As a fleet manager, it is crucial to understand the importance of key control. Keys are the core to any fleet, and keeping them safe while ensuring reliable access is critical. Key management ensures that you get the most out of your fleet without incurring any unnecessary costs or risking the security of your fleet assets.

Without appropriate key control, you risk losing your fleet’s vehicles to theft, unnecessary damage as well as unauthorised use of your assets. Accidental loss of vehicle keys also leads to direct impacts on your organisation’s productivity, leaving vehicles unused and possibly tasks unfulfilled until you’re able to replace the keys. Replacement of modern, specialist, electronically matched vehicle keys can take weeks, ultimately creating an opportunity cost your business could have easily avoided. It is essential for any fleet and fleet manager to effectively and proactively control their keys.

A intelligent key control system ensures you have the essential control and visibility of your keys, protecting your keys while streamlining vehicle access and time spent acquiring keys from others. Key management does more than ensure you have keys available, it safeguards your keys so they are only accessed by authorised personnel who are appropriately licensed to use the designated vehicle.

Integrated electronic key cabinets allow you to streamline the management of your fleet. This alleviates the time and staffing burden of on-premise physical management and distribution of fleet keys. You will also be offsetting related costs such as un-reliable access to vehicles and the unavailability of vehicles due to unauthorised use and incorrectly or non-returned keys.

The evolution of key management to now include keyless vehicle entry removes the need for centralised key storage solutions. Using integrated keyless entry solutions, especially in more distributed fleets, can change the management of vehicle access. Instead of needing to access vehicles via a centralised key storage solution, authorised staff can access a fleet vehicle at the touch of a button on their phone, or via the swipe of a staff card or RFID tag and then use the keys stored within the vehicle (vehicles are still secure from theft due to an integrated immobiliser that requires authorised user access to the vehicle to start).

What does smarter automated key control mean for your fleet?

1. Safe and reliable access to your keys when you need them
2. Confidence in knowing exactly where your vehicle currently is and will be in the future, in real time
3. More streamlined and faster access to your fleet vehicles
4. Reduced staffing burden in the physical management and administration of fleet keys
5. Ensuring that the right vehicle is being used for the right job by the right person
6. Drivers are only able to book and access fleet vehicles they are licenced to operate

Integrated key control creates a safe, reliable, and effective system that allows you to optimise the performance of your fleet while providing greater control and accountability. It simplifies the task of managing your fleet with confidence, reduces the burden on fleet staff, and is easy to use.