As someone in charge of a fleet, you know how important it is to keep your fleet up and running at all times. A broken down vehicle can throw a wrench in your business and be costly to repair. A well-maintained vehicle will break down less often and burn less fuel, therefore lowering your operating costs. Read on for our 5 ways you can keep your fleet up and running smoothly.
Preventative Maintenance
One of the best ways to keep your vehicles from breaking down is by doing frequent preventive checks and maintenance. Changing and rotating your tires often, timely oil changes, and engine cleanings will all lead to a longer vehicle lifespan. Although it can seem time consuming to do these things early or on time for each vehicle in your fleet, it will save you money in the long run when they last longer.
Check-in With Drivers
Make sure to do frequent check-ins with your drivers to see how the vehicle is running and to answer any questions they may have. By doing check-ins often, they can bring up any minor concerns that did not seem pressing enough to reach out to you for. For them to contact you whenever they need you, you need to give them a good contact system in the vehicle. Installing a wireless router in your vehicles allows for drivers to contact you even when they are in a remote location. Consider looking at a wireless router from Mobile Mark or at Cradlepoint Routers for your drivers to stay connected. Not having service while driving through remote areas can also lead to a safety hazard in case of an emergency.
Hire a Fleet Inspector
Although your drivers are operating your fleet everyday, they cannot be able to catch every little thing that goes on with the vehicle. Having a fleet inspector allows for you to have someone responsible to do regular preventative checks on all of your vehicles. This person can go around and inspect each vehicle and make sure everything is in working order. A fleet inspector is also important to have to make sure that your drivers are only operating vehicles that are safe for them. Your driver’s safety should always be your top priority.
Extensive Training
Taking the time to properly train your employees to operate the vehicle is also important to ensure their safety. These training sessions will reduce the amount of damage to your fleet as well. Teach your drivers how to do regular inspections of their vehicles while on the road such
as checking on tire wear and pressure. Go over and stress the importance of safe driving to them as frequently as possible to reduce the chance of accidents.
Keep Vehicles Clean
Cleaning your vehicles allows for a better brand image as well as being able to catch exterior surface issues early on. Having a clean fleet will give customers and those driving by a better impression of your company. If you see a company driving around with dirty, not well taken care of trucks it can lead to you believing that they don’t care about their business. A clean vehicle can give your drivers more job satisfaction and something to be proud of. Frequent cleaning can also lead your employees to be able to catch rust or other exterior wear and tear sooner on.
Prevention of damage to your vehicle is almost always much cheaper than fixing it after it breaks down. Doing all of these things to upkeep your fleet can seem expensive and timely at first, but will be worth it in the long run.
