Preventative Fleet Maintenance and Management Will Save You Time & Money

We all know a major, recurring cost is maintenance and repairs to your fleet. Your fleet is an essential part of your business. If you do not have transportation, your technicians can’t get to job sites and, in turn, can’t make money for your company. Making sure your fleet is running efficiently and is properly maintained is a crucial part of a maintenance strategy that your business should prioritize. Successware has a fleet module that can help assist you with some of the tracking and tax reporting that goes along with owning fleet.

Fleet Tracking and Management

Tracking fleet data is a great way to help cut down on your costs on repairs to your fleet. When you start to track fleet data, you can get a better idea of your vehicle’s life cycle.

Successware offers a fleet tracking and management module in our platform. This module utilized GPS to help improve technician driving behavior and manage fuel costs. This module can also help reduce vehicle downtime and track working/driving hours of your fleet. Our fleet management module ties into our accounting module and can help you with tax reporting around depreciation of your vehicles. It can also help indicate when it may be time to purchase a new vehicle.

Implement a Managed Maintenance Program

Once you have a better idea of your vehicle’s lifecycle from monitoring the data in Successware, it is a great idea to implement a managed maintenance program. These programs will help you stay on track with your preventative maintenance and may also throw in a few other cost savings along the way.

• Consolidated Bills: It costs about $25 in administrative fees to pay one invoice. With a maintenance program, you can consolidate your invoices from multiple vendors into one easy-to-pay invoice, saving both time and money.
• Data Analytics Platforms: These platforms can help you monitor vehicle health, track how your vehicles are driven, and organize your data into easy-to-read dashboards, allowing you to make informed decisions on fleet maintenance.
• Savings Trackers: Maintenance management companies will track the amount of money they are saving your company so you can see your return on investment.

Preventative Maintenance is Key to Reduce Unexpected Costs

You have preventative maintenance clubs for your customers to enroll in to keep their equipment running smoothly, so why not follow that same advice when it comes to your fleet. Preventative maintenance can save you thousands when compared to the cost of unplanned repairs.

Unplanned repairs will cost you between three to nine times more than scheduled maintenance. Meaning, if you don’t take your vehicle in for that $50 routine oil change, it could end up costing you over $400 in repairs and unplanned downtime. Skipping preventative maintenance not only costs you more money but time as well, which may be more valuable. All the time your vehicle is in the shop equates to missed revenue from jobs.

Implement a Preventative Maintenance Schedule

It is crucial to know the recommended maintenance for each vehicle in your fleet as they vary between makes, models, and vehicle year. Having a handle on when your vehicles need oil changes or transmission fluid changes and making sure you have a preventative maintenance plan can help save you a headache down the road.

Knowing when maintenance should be completed for each of your vehicles will prevent you from falling victim to unnecessary repairs that mechanics will try and upsell to you. You should also make sure that the amount you are being charged for planned maintenance falls in line with industry benchmarks to ensure you aren’t overpaying. Having this maintenance schedule and monitoring your vehicle’s lifecycle in Successware will ensure you are running the most efficient fleet.

Labor Shortage Impacting Repair Shops

There is also a skilled labor shortage in the trades that affect both the number of drivers for jobs, technicians, and maintenance workers. This labor shortage may also lead to higher costs for repairs if shops don’t have the number of people needed to perform maintenance and keep up with the demand for unplanned repairs.

Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a repair shop - try and find one that has ASE-certified technicians. This will ensure you will be working with a pre-negotiated, authorized network that has the experience needed to suggest the best repair options.

Disclaimer: This content was provided by Mike Albert Fleet Solutions. It does not necessarily represent products or services accessible through Successware.