Tips for Staying on Top of Your Fleet’s Routine Maintenance

If your business relies on a fleet of vehicles to transport your products, your service professionals, your materials, or all of the above, then your vehicles must be in top condition at all times. Unexpected issues with your fleet can mean unexpected delays in your operations, and you know how costly delays can be. If you transport temperature-sensitive goods, breakdowns can even lead to product spoiling and a huge loss of money, not to mention disappointed clients or partners. Keeping up with your commercial truck service isn’t just about keeping the trains running on schedule, though. It’s also about keeping your teams safe and preventing costly repairs. Here are tips for keeping up with routine maintenance for your fleet vehicles to reduce the chances of headaches and hardships.

Know What Parts Need Routine Maintenance

When you work with a dedicated fleet service team like ours, our technicians will always walk you through what work needs to be done, explaining why each service matters. However, it’s always helpful to be aware of important routine services. Here are some components of your fleet vehicles that require regular maintenance:

• Oil and filters. Engine oil helps keep your engine lubricated, so ensuring your engine oil is fresh and that its levels are adequate can prevent major issues. The oil filter keeps contaminants out of your engine, so it’s important to have this changed at the same time as your oil.
• Battery cables. Your battery cables connect your battery to your starter motor and the rest of the vehicle. Any connection or quality issues with these cables can result in an engine that fails to start or stay running reliably.
• Brake pads and rotors. Both of these components are involved in bringing your vehicles to a stop, as intended. However, they’re both prone to wear and tear, which is why it’s important to have them inspected and replaced regularly.
• Fluids. Your vehicles rely on several fluids to operate smoothly. Coolant helps maintain safe operating temperatures, while other fluids keep important components like your transmission and radiator working properly. Checking these regularly can ensure the levels are adequate and help you spot potential leaks.
• Tires. Over time, your tire tread wears down, which can lead to traction issues on the road and a risk of blowouts. Additionally, low air pressure can also lead to premature wear, flat tires, or blowouts, which can also damage your wheels. Regular tire inspections are an important part of fleet maintenance.

An expert fleet technician will know to check each of these components every time you come in for a visit. However, it helps to be aware of these areas of concern so you can pay attention to them and ask your teams to pay attention, too.

Have Drivers Report Issues

If you were just responsible for one vehicle, reporting issues wouldn’t be that difficult. However, when you send teams of employees out in a fleet of vehicles, you need to rely on them to let you know when something is wrong. It’s unlikely that you, as an owner or manager, take every fleet vehicle for a spin each week. Train your teams to keep a log of things they notice about their vehicles, and set routine times (maybe weekly or monthly, depending on how much your vehicles are driven) to show you these logs. Naturally, if they notice a significant problem, employees should report this to you right away.

Plan Routine Inspections

Routine inspections are a great way to identify minor issues before they become major ones. An experienced fleet technician from our dealership can tell you the right schedule for routine inspections based on how much your teams drive your vehicles. They’ll also know what parts require extra attention during inspection.

Track Service History

Keep track of the service history of each vehicle. This will make it much easier to track patterns and determine if there’s an issue that needs a closer look. It also helps prevent accidental duplicate service if your employees need to visit a service department outside your usual location when they’re on the road. Your normal location will have your service history on file, but when you visit a new one, keeping these records yourself ensures you get the maintenance you need and nothing you don’t.

Use the Right Vehicles for Each Task

Pairing the right vehicle to each task will increase the lifespan of your vehicles. Alternatively, misusing a vehicle can shorten its lifespan and even conflict with the terms of your warranty, which can lead to major costs down the line. Make sure that you understand the exact capabilities of every vehicle so that you aren’t accidentally exceeding towing and payload capacities or driving on terrain for which your wheels and tires aren’t designed. Using your vehicles as they’re intended to be used can prevent expensive repairs, as well as the downtime that comes with them, which costs your business even more.

Nominate a Maintenance Coordinator

If you run a large company, it’s a good idea to nominate someone to stay on top of maintenance schedules and inspections. Often, if you leave this job to no one in particular, no one will do it. Assign one individual tasks like scheduling routine maintenance, keeping track of reports, and tracking and responding to vehicle recalls. This individual can also make sure to strategically schedule inspections and maintenance so that you don’t have too many vehicles out of service at the same time.

Use Fleet Management Software

Fleet management software can help you keep track of the maintenance history for all of your vehicles, as well as receive alerts when it’s time for service. Some even give you the option to schedule service through the software and keep records for each individual vehicle. If you have drivers that travel far and wide, bringing everyone together to compare notes and share reports isn’t always possible. Fleet management software connects your vehicles and makes it easy to track important data/records in one place, no matter where your drivers go.

Find Expert Fleet Service at McCluskey Chevrolet

When you rely on your vehicles to keep your business up and running, you can’t afford to work with anyone but the best for service and maintenance. At McCluskey Chevrolet, we have a team of dedicated service professionals who are highly trained in caring for fleet vehicles. They’ll know the particular issues to look out for in your models and understand the unique maintenance needs of each vehicle. Sit down with our teams and tell them about your operations, including how you use your fleet vehicles and how many miles you put on them every year. They’ll set you on the ideal maintenance schedule and perform in-depth inspections to make sure your fleet vehicles are in good condition to be on the road.

We understand how important the proper performance of fleet vehicles is for business owners and managers, and we’re honored when you bring your fleet vehicles to us. Consider us your partners in keeping the wheels turning on your business. We’ll always communicate with you at each step of the way during maintenance and repairs and even work with you on the financial planning aspect of caring for your fleet. We want to help you receive and afford expert fleet care. Visit us at McCluskey Chevrolet and find technicians who understand fleet vehicles.