Sometimes keeping things simple is best, points out Gerry Wille, vice president of operations for Edward Hines Lumber Co. in Chicago. “We’re a lumber company, but when you’re running 120 trucks, you’re a trucking company too, and we have to stay on top of that,” he says. Wille says that he has investigated several software programs that promise better tracking of maintenance costs, warranties, charges, and fuel use, but he has not yet found one combining all these aspects that works for him. At this time, Edward Hines benefits from a management system that relies on gathering basic information on the day-to-day fleet issues of maintenance costs and fuel consumption. Using the Fuelman Fleetcard credit card from FuelCor, charges made to the card for fuel and maintenance are consolidated into a report that is e-mailed to Wille each month. However, he advises, you have to be aware of the details you’re missing by not collecting every single piece of information regarding your trucks.
The more information you gather, the more complete a picture you’ll have of what it takes to run your fleet. Many services and products are available to manage every aspect of operations, from fuel-use credit cards to comprehensive fleet management software packages—such as Arsenault Associate’s Dossier Maintenance Management Software—that allow you to track delivery schedules, maintenance, downtime, truck cycling, parts inventory, parts and labor costing, mechanic productivity, driver records, and more. Having all of this information available allows you to evaluate and analyze how much it actually costs to run each truck.
Keeping vehicles on the road and out of the shop is key to achieving maximum return on investment—and a detailed approach to fleet management is your ticket to ride.
