The start of the year is a great time to reflect and assess your achievements of the prior year. It’s normally quiet until late January so Fleet Managers can spend time planning rather than responding to emails. Even if your organisation works on a financial year calendar, January is still the preferred time to write down some goals.
So what should you focus on in 2024? It will depend on your organisation’s level of fleet management maturity. It may also depend on how you’ve dealt with the supply chain challenges over the last two years. If your replacement schedule is two years behind, chances are you’ll be putting our fires again in 2024.
On a recent Fleet News Group podcast, Steve Nuttall, Director at research group Fifth Quadrant, talked about fleet leaders being able to reduce costs through efficiency gains and better fleet utilisation. He indicates that taking a more holistic approach to fleet management by working strategically, and influencing stakeholders with their organisation, fleet leaders are able to the big projects implemented which deliver greater value over the long term.
Three of the big challenges Fleet Managers should be looking at in 2024 are:
- Telematics
- Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
- EV Transition Plan
Telematics
If you’re currently using a telematics system and haven’t heard about the 3G network shutdown, your dots on a map will disappear within the next few months.
In 2024 telematics is more than dots on a map. The 4G and 5G networks can provide information faster than every before to assist you in making decisions on the utilisation of fleet assets. There are so many possibilities to use the data from a telematics system that most organisations claim the payback period is less than 12 months.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
if you have trucks in your fleet you need to know about CoR. The current legislation has been around since 2018 and got the attention of Fleet Managers for a short period until COVID distracted everyone from their obligations and primary duties.
In 2024 the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has a large number of resources available to businesses with trucks so they understand the risks and implement Safety Management Systems to keep people safe.
It’s not just for transport companies. It for any fleet with a heavy vehicle over 4.5 tonnes.
EV Transition Plan
You only need a plan. You don’t need to buy electric cars in 2024 however there are plenty of ways to start reducing the CO2 emissions from your fleet once you take some time to develop a plan. And if you only want to trial some EVs, then car subscription is a great way to get started without a long term commitment.
Without a plan you’ll be told what to do which might not fit with the objectives you have for your fleet. If you have a plan to present you’ll be invited to the discussion and get a chance to share you knowledge and experience.
