A good fleet maintenance program is vital to having a safe, productive, and cost-effective fleet Developing an all-around positive fleet is more important than ever in 2022. There are many reasons why fleet maintenance matters so much now. The trucking shortage means drivers are prioritizing fleets that value their safety more than ever. Fleets need to cut costs wherever possible and find new ways to be efficient. We will go into further detail about why fleets should be prioritizing their fleet maintenance programs now more than ever.
1. Employees Want Safe Fleets
With the driver shortage in full throttle, drivers have their pick of which fleets they want to work for. And they’re going to pick the fleets that value their safety over all else. A business that has them driving an old vehicle with malfunctioning parts simply won’t cut it; they’ll likely find a job somewhere else where they feel safer. A fleet maintenance program ensures that your business is engaging in preventative maintenance rather than reactive maintenance--addressing problems before they occur rather than after they cause an accident or a breakdown. This way, your drivers have much less to worry about behind the wheel, and have a higher rate of job satisfaction.
2. Preventative Maintenance Lowers Costs
It may seem that performing more maintenance on your vehicles would actually cost more, but this is not the case. When you catch issues early, they actually result in smaller repairs that don’t cost very much to fix. For example, if your car is low on oil, you simply replace the oil. But if you leave it low on oil for a long time then the engine can get clogged or you may have to replace a piston. You can see how it saves your business money to engage in preventative maintenance. Regular inspections are part of a good fleet maintenance program, and you will catch these problems early, saving you money. As so many businesses struggle right now, it is vital to cut costs wherever possible. Don’t pay unnecessarily with reactive maintenance.
3. Regular Inspections and Maintenance Logs Maintain Compliance
Paying fines for federal or state compliance issues is an avoidable problem that no business wants to deal with. However, it happens all the time. Again, saving money is more important now than ever, so how can a fleet maintenance program help maintain compliance? Firstly, when you are regularly completing your own inspections, you’re already catching all of the issues that would normally be brought up in an FMCSA inspection. Another factor that fleets often get docked on is paperwork. However, keeping vehicle maintenance logs is an instrumental part of any fleet maintenance program, so you will always have those on hand for your inspections.
4. Combat Rising Fuel Costs
Fuel costs (as always) are on the rise, and for fleets, they’re one of the largest parts of the budget. Did you know that fleet maintenance has a significant hand in lowering your fuel costs? Simple tire and wheel maintenance go a long way in lowering your fleet’s fuel usage. In fact, Automotive Fleet Magazine estimates that proper maintenance can improve fuel economy by up to 40%. Those are incredible savings you’re potentially missing out on if you don’t have a preventative maintenance plan in place.
5. Keep Your Customers Happy
While businesses are struggling to stay afloat, you want to keep your customers as happy as possible. If your vehicles are breaking down on the way to their jobs and customers aren’t getting the service they want or need, then they aren’t going to be happy. Preventative maintenance plans help prevent breakdowns and ensure the job gets done so customers are left satisfied with your business and coming back for more.
6. Help Your Fleet Stay Efficient
Everyone will be satisfied, customers, drivers, and you yourself, if your fleet is productive and efficient. It is frustrating when breakdowns slow down progress, and then everyone later has to play catch up to ensure work gets done. Nobody wants to deal with a fleet of vehicles that’s falling apart; the business simply can’t function that way. A consistent fleet maintenance plan is the only way to ensure that your fleet doesn’t experience unnecessary downtime that hinders its productivity.
Take Charge of Your Fleet’s Maintenance With Azuga
Azuga’s fleet maintenance software makes it easier than ever to keep up with your fleet’s maintenance needs. With helpful maintenance alerts that tell you when your vehicles need attention, and when your vehicles have scheduled routine maintenance appointments, your vehicles will never fall behind again. Not to mention, all of your fleet vehicle maintenance logs are easy to access with your fleet maintenance software, as far back as you need to go! This makes it easy to maintain compliance and make decisions regarding your vehicles. Take this software out for a spin by trying a free demo today!
