Whether the organizations are large or small, operate as a private enterprise or are municipal in nature, the challenges of fleet management are many and often apply across the board. Regardless of the application, management is always responsible for ensuring that all assets are fully utilized; problems are addressed and resolved quickly in order to maintain a smooth operation; and unauthorized use of company assets are controlled. Finding information quickly and scaling to meet growth demands are additional challenges along with managing all the data that a fleet operation can generate.

There are several software only systems on the market that can help the fleet manager achieve many of these objectives. However, a key control and management system that combines both software and a hardware component can take fleet management to the next level by adding convenience, security and efficiency to the mix.

Automated key control and management systems are designed to not only track physical keys using sophisticated software but also to securely hold them in a tamper-proof cabinet when not in use. Keys can only be accessed by authorized individuals with a proper code, badge or biometric identification. Access to the key cabinet and to individual keys is under the complete control of fleet management and the system provides full accountability for who has which key, and which vehicle, at any time.

User-friendly design features, such as instant release and the ability to return keys to any key cabinet in the system, speed up the process while scheduling can ensure vehicles get equal use. For added efficiency, keys for specific fleet groups can be color-grouped for easier identification. Key reservations guarantee that multi-seat vehicles will be available when needed for large numbers of passengers and won’t already be in use by a smaller group.

Automobile keys can be expensive to replace. The use of a key control and management system can help facilitate improved stewardship of those keys.