GE Capital recently conducted a study of 409 middle-market businesses with fleet operations that uncovered trends in how fleets plan to increase productivity in 2015. Top areas of focus included:

• Refining a preventative maintenance strategy to maximize uptime
• Specifying the right vehicle for the job/properly upfitting existing vehicles
• Defining a comprehensive vehicle replacement/cycling plan
• Optimising routes and maximizing time spent at revenue generating locations

“Some of the biggest areas where fleet managers are seeking productivity enhancements also can provide the opportunity for significant cost savings. This includes preventative maintenance, upfitting, and vehicle replacement strategies,” said Steve Jastrow, strategic consulting services manager at GE Capital Fleet Services. “As fleets continue to tap these avenues to maximise efficiency, there is an opportunity to simultaneously minimise spend as well.”

“The fact that a full 50% of cost savings opportunities were actualised by our customers indicates that fleet managers are increasingly aware of opportunities to trim costs even as they refine operations,” Mr Jastrow said. “On top of the services and program enhancements that fleet managers turned to in 2014, we believe the continuing trend toward predictive analytics will be an additional area of focus in 2015 as fleets seek to truly maximise efficiencies.”

The news comes as the US division says that it identified $420m in potential cost savings for customers in 2014, with customers realizing $210m in actual savings as a result.

The largest areas of cost savings identified by GE Capital Fleet Services during 2014 were:

• Replacement Analysis: Determining the optimal time to cycle vehicles and/or utilising a short-cycle replacement strategy to decrease vehicle depreciation and capitalize on higher value at auction.
• Programme Enhancements: Properly managing time and expenses including maintenance, fuel, accident and safety costs, telematics, licensing and registration fees, and toll & violation expenses.
• Vehicle Selection: Evaluating fleet vehicle usage requirements to maintain a fleet that maximizes fuel cost savings and minimizes maintenance costs while deploying vehicles that optimally meet driver needs.
• Lease Versus Purchase: Determining whether leasing or owning vehicles is the most cost efficient way to manage a specific company’s fleet.
• Lease Versus Reimbursement: Identifying cost-cutting opportunities through conversion of companies’ driver reimbursement programs into company vehicle programmes.