Fleet management by area: tires, maintenance and fuel

Fleet management is the set of tasks that keeps a transport operation organized. It brings together areas that have their own responsibilities but need to work in a coordinated way so that vehicles, people and resources meet the company's demands.

Dividing responsibilities does not mean creating isolated departments. Each person keeps track of their own area of work, records information and shares what may affect the others. That way, maintenance, tires, fuel and planning stop being separate controls and come to support decisions on cost, safety, availability and meeting deadlines.

Logistics and freight transport activities complement each other. The goal is to deliver what was agreed in an organized way, without losing sight of safety and the resources involved in the operation.

What does fleet management include in a transport operation?

Fleet management

This area coordinates the processes related to the vehicles and to the other areas of the operation. The fleet manager does not need to do everything alone: the role is to organize responsibilities, keep track of what happens and turn records into decisions.

In practice, the fleet manager can consolidate reports, compare costs, keep track of availability and discuss priorities with those responsible for tires, maintenance and refueling, including when preparing the presentation of fleet results to the board. The analysis needs to consider the context of each operation, because a change in route, load, deadline or vehicle can alter the results.

It is also important to keep track of the vehicle's cycle, from acquisition through maintenance to its possible replacement. This history helps you understand where the expenses are and assess alternatives to reduce waste without compromising the activity.

Fleet management controls can help prevent accidents, save time, increase productivity, meet delivery deadlines and expand vehicle availability. For that, indicators need to be tracked frequently and used to correct processes, not just to record results.

Tire management

Tires are relevant assets for the operation and deserve their own control. The cost varies according to vehicle, application, make, terrain, load, upkeep and purchasing method; therefore, it is not useful to assume a fixed share of this expense in the budget of every fleet. The central point is to prevent a lack of care from bringing replacement forward or causing unavailability.

In tire management, inspections record, among other information, pressure and tread depth. The person responsible needs to know the components of the tire, the most common causes of damage and the limits set by the manufacturer and by Brazilian legislation, in order to identify irregularities and arrange the necessary action.

The tasks of fleet tire management include:

• knowing the types of tires used in the operation;
• buying new tires according to need and specification;
• matching the tire to the type of truck, axle and terrain;
• maintaining the calibration defined for the application;
• checking wear and damage;
• carrying out rotations when applicable;
• extending useful life through regular inspections and maintenance;
• sending tires for refurbishment or disposal according to the applicable criteria;
• instructing drivers on basic care.

In medium-sized and large companies, a tire manager or another person in charge with technical knowledge helps maintain this history and follow through on decisions.

Maintenance management

Maintenance management is not limited to repairing the truck after a failure. It organizes inspections, preventive plans, corrections and service history to reduce the risk of problems that affect the vehicle, driver, cargo and operation.

Failing to record or prioritize maintenance can increase downtime and costs, but each occurrence needs to be analyzed before a cause is assigned. The department's work is to identify mechanical conditions, keep track of how they evolve and decide on the best intervention based on the vehicle and the service performed.

Here is part of the routine of a maintenance manager:

• gathering data on the mechanical condition of each truck, its parts and functions;
• creating a preventive maintenance schedule for each vehicle;
• keeping track of the schedule and outstanding items;
• sending vehicles for corrective maintenance when necessary;
• setting the maintenance budget and recording the services performed;
• managing the history of servicing, repairs and expenses;
• preparing a checklist for daily checks of functions and parts;
• updating the status of the trucks and informing the affected areas.

These tasks show why splitting into departments is useful: each area has its own details, but the data needs to reach general management to support priorities and planning.

Fuel management

Keeping refueling and consumption under control is one of the fleet's challenges because the price and availability of fuel do not depend solely on the manager. Instead of trying to explain any variation by a single factor, record the amount paid, the location, the volume refueled, the vehicle, the mileage and the activity carried out.

The fuels sold in Brazil follow quality specifications set by the ANP, the country's National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels. When assessing the types of fuel, the choice of product should follow the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations and the operating conditions. Do not use a fuel switch as a shortcut to savings without checking technical compatibility.

Having control over the expense makes it possible to look for solutions to reduce waste and maintain predictability. Keeping track of consumption by make, model and service type also helps you notice a change that may call for a mechanical investigation, a process review or a check of the record.

That is why you should keep, for each vehicle, the fuel type used, the mileage and the consumption calculated for the period. The comparison should be made between similar vehicles and uses; a different route or a larger load can explain part of the variation.

In addition to refueling, partnerships with reliable fuel stations and route planning can support a more organized operation. In a company with many trucks, the sum of small process improvements can have a relevant effect — as long as it is measured and validated in the fleet's own context.

To support these controls, get the free download of the Fleet Management Kit. You receive:

• a complete guide to fleet management;
• a tire control spreadsheet;
• daily and full checklist templates;
• a manual of good practices in vehicle inspection.

Download the material and discover the free tools. (in Portuguese)

Sources consulted

• ANP (Brazil's National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels) — Product quality: the physicochemical specifications establish the minimum quality expected for fuels sold in Brazil.
• Inmetro (Brazil's National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology) — Mandatory information on tires: reference for updating the technical criteria for choosing new tires.