Fleet maintenance: An essential guide

If you manage commercial vehicles whether for a small business, a company with a large fleet, or for a government fleet, fleet maintenance is a big part of your job. Regular maintenance ensures that each vehicle in the fleet operates with optimum efficiency, safety, and reliability. The benefits to your business of regular maintenance include:

• Cost efficiency
• Safety and compliance
• Operational reliability
• Resale value
• Environmental impact

What does it mean to maintain a fleet and why is it important?

Fleet maintenance refers to the practice of keeping a group of vehicles in optimal condition through regular inspections, repairs, and preventative measures. This practice ensures the safety, reliability, and longevity of your vehicles. The scope of fleet maintenance encompasses several key areas:

• Inspections and monitoring: Conduct regular inspections of your commercial vehicles. This includes vital components like brakes, engines, electrical systems, and tires. Monitoring involves tracking the performance and condition of each vehicle over time.
• Preventive maintenance: Service vehicles on a regular schedule to prevent potential problems before they occur. This includes:
  • Oil changes
  • Tire rotations
  • Fluid checks
  • and filter replacements
• Repairs and corrective actions: When issues with one of your company vehicles are identified, prompt repair and corrective actions should be taken to resolve them. This includes everything from minor fixes to major overhauls.
• Record-keeping and documentation: Maintaining accurate and detailed records of all maintenance activities will help you track the maintenance history of each vehicle and plan for future maintenance needs.
• Compliance with regulations: Vehicular laws and regulations vary depending on the region and the type of vehicle. Compliance includes ensuring vehicles meet environmental, safety, and operational standards.
• Cost management: Balancing the need for vehicle upkeep with budgetary constraints is essential to achieve cost-effective operations without compromising vehicle performance or safety.

Take a comprehensive approach to managing vehicular health and performance for your fleet. This includes a range of activities from routine servicing to complex repairs, all aimed at ensuring that each vehicle is safe, efficient, and reliable.

Technology used to maintain your fleet

Technology’s role has become increasingly significant, revolutionizing how small business commercial vehicles are best managed and maintained. A range of existing tools enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of maintenance operations. Key technology-based tools include:

• Telematics and vehicle monitoring systems which provide real-time data on vehicle location, condition, and performance. This allows you to monitor critical vehicle parameters like engine performance, fuel usage, and tire pressure. These tools help with timely interventions and better maintenance planning.
• Maintenance management software systems hellp streamline the scheduling, tracking, and documenting of maintenance activities. They help you organize maintenance tasks for your cars, vans, and trucks. They also help you keep detailed records, and ensure compliance with maintenance schedules and regulatory requirements.
• Electric vehicle (EV) maintenance technologies: As fleets increasingly include electric vehicles, specialized technologies for monitoring and maintaining EVs become important. This includes software for managing battery health, electric motor efficiency, and charging infrastructure.
• Environmental impact monitoring includes tracking emissions, fuel efficiency, and adherence to environmental regulations.

Technology enhances the ability to monitor, analyze, and respond to vehicle maintenance needs, leading to improved vehicle performance, reduced costs, and increased operational efficiency.

Benefits of regular fleet maintenance

Regular fleet maintenance extends beyond simply keeping vehicles running; it impacts the entire business operation.

• Cost savings and financial efficiency: Regular maintenance can prevent major breakdowns that are often costly to repair. By catching issues early, you can avoid large, unexpected expenses. This preventive approach also helps in budgeting and financial planning, as maintenance costs become more predictable and manageable.
• Extended vehicle lifespan: Consistent maintenance extends the service life of vehicles which means getting the most value out of every investment. A well-maintained vehicle can perform effectively for many years, delaying the need for expensive replacements or upgrades.
• Improved fuel efficiency: Regularly serviced vehicles typically demonstrate better fuel efficiency. For businesses with commercial vehicles, fuel costs constitute a significant portion of operational expenses. Efficient fuel use can lead to substantial savings, improving the overall bottom line.
• Enhanced reliability and service quality: Well-maintained vehicles are more reliable, reducing the likelihood of breaking down and causing service interruptions. This reliability helps maintain your reputation and ensure customer satisfaction, especially when timely deliveries or services are a key part of the business model.
• Safety compliance: Regular maintenance ensures that vehicles are safe for use, protecting drivers and the public. This adherence to safety standards also protects the business from legal issues.
• Resale value: If a business decides to sell its vehicles, well-maintained ones generally command a higher resale value.

Regular vehicle maintenance for your business is not just about vehicle upkeep; it’s a strategic business practice that affects financial stability, operational reliability, and reputation. By investing in regular maintenance, you can ensure that your fleet remains a reliable asset.

Driver involvement is key

Who better to track vehicle inefficiencies than the drivers themselves. Your operations will run more smoothly with your drivers more engaged in commercial vehicle maintenance.

With drivers acting as a watchful eye on vehicle performance, you can get additional information about how the vehicle is running and plan timely repairs accordingly. Educating drivers about how their driving impacts repairs can also help to minimize less efficient practices behind the wheel.

Drivers can alert you to early warning signs

One easy way drivers can take a more proactive role is by reporting on vehicles in need of repair. By encouraging drivers to report instances of noisy brakes, reduced gas mileage, noticeable pulling to the left or right, weak acceleration, and other abrupt changes in vehicle performance, you get up-to-the-minute information about the repair status of every van, car, or truck on the road. By comparing these notes with that of your mechanic, you can know when to send your vehicles back into the shop for repair. This strategy is even more effective when drivers are educated on the signs that identify the need for a tune-up or replacement part.

Encourage good communication between mechanics and drivers

Timely preventive maintenance can reduce your company’s maintenance bill. By catching problems like old oil or worn brake pads early, inexpensive repairs can be made in lieu of more expensive maintenance that would occur if problems were left untreated. Encouraging communication between drivers and mechanics is a great way to make the repair process even more comprehensive. Drivers can supply mechanics with contextual and performance-related information, while service professionals can give drivers tips on how to minimize damage to parts when operating their vehicle.

Maintenance plans, along with communication efforts between drivers and mechanics, are aided by fleet telematics. The combination of a driver’s first-hand account and vehicle performance data delivered by a telematics system gives you insight into a vehicle’s behavior. This information can then be used to help drivers more efficiently operate their vehicles. Telematics tools have plenty of other cost-savings benefits as well, from GPS-assisted route analysis to potential rate discounts from insurance companies. Increasing vehicle efficiency with telematics allows your business to keep your maintenance schedule consistent while simultaneously learning more about the performance of each driver.

Overcoming common challenges in commercial vehicle maintenance

Commercial vehicle maintenance can be fraught with challenges. Here are some common challenges and strategies to overcome each challenge:

• Budget constraints: One of the biggest challenges is operating within a tight budget. To overcome this, prioritize maintenance activities that have the most significant impact on safety and reliability. Using a preventive maintenance approach can also help avoid more costly repairs later. 
• Managing maintenance schedules: Keeping maintenance schedules for your commercial vehicles is simplified when using fleet management software. Technology can help automate and streamline the process, ensuring maintenance is performed at optimal intervals.
• Technological advancements: Keeping up with rapid vehicular technological advancements can be challenging. Stay connected with industry updates and ensure you are working with a mechanic who is on top of advances in vehicle technology.
• Handling unexpected maintenance issues: Despite the best planning, unexpected maintenance issues happen. To mitigate this, have a well-organized response plan that includes a readily available mechanic and trusted service providers. Access to emergency funds allocated for such situations also helps.
• Driver training and vehicle abuse: Inappropriate use of vehicles can lead to increased wear and tear. Keeping your drivers aware of the importance of vehicle care and proper driving habits can reduce unnecessary maintenance costs.
• Balancing in-house and outsourced maintenance: Deciding what maintenance tasks to keep in-house and what to outsource is a common challenge for business owners. Analyzing the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of doing the work yourself versus outsourcing maintenance can help you make more informed decisions.
• Adopting EVs and hybrid vehicles into your maintenance plan: As you start incorporating electric and hybrid vehicles, you’ll have to adapt maintenance practices to these new technologies. Investing in specialized training and equipment for hybrid and electric vehicles will play a role in the adoption process.

By proactively addressing these challenges, you can ensure smoother operations, reduce downtime, and maintain the longevity and efficiency of your commercial vehicles.

Make fleet maintenance central to your operations

Commercial vehicle maintenance is a fundamental aspect of fleet management that directly influences operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, safety, and the longevity of your vans, cars, and trucks. Through this article, we’ve highlighted the various benefits and best practices, underscoring the need for a proactive approach to vehicle maintenance.

Regular commercial vehicle maintenance is not just a responsibility; it’s a strategic advantage. By adopting a proactive and informed approach to maintenance, you can ensure your business is both operational and competitive.

WEX is a global commerce platform that simplifies the business of running a business. WEX has created a powerful ecosystem that offers seamlessly embedded, personalized solutions for its customers around the world. Through its rich data and specialized expertise in simplifying benefits, reimagining mobility, and paying and getting paid, WEX aims to make it easy for companies to overcome complexity and reach their full potential. To learn more, please visit the company’s About WEX page.

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Editorial note: This article was originally published on June 1, 2015, and has been updated for this publication.