Fleets are an investment for businesses. Managing fleets requires a lot of work and attention from the administration of the company. It can be a difficult task to manage fleets manually or on your own.
From the safety of your drivers and fleets to legal considerations and from compliance, local laws and regulations to customer satisfaction – unmanaged fleet have a huge impact on various aspects of your business.
Fleets need to be maintained well, so that they deliver efficiently to your expectations. Today, a large number of companies are turning to professional fleet management services for the maintenance of their commercial vehicles. These service providers offer a systematic approach to preventative vehicle maintenance which helps businesses streamline fleet operations to a greater extent.
Here are a few reasons why your business needs professional maintenance service for your fleet.
Fleet management requires your attention for several aspects
When you decide to manage your fleets in-house, you essentially have to keep the vehicles in good condition, ensure timely repairs and maintenance, and reduce repair expenses, fuel costs, and the safety and training of drivers. Hiring a professional fleet management service eases these jobs so you can focus on strategies and other factors of your business demanding your attention.
Keep your employees safe
The safety of drivers is a top priority for businesses that operate fleets. Non-maintenance of vehicles is one of the leading causes of accidents. To avoid accidents, the functions and displays of a vehicle should be accurate. Your fleet management partner can narrow down the likelihoods of accidents and promote the safety and well-being of not only your vehicles but also your drivers.
Experienced Mechanics
Hiring several experienced technicians can be an expensive affair. This is especially true if your business owns a variety of vehicles. Fleet management providers deploy experienced mechanics to look into the commonest and rarest of issues with your commercial vehicles and ensure high performance, reduced operational cost, and minimal downtimes.
Cost-effective
Hiring a professional fleet management service comes out as a cost-saving move. Apparently, you have to pay high salaries to each technician you have onboard. Plus, having them on your roles will require you to take care of facilitations (for example: insurance, medical, incentives, and bonuses) a standard organization provides their workers. Partnering with a fleet management company will save you thousands of dollars every year.
Access to the latest technological tools
Getting the right tools and equipment for the mechanics in your company requires a lot of capital. Partnering with a fleet management service provider does not call for buying such expensive handheld and machine tools. The service provider invests in these tools, and on the training and education of its technicians – so you don’t have to.
Extends the lifespan of your assets
The best way to extend the lifespan of your vehicles is preventative maintenance. It has been proven that proper preventative maintenance can extend the lifespan of a vehicle by up to 80%.
Fleet management service providers focus on performing preventative fleet maintenance. This approach is based on being proactive when it comes to the maintenance of the fleet vehicles.
While vehicle manufacturers include a guide of recommendations like how often a vehicle requires maintenance. The maintenance scheduling feature on fleet management software allows the provider to plan repairs and maintenance in advance, before the vehicle breaks down. The software helps in optimizing the maintenance of the fleet fit to its particular needs as suggested by the manufacturer. Fleet managers keep check of vital information relted to tge fleet’s performance including hours of service, fuel use, and idling, mileage travelled, driver’s behaviour, and malfunction notifications. These indicators are, then, used to optimize the maintenance schedule of the fleet as well as their budget and prevent downtime.
Keeping drivers up-to-date
Oftentimes, fleets spend their entire lifespan with minor or severe mechanical problems only to be fixed after much damage has been done. This can be tackled by training the drivers on basic technical problems that can arise and encouraging them to take steps to resolve the problems as soon as they occur. While this method involves fleet maintenance after the occurrence of a mechanical failure, it can still prevent further more severe issues from arising.
Reduces maintenance costs
Routine maintenance of the fleet can help the managers detect performance issues with the fleet right in time. This, in turn, helps avoid the problem in the early stage which saves fleet operators a good amount annually. Performing routine maintenance checks reduces the likelihoods of downtime and associated costs.
Extensive repairs usually mean longer downtime, higher repair costs, operational delays, and wasted wages.Additionally, poorly maintained vehicles burn up to 50% more fuel causing an increase in operational costs. Underinflated tires can reduce the mileage of the vehicle too.
Greater flexibility in operations
There are good and bad days for every business. And this is a common picture for fleet operators too. It is usually difficult to predict when the fleet will require expert servicing and maintenance.
Professional fleet management service gives operators the flexibility and support they require to make quick strategic decisions for operations and maintenance. When you hire a fleet management partner, there is no need to worry about firing or hiring mechanics and technicians. You just have to stick to your fleet management provider at nominal cost depending on your business demand.
Increases efficiency of the company
Mechanical issues often cause downtime and financial losses. When there no maintenance plan or strategy, the frequency of these issues is high. In the long run, downtimes have an adverse impact on the overall efficiency of your company.
Apart from that, it can also affect the image of your business, which will ultimately push even your loyal customers away.
You fleet management partner will keep your vehicles well-maintained, performing to their fullest potential and without affecting your company’s revenues and business goals.
Better resale value of fleet vehicles
Conducting preventative routine for fleet maintenance provides a good resale value –because your vehicles are in good conditions and have no performance issues.
Fleet management providers have access to the maintenance records, drivers’ behaviour, and performance upsides – the factors that help the buyer understand how the fleet has been used and how well has it been maintained.
The importance of proper fleet management cannot be overlooked. Hiring the right fleet management service can make a huge difference in the overall functioning of your company.
Vehpal Frame is an unparalleled fleet maintenance platform that uses the power of Fleet loT to track, manage, and analyze the fleet maintenance cost and increase the ROI of your assets. We aim to provide exceptional vehicle maintenance carried out by certified experts at incredibly competitive prices.
Book a free consultation at www.vehpal.com to explore our range of effective solutions for efficient fleet management.