Fleet management software (FMS) is computer software that enables people to accomplish a series of specific tasks in the management of any or all aspects relating to a fleet of vehicles operated by a company, government, or other organisation. These specific tasks encompass all operations from vehicle acquisition through maintenance to disposal.[1]
Fleet management softwares are based on mathematical models and computation techniques in order to optimize and simulate transport fleets' management.[2]
The main function of fleet management software is to accumulate, store, process, monitor, report on and export information. Information can be imported from external sources such as gas pump processors, territorial authorities for managing vehicle registration (for example DVLA and VOSA), financial institutions, insurance databases, vehicle specification databases, mapping systems and from internal sources such as Human Resources and Finance.
Fleet management software should be able to manage processes, tasks and events related to all kinds of vehicles - car, trucks, earth-moving machinery, buses, forklift trucks, trailers and specialist equipment, including:[3]
Fleet management software can be developed in-house by the company or organisation using it, or be purchased from a third party. It varies greatly in its complexity and cost.
Fleet management software is directly related to fleet management. It originated on mainframe computers in the 1970s and shifted to the personal computers in the 1980s when it became practical. In later years however, Fleet Management Software has been more efficiently provided as SaaS. Fleet management software has become increasingly necessary and complex as increasing amounts of vehicle related legislation has been brought in.