Fleet Management Software – Blueprint For the Future

There is a curse: may you live in interesting times and that certainly describes the current environment for the fleet management industry. The world is changing in terms of technology and legislation, meaning the provision of effective fleet management software has never been of greater priority to any business.

So what can we expect over the next few years? Any attempt at crystal ball gazing must be fraught with difficulties. The world is changing, but even the experts can not be certain how. Nevertheless, there are certain factors that we can expect to become increasingly significant in the near to medium term.

Tough emissions laws will put pressure on all companies that make extensive use of company cars. This emphasis will come hand in hand with a growth in the choice and performance of so-called eco conscious cars. If a company can highlight a commitment to sustainability in terms of its fleet usage, that can have a positive effect on the corporate image. With greater health and safety requirements and increased usage by local authorities of speed cameras, all aspects of utilisation will come under enormous scrutiny.

All of these by themselves put increased emphasis on management and enhance requirements of any fleet management software. However, the major area in which software can prove its worth comes in the biggest challenge facing any corporation in the short to medium term: namely cost and it is here that improved fleet management software really does demonstrate its value.

The recession has been tough on companies, but ironically as the government prepares to announce the official end of ‘recession Britain’ the worst is yet to come. This is because we are about to feel the hang over effects of the quantative easing programme which has kept the country solvent throughout 2009.

Costs will rise in a number of areas including fuel, tax and compliance. That means that the provision of effective fuel management software has never been a higher priority to companies.

This can help in a number of ways. A good software package can include a fuel optimiser which might identify the most fuel efficient cars on the market. It can also enhance utilisation by pin pointing the location of all vehicles at any one time and flag up when vehicles become available for use within the organisation. It can also flag up which vehicles are in need of servicing and speed up the time consuming process of data entry.

However, equally as important as the fleet management software system itself is its implementation. Here, the software companies increasingly offer improved consultation services to insure the package blends seamlessly with your unique corporate requirements.