Get All Access for $5/mo

How To Organize Your Fleet During COVID-19 Pandemic The fleet industry is struggling on budget, owing to the unmatched situation prevailing in the country.

By Vikram Kumar

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Coronavirus pandemic and continuous lockdowns in the last couple of months across the country has impacted the fleet industry transporting essentials items. These include the transport of medicines, grocery and other indispensable products.

In the last four lockdowns, only a few essential services were allowed to serve, while the unlock 1.0 has come up with few important relaxations to boost the economy of the country.

But, maintenance of the fleet industry still looks a challenge. As a result, there has been a huge decline in the growth of the fleet industry.

The fleet industry is struggling on budget, owing to the unmatched situation prevailing in the country. There are so many liquidity issues and no industry is left out from this havoc.

Amid the pandemic, it has also become difficult for fleet management to connect digitally and guarantee proper maintenance.

While protecting employees and the public is on everyone's priority, it is also challenging for the fleet industry to handle assets remotely, business risks, and monitoring budgets.

At the same time, it is vital to abide by the protocols of the lockdown.

Considering the condition, the fleet industry is required to be extra cautious while performing the task. Having proper fleet maintenance is very essential to keep the system in place.

Here are few tips to manage fleet amid the contagion.

Continuing with documentation

It's significant to continue making logs. Notes should be made on a daily basis, which may help in streamlining the tasks. Also, one can keep track of the task that has been covered and what needs to be taken up. This will ensure an error-free fleet management system. Additionally, it will help in seeing what kind of task was prescribed during the lockdown.

Maintaining sanitation and safety protocols

Social distancing has become a habit today and it's also essentials for the driver to abide by the rules. Safety and sanitization should be the top priority in the pyramid.

The guidelines issued by the government should be followed by the team.

Also, the team should be given proper time to rest. It's important to understand that everyone is under stress due to the ongoing crisis, so are drivers. They should be given sufficient time to relax.

Additionally, drivers must be made to apprehend their obligation. They should also understand that safety and cleanliness both should be prioritized.

Ensuring a tracking system

As people are getting used to social distancing, there is a boom in the e-commerce purchase. This means the fleet system have additional pressure to provide more supplies at the time.

A fleet tracking tool, may be a GPS tracker, should be hence used to allow managers to review the driver's time. However, an overload of work should not be given on one particular driver. It should be properly managed.

Boost precautionary measures

Amid this contagion, some fleets may be experiencing a reduced amount of work, while others may be under huge work pressure. Those with less work can consider this time to improve their precautionary measures. This may ensure proper operation once everything returns to normal.

Monitor expenses and invest in necessities

The team should try to monitor the expenses and operating costs. Also, they should spend on necessities such as oil changes, tire rotation, and other regular maintenance items. This will ensure the quick and safe delivery of items.

Being in touch with drivers

The fleet team should try to remain in communication with the drivers. That will help them in taking decisions. Things are already very chaotic and drivers may face issues while traveling from one zone to another, owing to the cases and the new travel protocols of the new zone.

The team should be in touch to know where drivers are, what load they are taking, who will take the next load and what kind of situations are prevailing in which section. That may help them in determining the time slot too.

Vikram Kumar

Founder and CEO, Letstrack

News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

News and Trends

India's Data Center Capacity to Reach 2,070 MW by End of 2025: CBRE

Cumulative investment commitments in the data center sector in India to cross USD 100 billion by 2027. Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR to lead data center supply addition

News and Trends

Supply-Chain Financing Platform Mintifi Raises USD 180 Mn in Series E, Valuation Soars to USD 850 Mn

The raised funding will enable Mintifi to diversify its product offerings, such as dealer management systems, loans against property, and factoring services, powered by artificial intelligence.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

I Tried Buying a Car on Amazon. Here Are the Pros and Cons.

Amazon Autos just launched, and users can buy a new car online. Here's how it works and what needs to improve.

News and Trends

Stride Ventures Launches Fourth Fund with USD 300 Mn Target Corpus

Industry leaders like BlueStone, Upstox, Moneyview, Ather, Pharmeasy, Infra.Market, and Ola Electric have benefited from Stride's support.