectives.

Productivity itself can be tracked as a KPI. In this case, the company can observe average job completion time, average stop duration, the number of trips made in a given period and vehicle capacity.

Manage tires

Tire management is a part of fleet control that may be neglected, although it is important to the operation. When done well, it can help increase tire useful life, fleet productivity and fuel economy.

When purchasing, the tire type needs to suit each vehicle. Route planning is also among the practices that influence vehicle and driver performance.

See some tips for increasing your fleet's productivity:

(video in Portuguese)

What can Prolog do to increase your fleet's productivity?

Prolog's working hours management brings together records of trip starts, breaks and other events reported during working hours. This information gives the manager greater visibility into the team's working hours and supports operational control.

The feature can help track fleet productivity. Talk to a specialist to learn more about the product's features and benefits.