3 tips for choosing a great fleet management company 

Acknowledging that you do not have the expertise in house to manage some of your fleets critical compliance responsibilities can be a scary moment for any trucking company. Thankfully, there are fleet management companies that can remotely assist you with services tailored to many of the trucking industries most commonly mismanaged regulatory compliance responsibilities. A simple Google search with show that there are dozens of fleet management companies and software programs claiming they have the ability to keep you 100% compliant with government regulations. But how do you know if they can?

When looking to outsource and acquire outside expertise to manage your fleets compliance there are a number of factors you should consider to ensure you partner with the right company and set yourself up for success. Below are our top 3 tips when choosing a fleet management company.

1. Look for experience and a portfolio of services

When choosing a fleet management company, we recommend looking for a partner that has years of industry experience and offers a wide variety of compliance services. Chances are that once you start utilizing their expertise there will be other areas of compliance you have questions about and will consider outsourcing too. In our experience, bringing most of your compliance responsibility under the management of one company will greatly help to limit gaps in your regulatory compliance. At a minimum, you should ensure your fleet management company has expertise with IFTA reporting, IRP licensing and vehicle permitting. Some fleet management companies may also offer fleet management products such as electronic logging devices, trailer tracking equipment, dash cameras and other fleet enhancing products. A professional service provider should have knowledge and expertise in multiple areas of compliance to help you make informed decisions regarding your fleet.

2. Ensure they use industry leading software

The utilization of technology in your fleet and learning from the myriad of data that is produced has the potential to offer many fleet enhancing benefits. While some companies may prefer to do things the “old way” it is crucial that your fleet management company has a firm grasp of, and utilizes, industry leading technology. This will allow you to benefit from the valuable insight they can provide without having to make your own investment in software, expensive programs or employee wages for someone to manage it. Processing your vehicle distances for IFTA and IRP by working directly with your GPS/ELD vendor is one small way that a fleet management company can help to remove the administrative burden on your staff and streamline processes.

3. Look for the right “fit”  

You likely hear this used often in industry newsletters or articles, but it couldn’t be truer today than ever before. The fact of the matter is that not every person or company is going to “click” and it pays to find out if that is the case before utilizing their services. We recommend exploring the fleet management company’s mission statement and vision to determine if it aligns with your company’s views. If possible, arrange a face to face meeting in person or via Skype before deciding to utilise their services. After all, companies don’t work with companies. People work with people.

If you keep these 3 tips in mind the next time you consider bringing in outside expertise, you will be well on your way to realizing the benefits of fleet compliance outsourcing.

-----

TransReport Services is a provider of fleet management services tailored to trucking compliance. For over 27 years, TransReport has provided a comprehensive portfolio of services including IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting, IRP Licensing and fleet compliance monitoring. Coupled with a portfolio of fleet management products through their partnership with Omnitracs, they can provide you with a competitive advantage through lowered costs, streamlined processes and time savings.