You’ve got all this data coming from your fleet vehicles — on maintenance, fuel, mileage — but it feels like being handed a thousand-piece puzzle with no picture on the box. You know tracking the right fleet metrics matters, but stuck wondering, Where do I even start? What’s most important?
You know what needs to be done—but just stuck on the how.
You can’t afford to waste time tracking useless data. This article describes KPIs that show whether your fleet is on track or heading for trouble. Here’s what you’ll find:
- 6 areas to focus your KPIs on
- 18 critical fleet metrics (and why they matter)
- The right tools and methods to track and measure fleet management KPIs
- The metrics Fleet Chaser users rely on the most for effective fleet management
6 focus areas to develop your fleet management KPIs in
Erin Gilchrist, a fleet leader with 15+ years of experience managing large enterprise fleets, suggests focusing on these key areas when developing your KPIs:
- Fleet safety and driver behavior
- Compliance
- Fuel management
- Maintenance
- Fleet cost
- Vehicle lifecycle
Focusing on these areas, fleet managers address most common pain points like accidents, breakdowns, and costly repairs.
For each area, there are specific metrics (data points) to track. These metrics are your fleet management KPIs. They show how well your fleet is performing in each area, much like a scorecard in a game.
6 categories. 18 fleet metrics. And why they matter.
Track these fleet management KPIs to find out how well your team is performing in key areas like safety, compliance, fuel management, and more.
Fleet safety and driver behavior
Track these fleet management KPIs for safety
Metric #1. Accident rate
Track how often accidents happen and whether your safety efforts are working. Measure the accident rate by calculating accidents per million miles driven.
Metric #2. Accident costs
Measure the full financial impact of accidents, including repair costs, legal fees, injury costs, and vehicle downtime. Add up all related expenses to see the big picture.
Metric #3. Driver safety scores
Track unsafe driving behaviors like aggression or distractions. Use telematics data (speed, driving style, mileage, and vehicle condition) to calculate the percentage of safe driving hours. Break it down by fleet, region, or individual drivers for more insight.
Tip. Consider using telematics-based dash cameras (in-cab and road-facing) to:
- spot risky driving habits and reduce accident costs
- get alerts when vehicles leave a geofence
- prove your vehicle wasn’t involved in an accident—or at fault
For example, one of Fleet Chaser users, Mark from Value Waste, shares how they beat false accident claims with the software:
“I’ve been able to prove my trucks weren’t involved in several accidents using GPS coordinates and camera footage. This system has saved us tons of money by avoiding false claims.”
Compliance
Track these fleet management KPIs for compliance
Metric #4. Regulatory adherence
Stay on top of compliance reporting to avoid risks and penalties. US fleet operators must comply with:
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Track key metrics like inspection pass/fail rates, maintenance compliance (e.g., brakes, tires, lights), and driver hours-of-service (HOS) compliance.
- International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA). Track miles driven, fuel purchased, and fuel tax paid in each state or province. Submit these records to the base jurisdiction quarterly.
Metric #5. Driver qualification
With this metric, you track whether your drivers meet the necessary qualifications to drive. This includes monitoring training completion, medical exams, and certifications. To measure, divide the number of qualified drivers by the total number of drivers.
Tip. Save time on IFTA reports and DOT compliance with custom reports in a fleet management system. Fleet managers can automatically track inspections, distance traveled, fuel costs, maintenance, and driver hours with Fleet Chaser—creating reports and tracking fleet management KPIs with just a few clicks.
Fleet managers can Generate custom reports in Fleet Chaser to see progress on their KPIs
Fuel management
Track these key performance indicators for fuel management
Metric #6. Fuel efficiency
By monitoring Miles Per Gallon (MPG), you track fuel efficiency. The higher the MPG, the better the fuel economy. Use telematics to monitor MPG across vehicles, drivers, and regions, then generate fuel reports to identify which vehicles are using more fuel than they should.
Metric #7. Fuel cost per gallon
Track fuel prices and their impact on your fleet's expenses. This helps you find opportunities to save — like negotiating better fuel contracts. Measure by dividing total fuel costs by total gallons of fuel consumed.
Metric #8. Fuel fraud
Monitor fuel use to catch fraud like fueling personal vehicles or falsifying purchases. Track fuel use in real-time with GPS and fuel card data, then compare it with driver behavior, receipts, and trip details. Another smart way is to set up geofences in your fleet management system around fuel stations or predetermined routes. If fuel purchases occur outside these areas or at unscheduled times, it could indicate fraud.
Geofence functionality fleet managers can use in Fleet Chaser
Tip. Fleet managers must have some system in place to track fuel consumption, be it manual logs, fuel cards, or fleet management software. Fuel costs often account for up to 30% of a fleet's total budget, so even a 5-10% reduction can save your company thousands each year.
Maintenance
Track these key performance indicators for maintenance
Metric #9. Vehicle downtime
Downtime costs between $450 to $750 per day, so the faster you get a vehicle back on the road, the better. Measure downtime by dividing hours of downtime by total working hours. For this, log downtime events for each vehicle — whether it's in the shop for repairs or just unavailable. Fleet Chaser users can generate quick reports on vehicle usage to spot trends. For example, if a vehicle spends more time in the shop than on the road, it may be time for a replacement.
Metric #10. Preventive maintenance (PM) compliance
Track PM compliance to ensure routine fleet maintenance (like oil changes or brake checks) happens on time, preventing unexpected breakdowns. Measure by comparing completed PM tasks against total scheduled tasks. A nifty way is to set up a PM schedule for each vehicle and track completion using fleet management software. For example, Fleet Chaser users can schedule checkups based on real-time data and historical insights and see upcoming maintenance on the dashboard widget:
Managing needed widgets in Fleet Chaser to track fleet management KPIs
Metric #11. Maintenance cost per mile or event
Track how much it costs to maintain a vehicle per mile driven or per maintenance event. This number indicates if certain vehicles need more maintenance or if you're overspending on repairs. Measure by dividing total maintenance costs by miles driven or number of maintenance events.
For this, record all maintenance costs, including parts, labor, and downtime, and track them alongside vehicle mileage or service events. Fleet Chaser users can generate reports to track service tasks and mechanic time, seeing how much each asset costs to maintain.
Tip. Have drivers log quick vehicle inspections before and after each trip in a mobile app. This creates a record of any issues, so your team can address small maintenance problems before they escalate.
Fleet cost
Track these key performance indicators for fleet costs
Metric #12. Total cost of ownership (TCO)
TCO shows all costs associated with a vehicle over its lifetime to see if it’s an investment worth keeping. To calculate, add the purchase cost, operating costs, maintenance, and fuel costs, subtracting the vehicle’s residual value afterwards. For the whole fleet, sum the TCO for each vehicle.
Metric #13. Fleet cost per mile or unit delivered
Measure your fleet’s efficiency with this metric. If the cost per mile rises, it could mean an asset is no longer efficient or valuable. Calculate it by dividing total fleet costs (fuel, maintenance, insurance, or else) by total miles driven or units delivered. Track this easily by keeping proper records, in a spreadsheet or fleet management system. Calculate annually or for the period that matches your vehicle retirement cycle.
Metric #14. Budget performance
Track this fleet management KPI to keep your spending in check. Measure it by comparing actual fleet expenses to the budgeted amount.
Metric #15. Year-over-year cost comparisons
Track changes in fleet costs over time to identify trends, such as rising fuel prices or increasing maintenance costs. To calculate, subtract last year’s total fleet costs from this year’s, then divide by last year’s costs.
Vehicle lifecycle
Track these fleet management key performance indicators for vehicle lifecycle
Metric #16. Vehicle performance trends
Track whether your vehicle’s performance improves or declines. Compare key fleet operations metrics over time, such as fuel economy, speed, and task completion. Odometer data can help here. By tracking total miles driven, you can correlate fuel efficiency trends with the vehicle's distance traveled.
Run vehicle odometer reports in Fleet Chaser and let your fleet managers see which vehicles need replacement
Metric #17. Replacement cycles
See the optimal time to replace a vehicle. Measure this metric by comparing the vehicle lifecycle with the average replacement age. For example, if the vehicle lifecycle is 10 years but you replace vehicles at 8 years, you do so before they reach their full lifespan.
Metric #18. Aging vehicle costs
Find out when it makes more sense to replace a vehicle instead of keeping up with repairs. Add up maintenance costs, take into account any drop in fuel efficiency, and include downtime costs (like lost work hours from repairs). If these costs start to add up more than the vehicle’s worth, it’s time to replace it.
Your recap of key fleet management performance metrics
That’s a wrap on our top fleet management KPIs! Let’s zoom in on what fleet managers should track:
One more tip when setting up your fleet management key performance indicators
Consider splitting your fleet by vehicle type and tracking specific fleet management KPIs for each:
- Light-duty vehicles (small cars or vans for local deliveries) should focus on fuel efficiency since they make a lot of short trips.
- Medium-duty vehicles (box trucks for larger loads) need more attention on maintenance due to the wear from carrying heavy loads.
- Heavy-duty vehicles (big trucks for long-distance freight) require durability and use optimization for long trips.
So you’ve set your key fleet metrics. Great! Now what?
Collect accurate real-time data on those KPIs, for example, via telematics and fleet management software. Without it, your KPIs turn into worthless, irrelevant lines on a report. Bad or delayed data? False insights. And false insights make it harder to see your fleet’s true performance.
In the meantime, Fleet Chaser’s customizable dashboards make it easy to track important fleet management KPIs. Think vehicle usage rates, service schedules, maintenance alerts—you name it.
Add needed widgets and track fleet management KPIs on Fleet Chaser’s dashboard
Skip manual work and automate the heavy lifting with Fleet Chaser. It collects, organizes, and reports accurate data via telematics in quick-to-create reports — while you work out your fleet management strategy.
Want to see how it works in action? Book a demo to give Fleet Chaser a whirl, no commitment.
Fleet managers using Fleet Chaser, confident they’re in control of their fleet.
