How Often Should Fleet Vehicles Get Maintenance? Info from a Transportation Service in Tacoma, WA

May 3, 2019 6:10 am Published by

Companies that have large fleets of commercial vehicles, especially transportation services, must make sure that their vehicles are constantly up to date with all of their maintenance needs. Because these vehicles are in constant operation, it is crucial to stay on top of general maintenance.

There is no single overarching rule for how often fleet vehicles should be maintained, as the usage levels can differ from company to company, but one thing holds true in every transportation service: maintenance must be a priority. Downtime results in less availability for customers, which means less revenue and lower margins.

With this in mind, here are some fleet maintenance tips from a transportation service in Tacoma, WA that can help you make sure you’re always keeping your vehicles in the best possible shape.

  • Have someone in charge of maintenance: One of the most common reasons fleet vehicles don’t get the maintenance they need is because there’s nobody who takes ownership of the process. Therefore, transportation services should clearly delineate which person in the company is responsible for ordering and tracking maintenance for the vehicles. There should be a maintenance plan in place that ensures accountability for the servicing of all vehicles.
  • Have a checklist you can follow: Having a maintenance checklist in place gives you a simple and repeatable set of steps to follow for the maintenance of every vehicle. This checklist should include checks of all major systems, comfort controls, tires, wheels and fluids, as well as inspections of lights, the body and undercarriage, the horn, the seat belt, various safety features, drive shafts, mounts, belts and hoses, CV joints and more.
  • Don’t forget preventative maintenance: There are some tasks that should be performed regularly no matter what the state of the vehicle, and it’s important that these tasks be included as part of your fleet maintenance schedule. Oil changes and fluid changes are chief among these tasks, but replacement of other systems before their usable life comes to an end is also important.
  • Encourage best practices for drivers: Encourage all drivers in the transportation service to operate the vehicles in a way that will keep them running properly long into the future. This means avoiding speeding or reckless driving and generally being safe behind the wheel. Get input from any drivers in your company about the kinds of maintenance tasks they would like to see included in the maintenance schedule, as well. These are the people who see and feel the vehicles every single day, so they should be attuned to each vehicle on a level you are not.
  • Track data: Today’s technology makes it easier than ever for you to track where vehicles are in their maintenance cycle and know when you need to bring them in for their next service. Whoever is in charge of fleet management should track all maintenance data necessary to ensure the long-term quality and care of the vehicles.

For more information about fleet maintenance, contact a transportation service in Tacoma, WA like Around the Sound TransPro.

Categorised in:

This post was written by Writer

Comments are closed here.