Mine Fleet Management: A Basic Guide

Taking care of a whole fleet of vehicles can be daunting, especially when many trucks are in that fleet. Keeping track of the vehicle’s movements, the driving styles of each driver, fuel usage, and load distribution are just some of the tasks a fleet manager would have to monitor.

Companies with a fleet of vehicles will mainly employ technological tools like management software to assist them with this mammoth task and rely heavily on its proper operations. They will, of course, institute some rules and regulations for the use of the vehicles that all drivers and crew should follow at all times.

The fleet management in the mining industry, for instance, involves many huge vehicles operating daily to accomplish their goals of delivering raw materials to smelters or other plants that extract minerals.

With that, below is a basic guide to better understand how mines implement and regulate their fleet management:

• Why Should Companies Manage Their Fleet?

Mining companies generally operate long hours with various shifting schedules, so they don’t slow down their operations. This means that their fleet of vehicles may constantly be on the go. And with that, their trucks could run down fairly quickly without proper management of their schedules.

In addition, because the machinery is so large, they come with an astronomical cost to acquire and maintain. For this reason, some mining companies look for providers like Raw Hire to rent vehicles instead. The rentals are the perfect addition to fleet management as the machinery often comes with extended insurance and maintenance plans. More so, the hire company will take care of many of the routine things that a fleet manager would usually do, making it easier for them to keep track of all the schedules and functions. 

• What Are They Monitoring?

Fleet managers have the task of ensuring that all the vehicles are operating at their optimal level, including monitoring driver behavior and maintenance of the vehicles. When drivers don’t take care of the vehicle or move out of the operating specs for the specific machine, they could damage it, resulting in downtime that translates to a loss of income.

On the other hand, the main goal for monitoring fuel consumption and other indicators will be to ensure that machines are always fully functional. This is especially since, aside from possible downtime, equipment malfunctions could become a safety hazard to the miners and everyone around them.

Safety is a huge priority for any mine site, and their vehicles are no exception. Monitoring the fleet improves the efficiency of the equipment, keeps drivers compliant with the rules, and saves lives while saving companies in costs.

• How Do They Optimize Their Operations?

Technological advances like more advanced sensors and electrical components make managing a mining fleet much more effortless. Connect those to a reliable, reputable software solution streamlining the operators’ management process.

Besides saving costs, the sensors and software can also record changes in the driver’s behavior when a vehicle goes off course and regulate many other functions. The system will receive an alert when anything goes outside the set parameters.

Fleet managers can thus quickly and efficiently regulate the vehicles and spot potential problems before they cause significant issues. Mining companies who see the value of optimizing their operations can ensure that they have a proper fleet management plan and team on-site daily.

• What Are The Advantages Of Fleet Management?

A well-managed fleet provides insight into a few different areas of operations for a mine. With the proper software and other technologies, managers can view their vehicles in real-time and receive feedback about the driving conditions.

Along with the driver information, weather, fuel report, and overall tracking of functions, fleet management can help minimize wastage and theft, which could come at a high cost to the mine when more prominent pieces of equipment go missing.

Harsh braking could result in higher maintenance costs, and so would idling or over-revving the engine. Luckily, all of these elements are part of the features in a software package that mining companies can use for their fleet management.

Final Words

Anyone who has ever visited a mine site can attest that they all work together as one well-oiled machine. And part of their success as a mining company will include properly managing their vast fleet of vehicles, trucks, and other equipment.

Before technology, fleet managers would manually check and record each fleet function before compiling their reports and schedules. Still, nowadays, the software can do all that for them more efficiently, streamlining the mining fleet operations as a whole. 

Understanding the basics of fleet management gives insight into how mines create superb functioning teams. With each new vehicle entering the fleet, they become more and more productive with the fleet manager as their director.