Use pandemic learnings to drive fleet efficiency, says ATS Euromaster

Fleet managers should use the post-pandemic period to ensure vehicles remain fit for purpose, particularly those on extended lifecycles, says ATS Euromaster.

The tyre service and maintenance provider also said fleet managers should update strategies to ensure their policies are agile enough to cope with unexpected events.

Covid-19 has accelerated how fleet operators and drivers view mobility, as behaviours and attitudes toward vehicle ownership and service expectations shift, said ATS Euromaster.

Jess Jones, director national fleets, at ATS Euromaster, said: “Fleets have undergone major changes in working practices.

“The rise of the grey fleet, work-from-home, hybrid offices and online meetings have transformed the way business is conducted and created new challenges for the effective management of fleets.

“One option is to look for ways to turn manual tasks into automated workflows that can resolve issues rather than merely report them.”

ATS Euromaster recently reported that service maintenance and repair (SMR) budgets are coming under pressure as fleets are forced to run vehicles for longer.

Jones also said that building partnerships between suppliers and fleet operators is ‘more important than ever’ as fleet departments look to deliver a post-pandemic business recovery plan that focuses on changed driver needs and journey requirements without compromising duty of care commitments.

She added: “Customer and driver safety is paramount and needs support from all departments and partners. Throughout the pandemic, we remained in close contact with our fleet customers, to ensure we understood their issues and needs so we could tailor our services to effectively support them.

“After a period when many vehicles remained idle on the driveway, it is vital to get them checked and roadworthy; and our hands-on support has helped fleets plan servicing, as some SMR operators are seeing long booking queues.

“When a business and its employees are tested by a worldwide crisis, they collectively learn their strengths and the areas in which they can improve. We must all be sure to apply those lessons and come out of the other side of this pandemic stronger.

“The automotive sector continues to constantly shift; whether it’s EV, automation, technological advances or mobility behaviours, this pandemic has shown that standing still is no longer a viable option because the next business crisis may just be around the corner.”