Fleet management: these are the tasks
Company vehicles must be procured, financed, maintained and managed. To ensure that the fleet is used as efficiently and sustainably as possible, its use must be planned as efficiently as possible. But who takes care of these concerns and bears the responsibility?
In order to manage the vehicle fleet, there is a separate vehicle fleet management, also called fleet management. The tasks that a fleet manager has to deal with are varied and complex. In addition to organisational talent and a high sense of responsibility, a high level of know-how in the areas of vehicle technology, insurance, road safety and legal issues (e.g. owner liability) is required. The tasks include, among others:
Car Policy
Depending on the company, company vehicles fulfil different purposes. On the one hand, vehicles can be used for purely professional purposes. On the other hand, it can also serve to motivate employees if the vehicles can also be used privately. The fleet management is responsible for creating a car policy in which the strategic directions are defined and recorded.
The following points must be covered
Fleet costs
Brands, models & equipment
Duration of use
Insurance
Liability in the event of damage or accidents
Extent of private use
Consequences of non-compliance with agreed guidelines
Procurement and financing of the vehicles
The first step in the procurement of vehicles is to find out what the company's need for vehicles is and what the utilisation requirements are.
Once this has been clarified, the next step is to obtain offers and select the most suitable one. There are different types of financing for the fleet: in addition to purchasing, there are different leasing models to choose from. These include, for example, operating leasing or residual value leasing.
Verwaltung der Fahrzeuge
One of the main tasks of fleet management is the administration of the vehicle fleet. This includes planning which vehicles are available when and who is allowed to drive them. Fleet management has to ensure that the vehicles are appropriately insured. It is also responsible for the timely organisation of service and maintenance work on the vehicles.
Leasing has a number of advantages that make vehicle management easier. This is because vehicle maintenance, insurance and damage management are offered from a single source.
Control obligations
The company or even the fleet management is liable for the safe use of the vehicles. To ensure that company vehicles can be used as safely as possible, regular checks are essential. These include, for example:
Regular driving licence checks
Checking the roadworthiness of vehicles (in addition to the §57a assessment)
Measures of the accident prevention regulations (UVV): continuous instructions regarding correct behaviour in road traffic and pointing out sources of danger.
It is also important to constantly monitor fleet costs. These include the costs of financing, maintenance and upkeep. In addition, there is a whole range of ancillary costs (tolls, parking fees). In addition to the numerous tasks of day-to-day business, fleet management must also be up to date with new technologies. The field of mobility in particular is in a constant state of flux - keyword electromobility.
