A well-established fleet maintenance program helps keep vehicles in service longer and prevents minor issues from escalating into costly repairs. For electric vehicles, it’s crucial to include specialized services such as electric vehicle repair in Calgary to ensure that they receive the appropriate care. The key is to set the right maintenance schedule and adhere to it.
Often, fleet managers may need to go above and beyond manufacturer recommendations. This is because the typical vehicle is used for more than just transporting people or cargo. It also drives sales, handles inventory, and performs a host of other functions that can cause a strain on the vehicle’s components. A fleet maintenance program that addresses all of these factors is critical to the success of a business.
Cost Savings
The main benefit of having an effective fleet maintenance program is that it saves money. This can be achieved in a number of ways. First and foremost, a fleet maintenance plan will reduce repair costs. This is because it allows you to catch small issues and address them quickly before they turn into larger problems that require more time and money to fix.
A quality fleet maintenance program will also help you cut down on fuel costs. Changing the oil in your fleet vehicles regularly is one way to improve gas mileage, and this can add up over the long term, especially if your fleet vehicles are traveling a lot of miles. Keeping up with tire and wheel maintenance is another way to reduce fuel consumption.
An effective fleet maintenance program will also help you reduce the cost of vehicle replacements. Even with the best care, vehicles will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. A quality fleet maintenance program will be able to spot the signs that it’s time to start thinking about replacing a vehicle. By monitoring components like engine hours and vehicle age, fleet managers can determine when it’s time to replace a vehicle before the cost of repairs starts spiraling out of control.
Driver Safety
When it comes to keeping drivers safe, nothing is more important than regular fleet maintenance. A good fleet maintenance program will ensure that every component of a vehicle is functioning properly, from the brakes to the windshield wipers. An effective fleet maintenance program will also monitor driver behaviour to minimize wear and tear on vehicle components, such as harsh driving that can accelerate the need for repairs.
Using a comprehensive fleet management system with configurable software, such as Fleetio, will allow you to have a complete look at the repair history of each vehicle. This information can then be sorted by task to identify overarching issues across all assets. The ability to approve maintenance work electronically will also help reduce turnaround times, while maintaining full visibility into completed repair jobs.
Lastly, an effective fleet maintenance program should incorporate warranty tracking. This is because any warranties left uncollected can be expensive for a fleet. Having a system in place to manage this process, such as ensuring that warranty information is entered into an FMS immediately when a repair job is completed, will allow you to make the most of your warranty claims and reduce repair costs.