Fleet management is a rapidly evolving industry, and it’s tough to keep up. Here are the 5 training courses you should put your fleet manager on that will hugely benefit your business.

Fleet management is one of the most demanding jobs in the industry. It requires expert knowledge, continuous research and brilliant people skills. It’s also an ever-evolving industry – advances in vehicles and logistics systems are incredibly fast-paced which means fleet managers must continuously adapt. Change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

In addition to this frenetic environment, fleet managers must manage a variety of people. Not only do they have to efficiently manage direct reports, but they also must ‘manage’ across other departments such as sales or finance. At the same time, they need to know how to deal with top management in order to negotiate resources for the fleet.

People management isn’t a skill that everyone is born with. In fact, those of us who are more logistics-oriented often don’t develop the best management skills (because if the logistics make sense, then what’s the problem, right?). Unfortunately, it’s not that simple and these days fleet managers need advanced people management skills in order to keep their fleets running smoothly. Thankfully, there are some cheat sheets available. The opportunity to learn as your grow within your position is ever present, and it is important to take what you can from the people you work with every day.

Fleet managers who are new to the game, or even veterans looking to sharpen their skills, should consider taking a management training course. In this ever-changing industry, you will always learn something new and valuable, so take the time to shop for a course that works for you. There are some excellent courses available that will not only help you hone your skills but can also be a good networking opportunity.

Below are some examples of relevant courses available in South Africa. The short courses are ideal for fleet managers who want to sharpen their skills. The longer courses are perfect for those either considering a career in fleet management, or for new fleet managers who want to ensure their future. Some of the courses focus purely on people management, and these are perfect for fleet managers at any level – people are your most asset and if you want to run a slick fleet you need to focus on your management skills.

TransAuto Online Fleet Management Course

This online course is fantastic for new fleet managers who want to learn whilst they work. There are no fixed test dates or task deadlines and students work through the 12 modules at their own speed. Once the required modules have been completed, you need to complete an online test and, if you pass, you’ll receive a certificate. Content includes:

• Fleet management principles and concepts
• Fleet selection and acquisition
• Fleet finance options
• Fleet risk and insurance management
• Fleet operations management
• Fuel management
• Fleet Maintenance and tyre management
• Fleet telematics and tracking
• Fleet availability and utilisation
• Fleet replacement and disposal
• Fleet operations and administration
  
  

TransAuto Lecture Based Fleet Management Course

This course covers many of the same topics as those listed in course above and is focused on fleet operations. Over a period of four days students will attend numerous lectures and participate in a variety of scenarios designed to help fleet managers effectively deal with tough situations. A lot of emphasis is placed on recognising bad fleet management habits and how to improve your own management methods.

Damelin: Short Programme in Strategic Logistics Management

This course is extremely flexible. It runs over three days, but students can break this up into a few hours a week or even over weekends. It is perfect for new fleet managers, or even seasoned fleet managers who worked their way up without any formal training. In both cases this course will provide valuable insight and methods for streamlining the way you work. It’s also an excellent accreditation to have on your CV if you want to further your career as a fleet manager.

Logistics Courses – Three-year Diploma Course in Fleet Management

This three-year diploma is a solid investment for new and existing fleet managers who intend to stay in this career. It’s a distance learning course, but there will be occasional lectures as well as test dates as well as task submission dates. It’s a long-term commitment, especially if you’re working full-time, but it is well worth the effort.

UNISA – Programme in Road Transport Management

UNISA’s course is one of the most respected in the industry and offers an in-depth education in all aspects of fleet management. It’s also a distance learning course, with voluntary study groups and fixed test dates. The material in this course includes:

Introduction to Transport Management

• Introduction to transport management
• The transport management environment
• The transport process and technology
• General transport management
• Marketing management 

• Capacity planning
• Demand analysis
• Planning Capacity: Route planning
• Scheduling
• Planning the supply: Loading of vehicles
• Fleet planning
• Vehicle maintenance
• Planning the quality of the service
• Control over the operational activities
• Computer systems

Costing, Tariffs and Financing

• Road Transport costs
• Costing Road Transport Operations
• Budgeting and budgetary control
• Profit and tariff fixing
• Financial Management in Road Transport

Transport Policy and Regulation

• Transport Policy and Regulations
• Road Freight Transport Legislation

The above courses are examples of the variety of options available to fleet managers in South Africa. As we’ve mentioned, fleet managed is a fast-paced and growing industry and every year sees more options added to the selection of courses. In addition, most institutions also offer courses in Business Management as well as People Management (often under their Human Resources departments).

The course you choose will depend on your level of experience and the skills you’re looking to improve on. Even if you’ve been in the industry for twenty years or more, a refresher course is never a bad idea. There’s no such thing as too much information when it comes to fleet management!