BY TOBY GOOLEY, SENIOR EDITOR
LIFT TRUCK FLEET MANAGEMENT
strategicinsight
Six ways to
get more from
your fleet
management
software
Few companies take full advantage
of their systems’ many capabilities.
Here’s what’s holding them back,
and what they can do about it.
FORKLIFT FLEET MANAGEMENT SOFTware provides a wealth of information that
helps companies optimize lift truck safety, productivity,
maintenance, and operating costs. Most solutions fall into
one of two camps: those that track vehicles’ and drivers’
activities, and those that track maintenance and repair
activities and costs. They range from relatively simple
spreadsheets to sophisticated systems that remotely monitor lift trucks’ inner workings. Some are sold on a stand-alone basis for a monthly per-truck fee by independent
developers, while others are provided by forklift manufacturers and dealers as part of a fleet management or maintenance contract.
Most of these programs are not difficult to use. What can
be hard, though, is figuring out how to take full advantage
of the software’s many capabilities. We asked providers of
fleet management services and software for advice on how
to make the most of this technology. Here, in no particular
order, are some of their recommendations.
1Get buy-in from operators and managers. Forklift oper- ators are often suspicious of systems that track vehi- cles’ and drivers’ activities. They may feel threatened
by the close oversight and worry about being disciplined for
mistakes. Explaining the system’s potential benefits to operators, such as improved regulatory compliance, training,
and safety, can help to overcome such concerns, says Arun
Patel, president of Access Control Systems.
Managers often have trouble accepting fleet management
systems, too. Some may think of data collection and analysis as an additional, unwanted burden, instead of a useful
tool for carrying out their primary job responsibilities. To
make the case, it’s helpful to show how using the software
could improve their own key performance indicators
(KPIs), such as return on investment (ROI), operating
