Spreadsheet Fleets' Can Reduce Risk Through Fleet Management Software

• Small businesses are still relying on dated reporting structures to manage fleets
• Fleets are encouraged to consider fleet management software to reduce risk

We continue to meet a number of smaller fleet operators, and occasionally larger ones, that are still heavily reliant on managing their fleets through traditional spreadsheet and paper-based reporting methods. Whilst this method may have proved efficient in previous years, technological advances mean that operating in such a way could be leaving these fleets at risk.

Spreadsheets and similar reporting methods can only provide a fleet manager with a basic overview of their fleet and having a full grasp of an operation can prove tricky. Data needs to be manually inputted which is not only an administrative heavy task in itself but costly in terms of time, resources and the potential for data entry errors. Safe to say, using such methods as a primary management tool is a dated, high risk process with numerous limitations.

Even the most basic of fleet management software solutions such as FleetWave Core allows access to relevant data that can be utilised to support much more informed business decisions. Automated processes increase accuracy of the data within a system and real-time reporting helps track compliance and legal requirements for auditing purposes.

Fleet management software easily integrates with other applications such as GPS and telematics, fuel cards and accounting procedures to automate processes and remove most of the associated administrative tasks. This provides a much more holistic approach towards fleet management as access is available to all business information within one central system.

“Fleets running hundreds or more vehicles using spreadsheets or paper-based methods are going to struggle to deliver the levels of data and reporting structures often needed to effectively manage areas such as cost control and compliance,” said David Gladding, Global Director of Sales and Marketing at Chevin Fleet Solutions.

“Using such methods is a high-risk strategy that can prove slow, costly and hard to audit. Even the most basic software allows access to much more data and when supported by a mobile app, means real-time, paperless data capture for recording things such as driver walk round checks.”