Pressure on UK van fleets is delaying vehicle replacement decisions and increasing the risk of mistakes, according to new research from Fleet Operations.
The study, conducted among 250 UK fleets, found 60% of van operators are spending more time managing their vehicles than they were three years ago, while 80% believe growing pressure has made errors more likely.
“Increasing workload can have a direct impact on the day-to-day running of the business,” said Richard Hipkiss, Managing Director of Fleet Operations.
“When fleets are under pressure, decisions about when to replace vehicles can become harder and there may be less time to give drivers the support they need.
“Delays to replacement decisions can create wider issues. Ageing vehicles may require more maintenance, spend longer off the road and become more expensive to operate.”
Among van fleets reporting an increase in workload, more than half (52%) said it had delayed vehicle replacement decisions, while the same percentage said it had placed greater pressure on internal resources. Almost a third (32%) said they had less time available for strategic fleet planning, 31% cited missed opportunities to reduce fleet costs and 29% said they had less time available to support drivers.
Cost pressures appear to be weighing more heavily on van fleets, with 48% citing them as a cause of increased workload, compared with 39% of car fleets.
A further 42% of van fleets pointed to greater demand for fleet data and insight, while increased compliance requirements, vehicle supply and replacement challenges, and reduced internal resource were each cited by 34%.
The research suggests van fleets are looking for practical support to reduce the time spent managing vehicles. More than a third (34%) said more automation of routine tasks would help, while 28% pointed to better integration between systems and 27% cited better visibility of fleet data and costs.
Hipkiss added: “If businesses don’t have the right systems and processes in place, it becomes much harder to keep track of what’s happening across their fleet.
“Reducing the burden on internal teams helps businesses make better decisions and prevent avoidable issues from becoming costly problems.
“The aim should be to give fleet teams the time and support they need to move from reactive administration to more proactive management.”
