Many Fleet Managers understand what needs to be done to improve their fleet — whether it’s optimising utilisation, reducing maintenance costs, managing compliance, or preparing for an electric vehicle transition. But too often, these improvement goals stay in the Fleet Manager’s head or in informal notes.
That’s where a Fleet Improvement Plan (FIP) can make all the difference.
A written Fleet Improvement Plan helps steer the fleet team and ensures their efforts are aligned to the organisation’s broader goals and objectives. It provides structure, accountability and visibility — all essential ingredients for moving from reactive fleet management to a strategic, proactive approach.
Critically, the FIP is not a replacement for your Fleet Asset Management Plan (FAMP) or Fleet Business Plan — it complements them. Where the FAMP looks at long-term service delivery and lifecycle management, and the Business Plan covers core operational activities, the FIP focuses on the targeted improvements you want to achieve over the next 12 to 24 months.
Typical focus areas in a Fleet Improvement Plan include:
- Safety and compliance improvements (e.g. improving daily pre-start inspections, increasing defect reporting)
- Data and systems improvements (e.g. increasing accuracy of telematics data or asset registers)
- Operational efficiency (e.g. optimising vehicle utilisation or improving maintenance performance)
- Sustainability initiatives (e.g. reducing fuel use, trialling low-emission vehicles)
- Stakeholder engagement (e.g. improving relationships with user departments or enhancing driver training programs)
One of the biggest benefits of a Fleet Improvement Plan is that it gives visibility to the fleet team’s work. As a written document, it can be shared and presented to:
- Operational teams — to align efforts and foster ownership of improvements
- Executives — to demonstrate alignment with corporate priorities and secure support
- External stakeholders — to communicate progress on sustainability, safety or compliance objectives
In short, an FIP elevates the fleet team’s work from the workshop to the boardroom.
At IPWEA Fleet, we encourage Fleet Practitioners to treat their FIP as a living document — reviewed quarterly, adjusted as priorities evolve, and used as a tool to engage the whole organisation.
If you want your fleet team to be seen, valued and supported — start by writing it down. A well-crafted Fleet Improvement Plan is the roadmap that will take you there.
