Fleet managers running essential fleets have even more to do than usual, as they must keep fleets moving with limited access to new vehicles and maintenance facilities. If you’re in this position and need help, please get in touch. Our teams are still working and ready to help.

However, fleet managers in charge of non-essential fleets with drivers in lockdown or furloughed, may find they have a little more time on their hands. If you’re in this position, it’s a great opportunity to do some of the things that get left for later when you’re busy (which, until a few months ago, seemed to be pretty much all the time).

Here are some suggestions:

1. Stay informed

There are lots of topics that you could benefit from knowing about – from trends in legislation to the latest technological developments – and many places to find information. Why not start with LeasePlan? There are lots of articles on our website, plus our Fleet Navigator podcast is a great way to find out more about the things that really matter in our industry.

2. Train yourself

Moving beyond news and views, you could enhance the key skills you need for your job – or branch out to learn something new that will help you in your career.

Industry-specific bodies have an abundance of webinars, online courses and training materials available. These include the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) (formed by the recent merger between ACFO and ICFM),  Driving for Better Business (DfBB), the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and FORS.

For more general skills, you could try a free 30-day trial of LinkedIn Learning. There are also some excellent free courses available from Khan Academy, Future Learn or OpenLearn (from the Open University).

3. Develop training for your drivers

While some drivers may be busy, or furloughed, right now, this could be a good opportunity for you to develop learning materials that you can provide to them when business starts getting back to normal. LeasePlan has some useful driving guidance and there are lots of other helpful sites, such as driver safety guides from ROSPA and road safety charity Brake.

4. Reconsider your mobility policy

Many companies are currently discovering that homeworking is more possible than previously thought. Their employees are still likely to spend a lot of their time in the office when this is all over, but there could be a new balance between locations.

This has opportunities for fleets to change how their vehicles are used and you could take this opportunity to explore the implications for your mobility policy. That said, it is worth keeping in mind that there may be a reluctance to use pool vehicles as we come out of lockdown. A strong policy on vehicle sanitisation could help address these concerns.

5. Lay the foundations for a fleet strategy review

This probably isn’t the time to perform a wholesale review of a scheme design – with price reviews, cost analysis and choice lists – but you can get ready for when that time comes.

The first, and most important, step is general housekeeping, which starts with making sure you have the data you need at your fingertips. This is usually the biggest challenge when we carry out fleet strategy reviews, so we would suggest breaking it down into stages. Look at all fleet-related data across internal platforms, which could include expenses, payroll and cost centre charges. Then, bring together a view of grey fleet usage, as well as perk and job needs driver data.

Using the results, you can review the overall risk profile of your fleet and identify where there are opportunities for improvement. You may find you need to revisit your fleet risk strategy in light of changing driving patterns. If you need any help, please just get in touch with our team.

6. Discover what’s next in fleet

The world of mobility has been changing for a while, with innovations such as smart technology, car-as-a-service and zero emission motoring. Fleet managers could use this time to learn more about the opportunities (as we explain in our first suggestion) and then look at how their corporate strategy can be adapted to suit the future, rather than reflecting the past.

Find out more

If you would like to find out more about fleet strategy, or to speak to a member of our consultancy team, please get in touch. We are always happy to hear from you.