Fleet Management and Transportation Training Course

Duration 10 days 19 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Fleet Managers, Transport Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-177

Before you join: Participants should understand basic logistics flows, delivery operations or vehicle-based field services and have some exposure to operational reporting, scheduling or supplier management.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Fleet and transport managers must meet service commitments while controlling fuel, labour, maintenance, asset utilisation and safety exposure. Poor route design, weak dispatch discipline, incomplete cost data and reactive maintenance create late deliveries, empty running, avoidable breakdowns and customer complaints. These issues affect private fleets, contracted carriers, distribution centres and field-service operations alike.

This course develops the practical management methods used to plan, control and improve transport operations. Participants assess fleet requirements, select operating models, calculate transport cost, plan routes and loads, set driver and vehicle standards, manage maintenance, monitor fuel and emissions, and measure service performance. They also learn how to procure and govern third-party transport providers, investigate incidents, and use transport management system data for operational decisions.

Instruction combines short briefings with worked transport cases, group analysis, planning simulations and individual application work. Participants use their own operating context where possible, whether managing delivery vehicles, company cars, heavy goods vehicles, service fleets or outsourced distribution. By the end of the course, each participant has produced a fleet and transportation management plan containing a service profile, cost model, KPI scorecard, maintenance controls, safety actions, carrier governance arrangements and improvement priorities.

The course suits professionals with current responsibility for transport, distribution, fleet assets, carrier performance or logistics cost. It is particularly useful where organisations need clearer control over transport spend, delivery reliability, road risk and environmental reporting.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess fleet demand, service requirements and operating model options
  • Calculate vehicle, driver and transport costs using total cost of ownership
  • Design route, load and dispatch plans using practical planning methods
  • Establish fleet maintenance, inspection and asset replacement controls
  • Apply driver safety, compliance and incident investigation procedures
  • Measure transport performance through a fleet KPI scorecard
  • Manage carrier sourcing, contracts and service-level performance reviews
  • Produce a complete fleet and transportation management improvement plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Build confidence in discussing fleet cost, service and risk trade-offs with senior managers
  • Create defensible route, fleet-size and asset-replacement recommendations
  • Use practical KPI evidence to challenge poor carrier and driver performance
  • Recognise maintenance, safety and compliance failures before they disrupt service
  • Leave with a transport improvement plan applicable to an active work portfolio

For your organisation

  • Lower avoidable transport cost through better utilisation, routing and fuel control
  • Improve on-time delivery through disciplined dispatch and exception management
  • Reduce breakdowns and vehicle downtime through planned maintenance controls
  • Strengthen road safety, incident reporting and regulatory compliance arrangements
  • Gain clearer carrier accountability through defined service levels and performance reviews

Course modules

19 modules over 10 days

Participants can define fleet management scope and select an appropriate transport operating model.

  • Fleet mission statement linked to service promises, cost limits and risk appetite
  • Transport operating models: own fleet, dedicated contract, spot hire and parcel
  • Demand profiles segmented by volume, distance, frequency, handling and temperature
  • Stakeholder map covering customers, drivers, warehouse, finance, procurement and regulators
  • Scope boundaries between transport planning, dispatch, maintenance and carrier management
  • Baseline data requirements for fleet size, kilometres, loads, costs and incidents

Participants can translate demand patterns into fleet capacity and vehicle requirements.

  • Demand forecasting using historical orders, seasonality, promotions and customer commitments
  • Capacity calculations using payload, cube, journey time and productive hours
  • Peak-period capacity plans using owned vehicles, rentals and contracted carriers
  • Vehicle utilisation measured through loaded kilometres, fill rate and operating hours
  • Fleet-sizing scenarios tested against demand variability and service windows
  • Reserve vehicle policy based on downtime history, risk tolerance and demand peaks

Participants can calculate transport cost and compare fleet ownership alternatives.

  • Fixed costs separated into depreciation, insurance, licences, finance and administration
  • Variable costs calculated from fuel, tyres, maintenance, tolls and driver time
  • Total cost of ownership model for vehicle acquisition and replacement decisions
  • Cost per kilometre, drop, tonne and case used for comparison
  • Break-even analysis comparing private fleet, dedicated carrier and spot transport
  • Activity-based costing assigned to routes, customers, products and delivery constraints

Participants can specify vehicles and plan asset replacement using operational criteria.

  • Vehicle specification matched to payload, body type, route and loading conditions
  • Payload and cubic capacity checked against product density and handling equipment
  • Acquisition options compared: purchase, lease, rental and managed service
  • Lifecycle plan covering commissioning, operation, refurbishment, disposal and replacement
  • Replacement triggers based on maintenance cost, downtime, safety and residual value
  • Whole-life emissions considered alongside fuel type, route range and infrastructure

Participants can create route plans that balance service, distance, time and cost.

  • Route planning sequence based on delivery windows, vehicle constraints and geography
  • Vehicle routing problem principles applied to multi-stop delivery territories
  • Territory design using customer clusters, demand density and depot locations
  • Time-and-distance matrices built from realistic travel times and service durations
  • Milk runs, direct loads and consolidation compared for cost and responsiveness
  • Route standards set for planned kilometres, stops, duration and fuel consumption

Participants can prepare load and dispatch controls for reliable daily operations.

  • Load plans sequenced by delivery order, axle limits and unloading access
  • Dispatch checklist covering vehicle condition, documentation, equipment and driver readiness
  • Proof-of-delivery controls for signatures, exceptions, returns and claims evidence
  • Daily control tower routines for departures, arrivals, delays and customer notifications
  • Exception codes classified by traffic, loading, vehicle, customer and driver causes
  • Backhaul opportunities assessed against collection timing, capacity and contamination risks

Participants can establish driver management practices that support safe service delivery.

  • Driver competency matrix covering licence classes, route knowledge and equipment skills
  • Roster plans aligned with demand peaks, driving limits and rest requirements
  • Induction standards covering vehicle checks, customer conduct and incident reporting
  • Coaching conversations based on telematics data, observations and performance trends
  • Driver scorecards tracking safety, fuel, punctuality, defects and customer feedback
  • Fatigue-risk controls addressing shift patterns, journey duration and overnight work

Participants can establish preventive maintenance and vehicle availability controls.

  • Preventive maintenance schedules based on time, distance, engine hours and duty cycle
  • Daily walk-around checks recorded with defect severity and rectification status
  • Maintenance work orders prioritised by safety, compliance, availability and cost
  • Workshop capacity planning for technicians, bays, parts and outsourced repairs
  • Mean time between failures used to identify recurring vehicle reliability issues
  • Vehicle availability reported through planned downtime, unplanned downtime and utilisation

Participants can identify and control major variable costs in fleet operations.

  • Fuel-consumption baseline calculated by vehicle class, route and operating condition
  • Fuel variance investigation separating driving behaviour, idling, route and theft
  • Tyre management controls covering pressure, tread depth, rotation and replacement
  • Idling policy linked to fuel burn, emissions, driver comfort and equipment needs
  • Telematics exceptions reviewed for harsh braking, speeding and excessive engine hours
  • Cost-control actions prioritised using savings potential, implementation effort and risk

Participants can apply structured road risk controls and incident prevention methods.

  • ISO 39001 principles applied to road traffic safety management responsibilities
  • Journey risk assessments covering route hazards, weather, security and fatigue
  • Hierarchy of controls applied to reversing, loading and roadside breakdown risks
  • Safety observations distinguish unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and system failures
  • Near-miss reporting processes capture leading indicators before serious incidents occur
  • Corrective actions assigned with owners, due dates, verification and closure evidence

Participants can control core transport documentation and compliance responsibilities.

  • Compliance register identifies vehicle, driver, load and operating permit obligations
  • Document control covers licences, inspections, insurance, manifests and delivery records
  • Load-security checks address restraint methods, weight distribution and seal integrity
  • Audit trails retained for inspections, maintenance, incidents and driver qualifications
  • Internal compliance audits sample records, observe operations and test corrective actions
  • Escalation paths define responses to expired documents, defects and prohibited operation

Participants can use fleet technology data to improve operational control.

  • Transport management system functions for planning, tendering, dispatch and freight audit
  • Telematics data interpreted for location, speed, idling, driving events and utilisation
  • Master-data standards maintain accurate vehicle, driver, route and customer records
  • Data-quality checks identify missing odometer readings, duplicate trips and invalid timestamps
  • Exception dashboards separate urgent operational alerts from trend-analysis information
  • Technology business cases assess cost, adoption, data needs and expected benefits

Participants can design a fleet KPI scorecard and performance review routine.

  • Balanced scorecard measures service, cost, safety, asset and environmental performance
  • On-time-in-full defined with agreed delivery windows, quantity and documentation rules
  • KPI tree links strategic objectives to operational measures and source data
  • Leading indicators tracked through preventive maintenance compliance, defects and near misses
  • Variance analysis distinguishes random fluctuation from operational performance deterioration
  • Monthly review packs combine trends, root causes, actions and accountable owners

Participants can structure carrier sourcing and evaluate transport provider proposals.

  • Make-or-buy analysis considers cost, control, capacity, risk and service requirements
  • Request-for-proposal specifications define lanes, volumes, equipment, service windows and data
  • Carrier bid comparisons normalise pricing, surcharges, assumptions and service exclusions
  • Weighted evaluation criteria assess safety, capacity, financial standing, service and technology
  • Should-cost models test carrier rates against route distance, labour and vehicle assumptions
  • Award strategies allocate volume across primary, secondary and contingency providers

Participants can manage carrier agreements through clear controls and performance reviews.

  • Service-level agreements define delivery, claims, reporting, safety and escalation requirements
  • Rate cards specify base rates, accessorial charges, fuel mechanisms and payment rules
  • Contract clauses address liability, insurance, subcontracting, confidentiality and termination
  • Carrier scorecards compare service, cost, claims, safety and invoice accuracy
  • Quarterly business reviews examine trends, corrective actions, capacity and improvement commitments
  • Freight invoice audit checks contracted rates, shipment evidence, surcharges and duplicates

Participants can set practical actions for reducing fleet emissions and waste.

  • Greenhouse-gas inventory boundaries defined for owned, leased and contracted transport
  • Fuel-use data converted into emissions measures using documented conversion factors
  • Route consolidation reduces empty running, duplicate journeys and unnecessary distance
  • Alternative-fuel assessment considers range, payload, refuelling and total ownership cost
  • Eco-driving programmes target acceleration, braking, idling, gear selection and anticipation
  • Environmental KPI targets linked to fuel intensity, utilisation and emissions per delivery

Participants can prepare transport continuity controls for operational disruption and security threats.

  • Business impact analysis ranks critical lanes, customers, vehicles and delivery dependencies
  • Contingency routes prepared for road closures, weather events and border delays
  • Carrier fallback plans define activation triggers, contacts, rates and capacity commitments
  • Cargo-security controls address theft hotspots, parking, seals, tracking and escalation
  • Crisis communication matrix assigns updates to customers, drivers, leaders and suppliers
  • After-action reviews capture timeline, decisions, recovery performance and preventive actions

Participants can prioritise fleet improvements and manage implementation risks.

  • Pareto analysis identifies cost, service and safety issues with greatest impact
  • Root-cause analysis uses five whys, fishbone diagrams and evidence validation
  • Improvement charters define problem, baseline, target, scope, owner and timeline
  • Benefits tracking separates cash savings, cost avoidance, service and risk reduction
  • RACI matrix assigns decision rights for fleet, warehouse, procurement and finance teams
  • Change plans address driver consultation, training, communications, resistance and adoption

Participants can build, review and present a complete fleet and transportation management plan.

  • Service profile consolidates demand, customers, routes, delivery windows and constraints
  • Fleet strategy specifies operating model, capacity, vehicle standards and replacement priorities
  • Cost model presents baseline spending, unit costs, assumptions and savings opportunities
  • KPI scorecard defines targets for service, utilisation, maintenance, safety and emissions
  • Control plan integrates dispatch, maintenance, driver, carrier and incident-management routines
  • Implementation roadmap sequences actions, owners, milestones, risks and review dates

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Fleet demand and capacity planning template
  2. Transport total cost of ownership model
  3. Route, load and dispatch control checklist
  4. Fleet maintenance and inspection control plan
  5. Carrier service-level agreement scorecard
  6. Fleet and transportation management improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Fleet Managers — need stronger control of vehicle cost, availability and driver performance
  • Transport Managers — require practical methods for planning, dispatch and service delivery
  • Logistics Managers — need to integrate transport decisions with warehouse and customer requirements
  • Distribution Centre Managers — need reliable vehicle scheduling, loading and carrier coordination
  • Procurement Managers — need to source, contract and govern transport providers effectively
  • Operations Supervisors — need actionable controls for daily fleet and delivery activity

Skills and tools covered

Fleet cost analysisRoute and load planningMaintenance controlTransport safety managementCarrier performance managementFleet KPI reporting

Tools and standards

ISO 39001, Total Cost of Ownership, RACI matrix, Five Whys

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by transport cases, group calculations, planning simulations and structured review sessions. Participants work with realistic fleet data covering costs, routes, vehicle availability, driver hours, incidents and carrier performance. They build components of their own fleet management plan throughout the programme, receiving instructor feedback at key points. Discussion compares private-fleet, contracted-carrier and mixed operating models, with examples drawn from retail distribution, public services, manufacturing and field operations.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic logistics flows, delivery operations or vehicle-based field services and have some exposure to operational reporting, scheduling or supplier management. Experience in a fleet, transport, warehouse, procurement or operations role is useful. Participants should be comfortable working with simple tables, percentages, costs and service measures. Prior fleet-management qualifications, engineering knowledge, vehicle maintenance expertise, transport management system experience and advanced spreadsheet skills are not required. The course explains technical terms and focuses on management decisions rather than vehicle repair.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have basic familiarity with logistics, delivery operations, fleet activity, procurement or operational reporting. You do not need a fleet qualification, engineering background or prior transport management system experience.

Bring a laptop if possible and, where permitted, non-sensitive examples of route data, fleet costs, service measures or recurring operational issues. Templates and course materials are provided.

It is designed for managers and supervisors responsible for fleets, transport, distribution, logistics, carrier performance or delivery operations. It also suits procurement professionals who source and manage transport providers.

This course concentrates on vehicle-based transport operations: fleet sizing, routing, dispatch, maintenance, drivers, safety, fuel and carrier governance. General logistics courses usually give broader attention to inventory, warehousing, planning and network strategy.

Participants build working elements of a fleet management plan during the programme, using their own context where suitable. The resulting cost model, scorecard, control checklists and action roadmap can be adapted for immediate use.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes planning, cost, routing, dispatch and maintenance controls; the second week focuses on safety, technology, carriers, performance improvement and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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