The Fleet Intelligence Gap: turning data into action

Fleet managers have more data than ever, with fuel and EV charging costs, driver activity and vehicle information all being accessible.

However, more data does not automatically make a fleet easier to manage; the real challenge is turning scattered information into a clear next step. 

New Allstar research of 300 UK decision-makers responsible for fleets of 21 to 75 vehicles, shows the scale of that challenge. It identifies what we are calling the Fleet Intelligence Gap: the distance between having fleet data and being able to turn it into meaningful insight and action.

Fragmented data creates a real time cost

The research found that fleet decision-makers spend an average of 4.27 hours each week downloading, checking, reconciling, analysing and reformatting fleet data. Over a year, that is equivalent to almost six working weeks spent handling information rather than acting on it. 

For many businesses, often the problem is data fragmentation. Respondents say that on average they manage fuel costs, EV charging costs and driver data across more than three systems, portals or spreadsheets, with more than a third, 36%, using four or more. A key challenge for 74% of the mid-market businesses surveyed is that they don’t have a single dedicated full-time fleet manager - in many organisations, responsibility of the vehicles sits across finance, operations, procurement or wider administrative duties. The person managing the fleet therefore may not have the time to join every piece of information together manually and so the fragmented data could cause lots of delays in decision making. This is despite 84% saying that fleet is one of their largest operating costs.  

Confidence does not always translate into earlier action

The research also points to a gap between confidence and what happens in practice. Of those decision makers surveyed, 80% say they are confident they would identify out-of-policy or unusual spend before it created avoidable costs. Yet 30% discovered out-of-policy or unusual spend only after the cost had already been incurred in the previous 12 months. Our survey also found that when such issues are identified, action is not always immediate. On average, it takes more than four and a half days for a mid-market business to move from spotting a problem to acting on it.

With just 1% stating that they act on it the same day, that delay can have a material impact. Respondents estimate that 9.4% of their annual fuel and fleet spend is lost to avoidable costs, including out-of-policy spend, inefficient purchasing, missed savings opportunities and vehicle downtime. These figures underline why better fleet cost control starts with seeing the right signal early enough to do something about it.

AI can help people see what matters sooner

The answer is not necessarily another dashboard or another source of data. Businesses need a clearer way to understand what their existing information is telling them, why it matters and what they could do next.

That is where AI-enabled insight could support fleet decision-makers. The research found that 66% of respondents would trust AI to handle simple, routine fleet tasks while retaining human control over significant decisions. A further 16% would welcome AI that flags issues and recommends actions, provided they approve the final decision. No respondent said they wanted AI excluded from fleet decisions altogether.

This points to a practical role for AI in fleet management. It can help bring information together, highlight unusual activity, explain why a pattern may matter and suggest a next step. The decision still sits with the person who understands the business, its vehicles and its operating context.

As Will Gill, Chief Product Officer, International Vehicle Payments at Corpay, explains:

"The interesting thing here is not that fleet managers lack data. In many cases, the opposite is true. They are working across multiple sources and spending hours every week trying to turn that information into something they can use."

He adds: "The challenge for fleet technology is to shorten the distance between seeing something in the data, understanding why it matters and deciding what to do about it. That does not mean taking judgement away from the fleet manager. It means giving them better intelligence so they can apply that judgement sooner and close the fleet intelligence gap."

Fleet data should make running a business simpler, not create another administrative burden. The opportunity now is to move from more data to better intelligence: bringing information together, identifying  what matters sooner and helping decision-makers act with greater confidence. That is exactly what The Fleet Intelligence Gap campaign explores.  

Discover the findings from The Fleet Intelligence Gap and see what they could mean for your business. Explore the research here and keep your eyes peeled for the full reveal of our fleet intelligence capabilities, coming soon.