Fleet management tips: Three tips to be the best fleet manager

If you type into a search engine, “What makes a good leader?”, there will be thousands of articles that populate suggesting specific traits and qualities will be present within the best leadership. The thing is, there isn’t one specific trait or quality that makes someone a good leader versus a bad leader. 

The biggest difference between a great fleet manager and a bad fleet manager is their ability to lead and not just manage! Great leaders help their employees reach their goals, believe in them and continue to work on making processes and improvements for the betterment of everyone! 

With this in mind, at each TransWood terminal, we have a fleet manager that oversees that terminal and everything going in and out of the fleet. From technicians to our drivers, they are right there with everyone. 

With the notion listed above on leadership, what else makes a great TransWood fleet manager? 

Maintenance of vehicles 

Our company prides itself on our reputation of providing well-maintained trucks to all of our drivers. And for each fleet manager at TransWood or any other company, this should be the first and foremost priority. 

Preventative maintenance of any type is something that all fleet managers and their team should be concerned about because this helps to save time and money for each and every person within the terminal. 

Any type of issue that arises can put that truck out of commission until it can be fixed, and with COVID-19 rising again, this only puts inspections and parts on a longer backorder than ever before. 

A well-maintained truck helps other drivers, your truck drivers and lower overall costs from needing to constantly repurchase your trucks. 

Develop a relationship with everyone on a team

In the business world it is important to have positive, two way business relationships to help  develop the business overtime, and the same can be said for the business relationship between fleet managers and their employees. 

This is because it helps to build open communication between employees and yourself, while at the same time, developing a trust between one another that helps to foster stronger business relationships! 

Set clear expectations 

It is imperative that each fleet manager set clear expectations for each and every employee because it helps to continuously improve on developing a relationship, while also keeping the business moving forward.

It is important to set clear expectations for employees on their daily activities and any deadlines that need to be met. In the trucking industry, we are constantly working on meeting deadlines for shipments and on-boarding new clients. 

A trucker and mechanic who understands the schedule can collaborate with one another to ensure that the truck is ready for the driver, which in return, makes sure that the driver can meet all deadlines that are set in place. 

There you have it, that is TransWood’s three tips to be the best fleet manager! For more information on TransWood, contact us today!