Small Business Fleet Management

Want to set up company cars for your business? Here's a brief summary of what you need to know about small business fleet leasing – including leasing options, costs, safety and operational considerations. Whilst running your own fleet may appear to be a daunting option, planning ahead and taking account of the key considerations will help you with the process.

Manage your small business fleet efficiently

and reduce spending

Identify and stick with a reliable vehicle repair and maintenance company

Avoid vehicles being out of action for too long, disrepairs and causing accidents. Opt for a company that can handle vehicle mechanics and windscreens.

Ensure that your employees drive safely and efficiently

Reckless driving uses more fuel, may incur fines and can impact upon the vehicle’s quality of care. Perhaps include a minimum vehicle care standard to ensure that the interior and exterior are kept in a clean presentable manner by drivers. We also suggest providing a safe-driver handbook.

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Store vehicle documentation digitally

Cut down on unnecessary paperwork and keep an easy-to-use vehicle database that can be accessed remotely. This is useful in case of an accident where drivers need to view insurance documents.

Choose vehicles wisely

Consider selecting vehicles that are fit for purpose so they meet your business needs. Take into account, emissions, size, journey types and usual terrain.

Complete Lease

Complete Lease is a smart way to tailor the ideal fleet solution to suit your business and your employees. With a Complete Lease Toyota Fleet Management (TFM) owns the vehicle and you choose how long you want to lease it – having a shorter term is also a great way to drive the latest models. You’ll pay no GST on the upfront finance and only need to claim GST on your monthly rentals. First, choose your new vehicles. Then select items such as servicing, tyres, registration, roadside assistance, insurance and more to tailor a package that suits your needs. Finally, agree your lease term and mileage requirements. Everything will then be covered within a simple fixed monthly invoice – leaving you with more time to run your business.

Maintained Chattel Mortgage

With potential tax benefits built-in, a Maintained Chattel Mortgage is a smart way to purchase and own your vehicles. First, choose your vehicle, then you pay the purchase price off to Toyota Fleet Management (TFM) over time. You can choose the loan term, km’s and monthly repayment amount and can also claim a GST credit on the purchase price. Plus, you can tailor the vehicle package to suit your business with options including servicing, tyres, registration, roadside assistance, insurance and more. After that, enjoy the simplicity of having everything included in a fixed monthly invoice, and once the loan is fully paid, the vehicle is yours.

Know the small business fleet laws

When operating a small business fleet, there are certain laws that both managers and drivers need to comply with. These include (but are not limited to) road safety laws, drink-driving laws, minimum vehicle standards and general Health & Safety regulations (as applied in the workplace).It makes sense to create a detailed Driver Handbook to avoid misunderstanding or misuse by employees.

What vehicles do you need?

The purpose of your fleet may determine whether a car, ute, van or truck is more suitable. For example, different vehicle types may, serve a specific task, be more suitable as executive vehicles or provide an employee incentive.

TFM’s Fleet Advisory Service can help by providing you with a comprehensive range of options when it comes to decision making. Based upon your type of business, they will enable you to identify the most suitable vehicles to suit your needs, thereby maximising efficiency.

Buying a fleet is more expensive so look at how much buying a vehicle will cost for the whole of its working life, taking into account fuel, depreciation, servicing and maintenance. Try and look for providers with the best reputation instead of focusing on the lowest leasing prices. You may even wish to outsource your fleet management, avoiding the need to get involved with logistics, maintenance or servicing.

Keep your costs down

Fuel: Look at economical vehicles, track fuel usage, ensure drivers use vehicles economically and keep tyre pressures inflated. Consider a TFM Fuel Card that we can include with your lease to streamline accounting and help monitor your fuel costs.
Insurance: Research vehicles with the best insurance ratings. Fleet insurance policies can cost less than individual policies. We can provide you with a quote of competitive premiums through Toyota Insurance that can also be incorporated into your lease to help streamline admin and protect your vehicles.
Service maintenance and repairs: If you are leasing, maintenance should be included to keep your vehicles running smoothly and we can provide these services as part of your lease.
Tax: Calculate the total amount that you will have to pay, our team can help you work this out.
Vehicle monitoring software to help drive your fleet with maximum efficiency. Should you opt to use this, factor in the cost of the software you choose, we han help calculate the cost for the total number of vehicles you have in your fleet.

Contact a specialist

Whatever your needs, our team of fleet specialists are on-hand and ready to help.

Call us Enquire

Disclaimers

Terms and conditions apply. This advice is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision to purchase any of the insurance products you should consider the appropriateness of the advice taking into account your own objectives, financial situation and needs and refer to the current Financial Services Guide and Product Disclosure Statement available from Download all Toyota Fleet Management PDFs - TFM . TFM Commercial Motor Vehicle Insurance (Small and Medium Fleet) is issued by Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company Australia Pty Ltd ABN 11 132 524 282 AFSL Number 443540 (Adica).

This information provided by Toyota Fleet Management, a division of Toyota Finance Australia Limited ABN 48 002 435 181, Australian Credit Licence 392536 is of a general nature and for information only. Nothing in this guide constitutes or should be considered to constitute legal, taxation or financial advice. Before making a decision about any of the products and service