Fleet management software (FMS) is

computer software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

that enables people to accomplish a series of specific tasks in the management of any or all aspects relating to a fleet of

vehicles A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles ( trains, trams), ...

operated by a company, government, or other organisation. These specific tasks encompass all operations from vehicle acquisition through maintenance to disposal.

Fleet management software functions

The main function of

fleet management Fleet management is the management of: * Commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans, trucks, specialist vehicles (such as mobile construction machinery), forklifts, and trailers * Private vehicles used for work purposes (the 'grey fleet') * Avi ...

software is to accumulate, store, process, monitor, report on and export information. Information can be imported from external sources such as gas pump processors, territorial authorities for managing vehicle registration (for example

DVLA The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...

and VOSA), financial institutions, insurance databases, vehicle specification databases, mapping systems and from internal sources such as

Human Resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...

and Finance.

Vehicle management

Fleet management software should be able to manage processes, tasks and events related to all kinds of vehicles - car,

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s, earth-moving machinery, buses, forklift trucks, trailers and specialist equipment, including: * Vehicle inventory - the number and type of vehicles * Vehicle maintenance - specific

routine maintenance Maintenance may refer to: Biological science * Maintenance of an organism * Maintenance respiration Non-technical maintenance * Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English * Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...

and scheduled maintenance, and ad hoc requirements * Licensing, registration, MOT and

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

Vehicle insurance Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury ...

including due dates and restrictions *

Cost management Cost accounting is defined as "a systematic set of procedures for recording and reporting measurements of the cost of manufacturing goods and performing services in the aggregate and in detail. It includes methods for recognizing, classifying, al ...

and analysis * Vehicle disposal

Driver management

* Driver license management, including special provisions * Logging of penalty points and infringements against a licence * Booking system for pool vehicles *Passenger safety ( SOS)

Incident management

* Accidents and fines, plus apportioning costs to drivers

Tracking

Telematics Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies (road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedi ...

* Route planning * Logbooks and work time * Alerts

Fleet management metrics to track

* Identification Metrics such as vehicle ID, company ID, location ID, Driver ID * Utilization Metrics such as mileage and fuel data * Behavioral Metrics like average speed and harsh acceleration * Trip Metrics like number of trips, average duration * Maintenance Metrics like maintenance costs and number of diagnostics

Software procurement and development

Fleet management software can be developed in-house by the company or organisation using it, or be purchased from a third party. It varies greatly in its complexity and cost. Fleet management software is directly related to

. It originated on mainframe computers in the 1970s and shifted to the

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...

s in the 1980s when it became practical. In later years however, Fleet Management Software has been more efficiently provided as

SaaS Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is co ...

. Fleet management software has become increasingly necessary and complex as increasing amounts of

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles ( motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles ( trains, trams ...

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

has been brought in.

References

{{reflist Business software Transportation planning Automotive software Fleet management