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Software use back at pre-pandemic levels as firms overhaul fleets

Use of fleet management software is now back at its pre-coronavirus crisis level, but with some major changes in fleet operations now surfacing as a result of the pandemic.

The pandemic has provided an impetus for firm to tackle vehicle operations and underlying efficiencies

The majority of FleetCheck users who were active before mid-March have now returned, and the company says the volume of work being processed is now at levels that could be described as normal. More than 100 new companies have also start using its fleet management system since lockdown.

Peter Golding, managing director, said the company was a little hesitant about calling this a ‘return to normal’ though as there were clear changes in underlying operation despite the return to levels of activity comparable to six months ago.

“What is interesting is how many customers have used the time created by the coronavirus crisis to take a good look at their transport activities. While clearly no-one would’ve wished for these circumstances to develop, they did create a perhaps unprecedented space in which to think deeply about the fundamentals of moving people and goods around,” he explained

Changes have two prongs; the first being a strategic review that’s tackling fundamental questions about the kinds of vehicles needed in the new normal – how many will be required, who will drive them, how they will be funded, and so on.

But fleets are also now looking to use data available through fleet management software to do a ‘deeper dive’ into information and make use of insights that they weren’t utilising pre-coronavirus.

“What we have seen is a drive to realise the further efficiencies that are available by simply adopting more of our technology to deliver present and future gains. We’re confident that our customer base will come out of the last few months with their fleets configured to deliver a noticeably greater degree of efficiency,” Golding added.

Golding added that growth in FleetCheck’s customer base meant usage of its fleet management systems were now around 20% higher than at the same time last year with the FleetCheck Driver app proving especially popular, exceeding one million checks a month.

“To us, this proves that systems of the kind we provide have become thought of by fleets in a similar vein to how accountants think of Sage or sales teams think of Salesforce. Fleet management software is now absolutely central to the operation of companies running vehicles and, even when things are tough, their value is very much recognised.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.