Light commercial vehicle fleet operations are key to profitability and efficiency in the last-mile delivery and logistics sectors in urban environments and their implementation can offer significant benefits. Tom Cuthbertson, an expert in fleet management technologies, points out that “implementing a fleet management system can reduce fuel costs by up to 30%, maintenance costs by 20%, and improve driver productivity by 15%“.
In this article we will review the most important keys to understand what light commercial vehicle fleet operations and their managers consist of and the most common modalities for their contracting.
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1. What are commercial vehicle fleet operations?
Light commercial vehicle fleet operations refer to the management and coordination of a range of vehicles such as mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and vans, among others, to efficiently carry out transportation, logistics and distribution activities in urban environments. In general terms, these operations involve the planning, coordination and control of fleet management, such as vehicle allocation, route scheduling, management of drivers and the energy source that runs the vehicles, as well as the maintenance, tracking and real-time monitoring of the fleet and the optimization of operational efficiency.
Today, fleet operations in urban environments are introducing an indispensable task in their management: to ensure the sustainability of their activities by offering maximum profitability.
2. What does a fleet operator do?
- Fleet maintenance: the operator must ensure that the vehicles are in good working condition and comply with safety requirements.
- Scheduling and monitoring: the operator is responsible for ensuring that vehicles are available and efficiently assigned to meet the customer’s needs.
- Performance monitoring: the operator must monitor fleet performance and take measures to improve efficiency and profitability.
- Regulatory compliance: the operator is responsible for ensuring that vehicles comply with regulatory and safety requirements. This may include issuing permits, as well as monitoring compliance with safety and environmental regulations. Actualmente, el sector del transporte se encuentra en unaa time of great changes for which it is important to be prepared.
3. What are the main types of light commercial vehicle fleet contracting?
There are several types of fleet contracting in companies. Some of the most common are as follows:
- Direct purchase: companies can purchase, own and operate their own vehicles. This gives them greater control over their vehicles. However, this approach requires a significant initial investment, as well as maintenance and repair costs.
- Renting or long-term leasing: companies can rent vehicles for a specific period of time, usually several years, through a leasing contract. This approach allows them to have access to new vehicles without having to make a significant initial investment and without having to worry about maintenance and repair costs.
- Rent-a-car or short-term rental: companies can rent vehicles for short periods of time, usually for days or weeks, through car rental services. This can be useful for business trips or short-term projects, where it is not necessary to have a permanent fleet of vehicles.
- Combination of modalities: companies can also combine different types of fleet operations to suit their needs. For example, they may have their own fleet of vehicles for daily employee transportation and use long-term rental for specialized or seasonal vehicles.
As can be seen, each vehicle fleet contracting modality has its own advantages and disadvantages, so companies should carefully analyze their specific situation and the regulatory context geared towards net zero emissions before deciding which approach to use.
