Conducting a Baseline Fleet & Needs Analysis

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A Core Principle: On Owning a Process

As a fleet manager, this analysis is your responsibility. To complete it, you will need input from other teams, especially program staff who can provide their activity plans and transport needs.

It is tempting to simply send an email and wait for a response. But remember: you own this process, they do not.

Your request may not be their top priority. They may not understand the context, might assume you need a level of detail they don’t have yet, or simply be overwhelmed with other deadlines.

To succeed, you must take the initiative:

• Be Proactive: Don’t just ask for data; facilitate the conversation. Schedule a brief meeting. Bring a coffee and a notebook and guide them through the questions.

• Be Resourceful: Use your knowledge. If you understand the programs, you can often gather much of the needed information just by listening in project meetings.

• Be Accountable: If you are not receiving the necessary input despite your efforts, it is your responsibility to report this bottleneck to your supervisor.

Waiting for others to act is not a strategy. Driving the process forward is.
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From Snapshot to Analysis: Is Your Fleet Fit for Purpose?

The initial assessment gave you a clear picture of what your fleet looks like. This analysis helps you determine if that fleet is truly meeting your organization’s needs.

The goal is to compare your operational reality against your fleet’s capacity, cost, and utilization. This process will uncover critical insights, whether you have five vehicles or fifty.

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The Analysis Process

This analysis builds directly on your One-Page Snapshot. We will now enrich that data with information about your programs, costs, and performance.

Step 1: Map Your Programmatic Needs

First, understand the demand. Where do your programs need to go, and what do they need to carry?

• List Your Projects: For each major project, list its primary operational areas (e.g., “Project A operates in District X and Y”).
• Identify Key Routes: What are the most frequent journeys? Note the road conditions (e.g., “paved highway,” “rough rural track,” “mountain pass”).
• Estimate Movement Needs: For each project, estimate the weekly transport needs. Think in terms of “people trips” and “cargo trips.”

Step 2: Analyze Your Fleet’s Capacity & Suitability

Now, compare the demand against your fleet.

• Vehicle Allocation: Which vehicles are assigned to which projects or departments? Is there a central pool, or are vehicles “owned” by specific teams?
• Vehicle Suitability: Is the type of vehicle appropriate for the routes and tasks? (e.g., using a 2WD sedan on a muddy track is inefficient and unsafe). Note any mismatches.
• Identify Gaps: Are there consistent shortfalls where program staff cannot get a vehicle? Or, conversely, are some vehicles sitting idle for long periods?

Step 3: Conduct a Basic Cost Analysis

Understanding the cost is fundamental. Gather your financial data to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for your fleet.

• Gather Cost Data: Collect financial records for the last 6-12 months covering:
  • Fuel purchases
  • Maintenance and repair invoices
  • Insurance premiums
  • Rental or lease agreement payments
  • Driver salaries (if dedicated drivers)
• Calculate Cost per Vehicle: For each vehicle, sum up its total costs. This gives you a baseline understanding of which assets are the most expensive to run.

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Tiered Implementation: How Deep to Go?

Your analysis can be as simple or as complex as your capacity allows. Here’s how to approach it using the tiered model.

::tabs :::tab{label=“Basic Tier”}

Basic Analysis: The “Good Enough” Approach

Key Tools & Methods:

• A whiteboard for brainstorming program needs with your team.
• A simple Excel sheet to list vehicles, their assigned projects, and their total costs calculated manually from invoices.

Data Collection & Reporting:

• The output is a simple document or presentation answering:
  1. What are our most expensive vehicles?
  2. Are our vehicles in the right geographic locations to support our programs?
  3. Are we using the right type of vehicle for the job?

Considerations:

• This analysis is qualitative and based on team knowledge. It’s fast and effective for identifying major, obvious problems. :::

:::tab{label=“Intermediate Tier”}

Intermediate Analysis: A Data-Enhanced View

Key Tools & Methods:

• Digital surveys (Google/Microsoft Forms) sent to program managers to quantify their weekly transport requests.
• A shared spreadsheet (Google Sheets/Excel Online) where costs are logged digitally as they occur.

Data Collection & Reporting:

• You can now calculate a rough Cost per Kilometer.
• Create simple charts comparing costs between vehicles or projects.
• The output is a more formal report with basic data visualizations that clearly shows which parts of the fleet are over-utilized, under-utilized, or costing too much.

Considerations:

• Requires more discipline in data collection but provides much clearer, evidence-based insights. :::

:::tab{label=“Advanced Tier”}

Advanced Analysis: The Strategic Overview

Key Tools & Methods:

• Data exported from a Fleet Management System (FMS), vehicle trackers, or digital logbooks.
• Business Intelligence (BI) tools like Power BI or Tableau.

Data Collection & Reporting:

• You can now analyze detailed metrics: utilization rates (e.g., engine hours vs. idle hours), fuel efficiency (L/100km), cost per person-trip, etc.
• Generate automated dashboards that provide a real-time overview of fleet performance against program needs.
• The analysis can drive strategic decisions about fleet size, composition, and replacement cycles.

Considerations:

• This level of analysis is only possible with a mature data collection system already in place. ::: ::

Your Next Step

With this analysis complete, you have moved beyond a simple inventory. You now have a clear, evidence-based understanding of the alignment—and misalignments—between your fleet and your mission. This is the foundation for identifying specific risks and opportunities.

➡️ Proceed to: 3.3.1.3. Identifying Key Challenges, Risks, and Opportunities