You visit your doctor for an annual check-up. You visit your dentist twice a year for cleanings. You change your oil in your personal vehicle every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Your commercial truck fleet should be no different when it comes to preventive maintenance.
Your fleet is a large investment for your business. Shouldn’t you ensure that investment is properly taken care of? Many issues with aging equipment could easily be avoided with proper maintenance. If you only bring your vehicles in when something is wrong – that’s reacting to a probable failure or violation and its disruptive to your business. Planned and scheduled maintenance will keep you moving.
Be proactive with fleet maintenance by using a preventive maintenance program. It will help you utilize your assets wisely and will save you money – from damages and downtime.
Monitoring
Fleets with onboard diagnostic monitoring capabilities truly have your best interests at the core. The OEM knows their equipment best and have set up parameters for maintaining peak performance. Use this data and you’ll get more miles and less headaches in the long run.
Scheduling
By scheduling maintenance, you can better plan routes and drivers around the scheduled shop time. And by using the diagnostic monitoring, your service provider will have the bay, technicians and parts needed depending on the level of maintenance, saving you time.
Benefits
Preventive maintenance is designed to keep your equipment operating at optimal levels throughout its lifecycle. Consistency is key to lowering mechanical problems saving time and money. But there’s more to it than that:
Increased uptime – keeping your equipment running at peak performance means your drivers can keep moving confidently
Improved fuel efficiency – well maintained engines are a key contributor to improving optimal fuel economy. Simple things like tire pressure, fresh lubricants and clean filters can have noticeable impact on performance over time
Reduced repair costs – letting issues go unchecked leads to problems including possible breakdowns and further damage. Diagnosing possible issues early, and planning for the work allows you to stay in control and manage costs
Extend equipment life – avoiding major problems and excessive wear on parts and components is one of the best ways to extend the life of your fleet
Last but not least is Safety – You manage more than a fleet, you ensure the livelihoods of drivers, customers and families depending on you to keep them safe. Avoid mechanical issues that could impact safety with simple checks like brake, tire treads and temperature sensors
Make it a Team Approach
It takes more than just fleet managers, service providers and diagnostics to keep a truck in tip-top shape. Implementing simple daily pre-trip inspections by your drivers can catch things before anyone else. They know their vehicles, so when someone says something sounds off, it may well be. Listen, monitor, inspect, correct, and prevent. That’s the best way to keep your fleet on the road.
Check out all the options for Preventive Maintenance from Bergey’s Truck Centers. Our team of service experts can arrange a free fleet consultation to customize a solution for your unique needs.