Driver Safety Remains Top Priority of Fleet Managers, Finds GE Capital Fleet Services Survey

Ensuring driver safety is the biggest priority of fleet managers, according to a survey conducted at the 2014 NAFA Institute and Expo by GE Capital Fleet Services. With more than a third (35 percent) of fleet managers identifying it as their main concern, driver safety outpaced cost-savings goals and workforce productivity (27 percent and 22 percent, respectively) as the top concern for the second year in a row.

In addition, 62 percent of survey respondents said that the main focus of their company’s executive (C-suite) leadership is achieving cost savings. With this goal in mind, fleet managers are using a number of tactics to manage costs. Forty-three percent of respondents cited vehicle purchasing decisions as the greatest opportunity for savings, followed by managing maintenance expenses (32 percent) and activating telematics and analytics solutions (22 percent).

“As fleet managers continue to focus first and foremost on driver safety, they must also concentrate on finding ways to take more cost out of fleet operations,” said Mark Hayes, chief marketing officer for GE Capital Fleet Services. “Increasingly, fleets are utilizing technology tools that address the dual challenges of cost and safety. These include telematics solutions that alert drivers to potential accidents, intelligent collision alert systems and data analytics that helps predict and manage maintenance costs.”

Additional findings from the survey included:

• Enhancing Productivity: The two biggest areas of focus for enhancing fleet productivity were defining a comprehensive vehicle replacement/cycling plan (30 percent) and specifying the appropriate vehicle for the job (27 percent).
• Analytics Is Improving Efficiency and Saving Costs: When asked how analytics have most helped their fleet, 46 percent of fleet managers cited improved operational efficiency, with an additional 22 percent citing cost savings through analytics.
• Alternative Fuels in Use at 32 Percent of Fleets: Thirty-two percent of fleet managers surveyed stated that alternative fuel vehicles were already in their fleet, with an additional 33 percent planning to incorporate them within the next two years.

“Fleet managers increasingly are analyzing data to make cost savings, safety, and productivity decisions based on fleet performance and operations,” said Doug Peters, analytics leader at GE Capital Fleet Services. “Recently, our team at GE Capital Fleet Services launched MyFleetOffice2, an advanced fleet management and analytics platform, to help decision-makers access deeper and more insightful data and analytics to meet their bottom line and boardroom goals.”

For more information about GE Capital, Fleet Services, visit: www.gefleet.com.

About GE Capital, Fleet Services

GE Capital Fleet Services, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., is a global fleet management company. With strategic consulting, deep analytical insights and experience in every industry, we’re uniquely positioned to help you continuously drive results – from the road all the way to the board room. In 2013, our fleet customers realized $209 million in savings through opportunities identified by our fleet team. Visit the website at www.gefleet.com or follow the company’s eco news and updates via Twitter (@GEFleetSvcs).

GE Capital offers consumers and businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services. For more information, visit www.gecapital.com or follow company news via Twitter (@GECapital). GE (NYSE:GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.