Businesses use fleets of vehicles for all sorts of reasons. They may be used for transporting goods and materials, checking up on clients or transporting personnel. There is no getting around the inherent expense of running a business fleet in the United Kingdom, but there are some ways to more effectively and efficiently use your cadre of vehicles. Here are some top tips for business leaders.
Use the Space
A fleet of company vehicles is useful for more than one reason. As well as being a mode of transportation, vehicles are crucially also a conduit for advertising material. Vans and trucks are especially blessed with large amounts of highly visible blank space which can be adorned with custom designs. Because they are, by nature, almost always driving in a public place, they are highly visible to consumers out on the road. Vehicles adorned with advertisements can help to build the brand identity of a company.
Use Fuel Cards
One of the greatest expenses and most frustrating administrative headaches involved in the running of a company fleet is the fueling of the vehicles themselves. While you are unable to change the price of fuel itself, you can make the payment for fuel a whole lot easier using fuel cards. Fuel cards enable vehicles’ petrol or diesel to be paid for centrally so that your drivers do not have to use petty cash or company credit cards to fill up at the station. Compare fuel cards to get a better idea of some of the benefits that they can have.
Choose Efficiency
While it might initially be tempting to purchase a fleet of older vans or trucks, this can have knock–on effects on your company’s finances in the future. More modern vehicles tend to be more fuel efficient: something that is extremely important given the unprecedented petrol and diesel prices that we are experiencing in this country. Purchasing hybrid vehicles is a good idea if many of the tasks that will be assigned to them take place within city limits.
Go Electric
Electric vehicles – first made popular in the early 20th Century but only resurgent in recent years – have come on leaps and bounds. They are now extremely efficient options for businesses that have a need for fleets of inner-city vehicles. Some companies – like Virgin Media – are seeking to replace all of their internal combustion vans with electric vehicles in the coming years. Hand in hand with the rise in electric vehicle popularity is the rise in available electric charging ports. Some businesses choose to install charging ports on their own premises – centralizing the ‘refueling’ component of fleet running operations.
Insure Comprehensively
It is vitally important that your business fleet is insured comprehensively and as efficiently as possible. Fleet insurance prices largely depend upon the size of your fleet, the use of your fleet and the kind of vehicles you are using. Shop around for fleet insurance and be open to negotiation.
