Fleet maintenance can quickly spiral out of control, and you could end up spending quite a bit of time and money keeping your vehicles running smoothly. If servicing your shipping fleet has become unmanageable, then it might be time to come up with a long-term maintenance plan that takes the guesswork out of this process.
Schedule Monthly Maintenance Checks
Having your vehicles inspected at least once a month is one of the best things that you can do for your shipping fleet. Those maintenance checks will allow you to find and address relatively small issues before they become costly problems. During an inspection, the maintenance team can check the tires for any signs of damage, check all of the fluids, and add fluids if the reservoirs are low. You might also want to have the vehicles cleaned at least once a month to preserve the paint.
Get Fuel Cards
Fuel is probably one of your biggest expenses, and that is why you should consider getting fuel cards for your drivers. Instead of using multiple cards and payment methods, you can provide all of your employees with the same trucking fuel cards that are attached to your business account. That system is going to be very easy to manage, and many fuel card providers even have simple credit systems that allow you to delay payments when necessary.
Establish a Tire Rotation Schedule
There are quite a few reasons why you need to establish a tire rotation schedule for your commercial fleet. In addition to making your vehicles safer, rotating the tires is also going to increase the lifespan of each tire. Every vehicle is slightly different, but you should generally try to rotate the tires at least once every 4,000 miles. The tires should also be professionally aligned every 12 months.
Sign a Maintenance Contract
To simplify this process, many business owners sign maintenance contracts with local mechanics or garages. Those contracts usually include a variety of preventative maintenance tasks including flushing the fluids, refilling the fluids, replacing old hoses, and checking the belts. They should also hook each vehicle up to a diagnostic tool that reads all of the engine’s sensors. With that type of contract, you will know exactly how much maintenance is going to cost each month.
Keeping your fleet well-maintained will eat into your finances, but those expenses should be thought of as investments. With the proper maintenance, you can avoid costly delays and ensure that your fleet continues to run smoothly for years.
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.
