The Challenges Facing Multinational Fleet Management

Fleet management is important for any business,a proactive approach by ensuring the necessary
especially considering the impact of technologicalstrategic changes are made. These include
changes and environmental issues in recent times.restructuring business travel procedures by replacing
Indeed, fleet controllers are becoming an integral partbusiness mileage with video conferencing. In addition, it
of any business in their attempts to ensure andis wise to continuously assess the fleet to determine
maintain high standards of service when administeringits environmental footprint and where necessary,
and managing a multinational fleet of vehicles.provide training to encourage efficiencies.
As a result, financially and commercially astute fleetSafety issues are also high on the agenda. The
controllers are in high demand to meet expectationsCorporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act
that include ensuring budgetary constraints are met,2007 came into effect in April 2008 where employers
cost savings are highlighted and innovative fleetcan be held liable for the death of individuals caused
procedures are developed. This comes at a timeby failings in health and safety. As a result, various
where fleet management companies are required tofleet management companies have begun to offer risk
meet existing service level agreements in a moreassessment services to identify high-risk drivers;
challenging marketplace.ensuring training and re-education.
Multinational fleet management companies produceFurthermore, the high cost of fuel in recent times
long term fleet plans to maintain first-rate fleetcontinues to have a major impact on the operation
availability and turnaround time. In the creation andand management of large fleets. Therefore, fleet
implementation of these plans, long term trends thatcontrollers are required to find ways of lowering fuel
include rising fuel costs, meeting green issues andcosts and operating expenses, whilst maintaining high
changes in technology must be considered. This is inservice delivery standards. And the solution may
addition to the more traditional multinational fleet controlinvolve the continual assessment of current practices
and management duties such as the purchase,and procedures to highlight cost savings.
maintenance and repair, and disposal of companyBut in multinational fleet management, successful fleet
vehicles in a variety of locales. These issues providecontrollers must rise to the challenge to ensure fleet
the fleet controller with a challenging role, especiallymaintenance is delivered against agreed service levels
when fleet sizes can be in excess of 1000 fleetand standards. And to do this, it is vital that internal
vehicles across a range of countries.budgets are managed to minimise the impact of rising
Indeed, many fleet managers will often state thatfuel costs, health and safety, changes in technology, as
environmental issues are an essential consideration;well consideration of environmental issues.
nowadays it is important that fleet managers maintain