How can you keep your fleet in top shape? With regular fleet maintenance from a trusted local repair shop. Staying on top of maintenance needs yields huge rewards, improving fuel efficiency, extending the lifespan of your vehicles, and ensuring roadway safety. With a few slight changes, including a designated fleet maintenance manager, routine maintenance task list, preventative maintenance schedule, good records, and an open line of communication with drivers, you can more easily manage these needs.
Who’s the Boss?
Oftentimes, routine maintenance is overlooked because everyone is busy, assuming someone else has it handled. By clearly designating who’s in charge of this task, whether it’s fleet drivers or a new employee, routine maintenance can be monitored and managed more effectively.
What Am I Doing?
To avoid overlooking key maintenance tasks, its essential to have a checklist. At a minimum, your list should include the following, though it may also include more industry-specific needs:
- Brake system
- Fuel system
- Engine
- Exhaust system
- Auxiliary brake system
- Frame
- Undercarriage
- Suspension
- CV joints
- Mounts
- Bearings
- Tires, wheels, and rims
- Exterior and interior lights
- Cabin controls, including heat and AC
- Safety features, including horn and seat belts
- All fluids
- Belts
- Hose connections
- Visual inspection for leaks, loose connections, electrical issues
When Do I Do It?
Waiting for an emergency roadside repair call is not the best way to manage fleet maintenance. Avoid scheduling nightmares and spiraling repair costs with a proactive approach. This means scheduling routine maintenance before issues arise, so signs of wear and tear can be identified before future breakdowns occur, negatively impacting your customers and business’ reputation.
How Do I Keep Track of Everything?
Effectively managing fleet maintenance requires tracking data, whether on paper or using technology. The choice is yours, though software can make this task much easier, quickly turning piles of paper into easily manageable files of usable information and automatic alerts.
Why Ask for Help?
No one understands what’s going on with vehicles like the drivers who operate them daily. They are an excellent resource for useful feedback on what will keep vehicles running well. Your trailer maintenance manager and local repair shop are also great resources that can help your business improve maintenance compliance and effectiveness.
It’s easy to overlook routine maintenance needs in the hectic fleet environment. Take a load off with the help of a pro. Learn more about proactive monthly maintenance programs from Ainsworth Trailer Repair today.
