If you operate a fleet of commercial vehicles, whether that is a small group of cars or hundreds of vans, the chances are you have an in-depth understanding of the costs involved with keeping it operational. The important thing to keep in mind is that these costs can be minimised by following some simple, common sense guidance. Much of this guidance is also backed up by the law and includes things you should be doing anyway to keep your fleet road legal and functioning efficiently.
As with most things, prevention is better than cure. You can save yourself a lot of money by being proactive in your fleet care and maintenance, and this cannot be overlooked when you are aiming to maximise your profits. Having said this, maintenance does come with certain costs that you will need to be prepared for. It might be tempting to cut corners when it comes to fleet maintenance but a well maintained fleet will cost you a lot less in the long run.
The benefits of regular, on schedule fleet maintenance are numerous, though the most important ones include a reduction in your long term spending, better fuel economy, and fewer issues relating to breakdowns. By adhering to the recommended maintenance schedule for your vehicle types you can effectively keep your vehicles from becoming safety hazards and can largely prevent problems from spiralling.
Essential fleet maintenance tasks
One of the most important things you can do to maintain your fleet is to create a role within your company along the lines of a fleet manager. Having someone internally who is responsible for making sure your fleet is properly maintained creates accountability and ensures that nothing is missed or put off until it’s too late to fix cheaply. This person should be responsible for making sure the vehicles are regularly inspected and that maintenance schedules are adhered to. Avoid the temptation to assign this role to an existing employee and strongly consider hiring someone who is already experienced in these responsibilities.
You can track the performance of your vehicles over time by monitoring fuel consumption. Use fuel cards to supply your vehicles and the associated fuel economy software to look at mileage and fuel consumption, and notice trends and changes in use. If you notice that fuel consumption per mile is increasing then the chances are that the vehicle is in need of maintenance, or even possibly could be getting to an age where wear and tear are taking a toll on performance.
One simple thing you can do to maintain your fleet is to regularly have the tyre pressures checked. Underinflated tyres can dramatically reduce the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. For example, tyres that are underinflated by 20% can mean the vehicle uses up to 20% more fuel to compensate, which is a completely unnecessary expense.
The reason that tyre pressure has such a strong correlation with fuel economy is because it strongly impacts handling and the driver’s control of the vehicle; the more fully a driver can control their vehicle, the better they will be able to drive smoothly and avoid unnecessarily sharp braking and acceleration.
Have your tyres checked regularly for general wear and tear. Overly worn tyres can also impact your bottom line by causing accidents in the worst case, and negatively impacting fuel economy in the best case scenario.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do to maintain your vehicles properly and make sure your fleet is not costing more than it should be is to train your drivers. Advanced driving courses are required for certain kinds of commercial vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles, but they are generally a good idea for fleet drivers operating cars and light goods vehicles too.
An advanced driving course teaches your drivers the best ways to operate their vehicles to maintain safety and minimise wear and tear on the engine and other critical components such as the tyres. They will learn the importance of careful driving that is compliant with best practice, and will have the opportunity to learn why driving in this way is so important for building responsibility and accountability.
Resources:
Fuel Card - Buy Me a Coffee
Fuel Cards for Small Businesses - Hashnode
Compare Fuel Cards - TechPlanet