You’re likely reading this article today because you run a business that hires many people, and some of those employees have company cars. As you can imagine, it makes sense for your staff to have modern, safe, and comfortable vehicles on long journeys.

The thing is, you probably don’t know the best or most efficient ways of managing your fleet of cars – and it’s likely that lack of knowledge costs your business a lot of money.

Without further ado, take a look at the following actionable steps you can take to keep your company car fleet on the road:

Opt For Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

A company car is undoubtedly a perk of any job, and it enables employees to enjoy the freedom that motoring offers without financial burdens like finance, maintenance, tax and insurance.

The mistake that some firms make is allowing their staff to select cars without limiting the type of vehicles they choose. For example, a V8 gas-guzzler isn’t as fuel-efficient or cheap to lease as a turbo diesel car.

That’s why it makes sense to simply offer your staff a selection of fuel-efficient vehicles that help you keep your business’s fleet expenses down. Don’t give employees carte blanche over what they could have for their next company car!

Use Fleet Management Software

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got two company cars or two hundred in your fleet, and you need a simple yet powerful way to manage the vehicles in your fleet and have access to all kinds of vital information at a moment’s notice.

The best way to achieve that goal is by using fleet management software. Such a tool allows you to view all kinds of details, such as:

• Make, model, and registration number;
• Name and department that a vehicle got assigned to;
• Service and maintenance schedules, and past service history;
• Details of any accidental damage or ongoing insurance claims.

Know How To Handle Accidents Correctly

It’s a sad fact of life that vehicle accidents can occur, even when some motorists weren’t actually driving at the time! If your business finds itself in the unenviable position of needing to deal with an accident involving one of your fleet, make sure you know what to do.

For example, you should contact a truck accident lawyer if a staff member got involved in a car accident with a commercial vehicle.

Another thing you should do is get a detailed account of what happened from any employees involved in accidents with other people or property.

Stick To Each Manufacturer’s Servicing Schedules

When you lease a vehicle for your fleet, you will usually get offered brand new cars. As you can appreciate, such vehicles don’t need a lot of servicing or maintenance during the time you have those cars, other than a routine service each year or every 10-20,000 miles.

If your lease agreements do not come packaged with servicing and maintenance, the onus is on you to ensure they get maintained according to the manufacturer’s servicing and maintenance schedules.

Should you be unsure how often you need to get each car in your fleet serviced, contact your fleet supplier or each vehicle’s manufacturer for recommendations and information.

Conduct Regular Vehicle Inspections

How often do you check each car’s cosmetic and mechanical condition in your business fleet? If the answer is never, now is the time to start being proactive about your vehicle inspections.

Firstly, vehicle inspections are a must if you want to keep your fleet’s operating costs as low as possible. For example, minor issues can often turn into big, expensive ones if problems aren’t rectified sooner rather than later.

Secondly, you and your employees might need to conduct regular inspections if they drive certain types of vehicles. Never assume that you and your teams don’t have any obligations to check the roadworthiness of the cars they drive.

Remind Staff Of Their Obligations

As a responsible fleet operator, you must ensure each team member understands their obligations as company car users. For instance, they need to know that how they drive their vehicles will impact each car’s roadworthiness.

Additionally, they must keep their cars clean, report any mechanical problems or cosmetic damage to you immediately, and conduct essential maintenance themselves each week, such as checking tyre pressures and topping up windscreen washer fluid when necessary.

Final Thoughts

The above isn’t an exhaustive list of things you should do to maintain your vehicle fleet as best as possible. However, they are tips and tricks that will have the most significant positive impact on your business.