You’ve probably heard of the saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” This statement couldn’t be truer when it comes to maintaining your fleet of trucks. When you have preventative measures in your maintenance plan, you will save yourself and the business big bucks in the long run. Taking a proactive approach to maintaining your vehicles will help run them efficiently, burn less fuel, lower operational costs, and break down less often.
Conversely, inadequate fleet maintenance increases the chances of severe safety hazards and truck accidents on the road. Here are a few tips to keep your fleet in tip-top shape and safe on the roads.
Create a Fleet Inspector Role
Keeping a well-maintained fleet will take a precise, distinctive inspection regularly. Have a scheduled check of tires, oil, and engine cleaning, with necessary changes made during the inspection downtime. In your calendar or fleet management system, have a set reminder or alarm not to miss checking on your fleet. This exercise may be expensive and time-consuming; you could hire an experienced maintenance provider while focusing on other crucial parts of your business.
Get Regular Driver Reports
Instead of keeping maintenance to confined set dates, think of it as a rotating job that can get your drivers involved. Stay in constant communication with drivers about the status of your vehicles; after all, they spend most of the time with the fleet more than anyone else. Alongside scheduled maintenance, give your drivers the responsibility to regularly check and report things like tire pressure and oil, using tools like inspection apps that communicate with your in-house mechanical portal.
This kind of technology will allow you to stay on top of any mechanical snags that need immediate attention without wasting valuable time. A great benefit that comes with including your drivers, it helps them keep safe practices while building a professional working relationship with you and the maintenance team.
Make Sure Your Vehicles Are Fit for Their Purpose
Sure, your fleet has a set purpose for your business and operation and making sure that your fleet is equipped adequately is essential. For example, you wouldn’t use an excavator to construct a sandcastle or use a plastic shovel to dig your home’s foundation. If you do not spec your fleet properly for the job at hand, this could lead to faster wear and tear.
However, over-speccing your fleet can only mean incurring unnecessary costs. To get the most efficiency of your fleet, you need to determine the entire scope of operation and what you need to carry and only assign tasks fit for the fleet operation.
Keep Your Vehicles Clean
Just as you wouldn’t meet a client in muddy shoes, the image of your fleet speaks to the quality of your business. Keeping a clean and well-polished fleet gives the company a professional look while boosting the driver’s morale while doing their job. Nothing hides in the dirt like rust and deterioration, leading to more severe mechanical faults, so keeping your fleet clean allows you to spot and mitigate these issues early.