Fleet Maintenance and Management: 5 Effective Tips
When you manage a fleet, it’s not a straightforward process.
When you manage a fleet, it’s not a straightforward process. Many factors go into keeping drivers safe, keeping your commercial trucks at top performance, and making cost-effective decisions. You can work with Middleton & Meads to ensure that you find solutions for your transportation needs. We’ve been in the truck repair industry for over a century, and you can trust our expertise. Call us so that we can help you with the appearance of your fleet, minimize costly breakdowns, decrease your tire replacement and insurance costs, assist with state and federal regulations, and much more! However, in the meantime, here are five effective fleet maintenance and management tips.
Understand the Importance of Preventative Maintenance
No fleet manager wants to deal with unscheduled repairs and downtime. You can prevent this from happening with preventative maintenance. Vehicles with the proper upkeep such as oil changes, tire rotations and inspections, and general routine maintenance will perform more efficiently and last longer. Preventative maintenance saves you money in the long run.
Analyze Your Total Cost of Ownership
You can analyze your total cost of ownership by examining your maintenance costs and seeing if they increase based on a vehicle’s age. We also suggest that you become very famailiar with the manufacturer’s warranty coverage and how it affects your total cost of ownership. Look at the residual asset value, used vehicle market trends, and the best time to sell a vehicle to aid in a cost-effective fleet.
Look at a Vehicle’s Specifications
As a fleet manager, you should be fully aware of the demands that each vehicle will face. We recommend that you look at a vehicle’s outline usage. If you pick trucks that can’t handle specific loads and use, this will lead to costly maintenance. Make smart decisions based on a vehicle’s usage, operating conditions, and what the truck will need to carry.
Ensure That Your Drivers Are Well-Aware of Company Policies
All of your truck drivers should be well-aware of their responsibilities and how to operate their vehicles based on company policies. They should know your company’s preventative maintenance schedules, maintenance policies, and the next steps to take if a truck needs repair or if an accident happens.
Regularly Check Tire Pressure
We will always stress the importance of commercial truck tire maintenance. Tire pressure affects how truck drivers handle the vehicle, tire wear, and fuel mileage. These three factors affect vehicle and driver safety. A tire’s air temperature as each season changes also affects tire pressure. Always stress the importance of tire maintenance to your team.
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MIDDLETON & MEADS IS YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL OF YOUR VEHICLE’S NEEDS.
Need to repair your truck or bus? Contact Middleton & Meads today! Middleton & Meads. provides quality truck and bus repair, service, and fleet management for the Baltimore, MD area. We have over 90 years of experience in the trucking industry and will provide you with customer service like you have never experienced before! If you are interested in seeing how we can help your business, give us a call at (410) 752-5588 or visit us online today! For more articles and trucking tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn.