Let’s face it. Appearances are everything, especially in the business world. If you operate a business that requires you to have company vehicles, you need to have reliable vehicles that are going to look good. There are several things to consider about maintaining a corporate fleet, such as the pros and cons, and how to actually maintain a fleet. Let’s take a look at some of those pros and cons, as well as a few things that need to be done for regular vehicle maintenance.
Company branding can be expensive, but if you are already maintaining a fleet, you can do a lot of free branding by advertising on the vehicles. They are on the roads daily, meaning that they will be seen by thousands of people every day. The con to this is that if you have vehicles that are in poor condition, it is going to reflect poorly on your brand. If you are using vehicles for branding, make sure they look good.
When you have a corporate fleet of reliable vehicles, you can better serve your customers. If you have vehicles that are breaking down all the time, your drivers will be late for appointments, and you will be spending a lot of money. Your whole team is affected by an unreliable vehicle. The con is that fleet maintenance is expensive, and you may be tempted to purchase cheaper vehicles that aren’t going to be reliable in order to save money. That will cost even more in the long run with repairs, and you may even have to spend more on motorfleet insurance.
Many company owners enjoy the freedom of outsourcing fleet management. Someone else takes care of maintenance, so you don’t have to worry about it. If there are problems, substitute vehicle rentals are quick and easy, so you never have to worry about down time. It is expensive to outsource fleet management, but it has its benefits. One downside is that you will need to find space to store your fleet. One option is to allow employees to keep the vehicles at their homes, but this also means more wear and tear on the vehicles. If you decide to allow employees to keep vehicles, install GPS tracking systems to make sure that they aren’t using the vehicle for personal reasons (of course, there are always exceptions to every rule, so be a bit flexible in this).
It is important to make sure that your corporate fleet is well-maintained at all times. This means that fluids must be checked, topped up, and changed regularly. The vehicles should be checked for leaking seals, or anything else that needs attention. It is even a good idea to set up a fleet maintenance database program. This will not only help you to know when vehicles need fluids, regular maintenance, etc., it will help you to save money because you won’t end up with more problems caused by lack of maintenance.
Employees need to do their part when it comes to vehicle maintenance. It is also a good idea for employers to actually drive company vehicles themselves every week or two. They may notice problems that drivers either don’t notice themselves, or fail to report. There are even times when employees are the cause of some vehicle issues, such as wearing down brakes too quickly. But, before talking to an employee, it is important that you know for certain that they are the cause of the problem. Otherwise, it could lead to an upset employee who decides to walk out, and good drivers aren’t always easy to come by.
Jane Hurst, writer from San Francisco. Find her on Twitter!