Fleet Sharing: Share your fleet
Organising a fleet of vehicles in the best possible way is a complex task. Not only do appointments for service and maintenance have to be made, financing has to be clarified or various insurances have to be taken out. Especially in fleets with a large number of vehicles, it is a challenge to ensure sustainable mobility. Fleet sharing can help to operate your company fleet in a resource-saving way.
Why does fleet sharing make sense for companies?
First of all, it is important that you know the exact utilisation of your fleet. A fleet information system can be useful here and provide you with answers to the following questions:
Are there certain times of the day when company cars are not used?
Are there days or times when the workload is 100 %?
Do you see potential for optimisation with regard to the number of company cars?
If you can clarify these questions for yourself and see that the utilisation rate is not satisfactory, then fleet sharing can bring several advantages:
Cost optimisation through joint use
The so-called cost-benefit calculation is central for every entrepreneur - including fleet managers. If one or more vehicles in a fleet have long idle times, it causes more costs than benefits. The reason for this is that they generate costs when not in use - these include insurance, operating costs, leasing rates and many more. If they are used together, the number of vehicles can even be reduced and expenses can be saved - for example in the case of car loans.
Private use as a fringe benefit
In most cases, many fleet vehicles are used on weekdays and stand idle at weekends. For this reason, many companies offer at least parts of the fleet for private use. This enables your employees to take trips to the countryside or go on extended shopping tours by car, for example. Especially for colleagues from the city without their own car, this employee benefit will be profitable.
Strengthen team cohesion
Often, a company car is seen as a status symbol, available only to a select group of colleagues. Opening up the vehicle pool to all employees creates a better sense of community. As an entrepreneur, you have the chance to strengthen the general appreciation and thus the trust of the team. Compromising (in terms of vehicle use) and exchanging ideas with other work colleagues can not only be profitable for oneself, but can even create new friendships.
Image gain for your company
Sustainable mobility is no longer a trend, but a philosophy of life. When used correctly, it does not mean doing without, but in this case sharing a resource. If fleet sharing works in your company, it has a positive effect on the corporate image. In short, you offer your workforce permanent mobility, but keep your vehicle fleet small.
Tip: If you want to protect the environment even more and be 100 % emission-free locally, then it is worthwhile to start with e-mobility. If your fleet does not yet include any e-cars, you can pursue a hybrid strategy of electric and combustion engines at the beginning. In this way, you can gradually provide the necessary charging infrastructure and get used to the new technology.
Simple management
As far as fleet management is concerned, especially when fleet sharing is used, there are several options: If your fleet consists of only a few cars, a simple online calendar can be used. Employees enter the start and end times of their journeys there - visible to all. This is a convenient way to plan ahead and secure a specific car early on.
If the fleet is larger, a fleet information system (FIS) can be used. In addition to clear booking functions, the fleet manager receives detailed reports on all data concerning the vehicle. This ranges from transaction data such as kilometre readings or fuel consumption to contract data such as leasing periods and more. It is important to ensure a smooth process for all parties involved, which works just as well outside of your company's business hours.
Share not only the car, but also the key
For all the advantages mentioned to really come to fruition, the car key is the success factor. It can happen that colleagues simply forget to leave it at the agreed place after completing a journey. The driver who now wants to move the car is left out in the cold. There are three ways around this problem:
1. switch to keyless fleets: You already know this concept from car sharing providers, but it works the same way in your own fleet. A fleet without classic car keys works because the cars are opened and closed via app. All you need to do is press the start button to drive off.
2. keep several keys ready: By keeping more than one key for each vehicle in an accessible place, you avoid the problem of idle time. Even if a driver forgets to leave it, no one else suffers any disadvantage.
3. put the key cabinet in a prominent place: Provided you position the car key storage locker in a prominent place - for example, right in the entrance area next to the company car park - employees will be reminded to hand it in. During business hours, a porter can look out for it.