How to manage a fleet of trucks with practical KPIs

Truck Fleet Maintenance isn't about keeping vehicles on the road anymore. It's about building a system that delivers consistent results while controlling costs and meeting increasingly strict regulatory requirements.

With fuel prices rising to 1.66 SAR/litre in 2025, controlling fuel consumption is now essential. Systems like Fleetoo offer complete solutions to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This guide explains how to manage a fleet of trucks effectively in today’s Saudi market.

What is Truck Fleet Management

Managing a fleet of trucks means handling the full vehicle lifecycle. The goal is to keep operations efficient, reduce costs, and follow all regulatory requirements.

Truck Fleet management consists of six core pillars:

• Driver behavior monitoring
• Regulatory compliance
• Fuel consumption management
• Proactive maintenance
• Total cost of ownership tracking
• Vehicle replacement cycle planning

Systems that combine fuel data, sensors, and GPS show everything in one dashboard, giving you full visibility and control. This integration also supports Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Vision 2030 smart transportation goals and helps fleets stay compliant with local regulatory platforms.

Read: AI in fleet management

KPIs for Managing a fleet of truck

Your truck fleet management KPI dashboard should focus on metrics that drive decisions, here are the core indicators worth tracking:

How to Manage a Fleet of Trucks: 5 Practical Strategies

To manage a fleet of trucks effectively, you need these organized 7 strategies. They focus on the most critical areas where fleet managers can improve performance and reduce costs.

1. Implement Preventive Maintenance Systems

By servicing vehicles at regular intervals based on time or mileage, you can find small problems before they turn into major failures. Start by setting service intervals for each component.

For example, change engine oil every 15,000 to 25,000 km, depending on the oil type and engine specifications.

The financial impact extends beyond avoiding breakdowns. A 2024 survey by American Transportation Research Institute found that trucks under reactive maintenance programs face annual breakdown costs of more than $8,000 per vehicle.

Check: Fleet Management Goals and Objectives

2. Use GPS Tracking and Telematics

Integrated GPS data with fuel sensors helps you to track fuel levels and consumption. This helps detect fuel theft or leaks early. GPS vehicle tracking system monitors:

• Idle time at stops and in traffic
• Fuel consumption rates in real-time
• Engine diagnostic codes and warning indicators
• Door opening/closing for
• Temperature for refrigerated units

3. Optimize Fuel Management

Start with training your drivers on fuel-efficient techniques. Coach them how to accelerate gradually rather than aggressive starts, how to maintain steady speeds in the 80-90 km/h range and how to anticipate stops to avoid hard braking.

Use fuel cards to prevent unauthorized purchases and track fuel use by vehicle and driver. A fleet fuel management system helps you quickly detect and locate any unusual activity.

4. Establish Driver Training Programs

Driver quality affects safety, fuel consumption, vehicle wear, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. Always check driving records, conduct road tests, and verify employment history before hiring.

New drivers need onboarding. Teach them vehicle operations, emergency procedures for breakdowns or accidents and how telematics and performance monitoring systems work.

On Fleetoo you can track each driver's fuel consumption, speed, delivery rate, and traffic violation.

5. Integrate Fleet Management Software

Fleet management software brings all your data into one place, automates daily tasks, and provides insights that manual systems cannot deliver.

The market offers many options, from basic GPS tracking tools to advanced platforms. Companies like Fleetio, Samsara, and Geotab offer different features and pricing based on fleet needs.

For Saudi operations, Fleetoo supports Arabic language interface and complies with local data residency requirements.

Challenges of Truck Fleet Management

Various challenges in managing a fleet of trucks appear as major obstacles, but vehicle management system will solve them in minutes. Let’s see how

1- Fuel Theft and Poor Consumption Control

Fuel theft isa major challenge forfleet managers in Saudi Arabia. you can notice it through unexplained expenses or sudden drops in fuel levels.

Modern fleet management systems rely on IoT sensors to record fuel levels in real-time. This makes it easy to detect any attempts to steal your fuel.

These systems also use CanBus data to compare actual fuel use with distance traveled, helping spot any discrepancies directly from the vehicle's computer.

2- Unexpected Breakdowns and Delays

Another challenge facing fleet managers is unexpected breakdowns, which lead to delivery delays and higher emergency repair costs.

Fleet management systems will send you alerts about any fault relying on IoT sensors to monitor engine condition and diagnose faults before they occur. This reduce breakdown up to 70%

3- Compliance with Regulatory Requirements

Saudi Arabia mandates commercial fleets to integrate with Wasl platform for real-time data exchange. Non-compliance with these requirements leads to significant financial penalties that may reach license suspensions.

By using Fleetoo you will stay safe by the direct integration the system provides.

How Fleetoo Solves Your truck Fleet Management Challenges

Fleetoo provides a unified dashboard that combines real-time tracking data eliminating the need for paper reports. The system relies on devices like Teltonika FMC150 car tracker that offers accuracy up to less than 2.5 meters, with advanced vehicle diagnostic features.

Fleetoo uses AI in fleet management to analyze traffic and road conditions, helping optimize routes and save 2.3 hours daily per vehicle, while reducing fuel consumption by up to 15%.

Book a free demo and discover how accurate data can significantly change your operational results.

FAQs

How many vehicles should one fleet manager oversee?

The ratio depends on fleet complexity and available systems. With manual processes, one manager effectively handles 20-30 vehicles. Fleetoo enables managing 100-150 vehicles per person by automating routine tasks like maintenance scheduling and compliance tracking.

How Wasl platform helps fleet managers ensure regulatory compliance?

Wasl integration enables fleet management systems to communicate directly with government platforms like Tamm and Rental, contributing to providing automatic and real-time reports that align with local requirements.