When it comes to fleet maintenance, operations don’t have the luxury of ignoring the status of each vehicle. An “ignorance is bliss” approach can provide false comfort, but not knowing the status and health of vehicles can potentially result in major issues -- and even breakdowns.
To stay up-to-date on vehicle health, operations should perform routine preventative maintenance services on all assets. PM allows operations to identify vehicle problems early, save money by becoming proactive instead of reactive, and keep vehicles on the road. Find out more below about why PM is a must for your shop.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.comUnderstanding Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance allows for equipment inspection and maintenance to occur on a routine basis through a scheduling process. This can account for items like oil changes, tire checks, and looking at any issues reported by drivers or technicians.
Catching these issues early can let operations identify and repair problems before they become much larger – and more expensive to repair. The bigger issues can lead to potential breakdowns, which can result in downtime and lost revenue.
Preventative maintenance also helps keep drivers safe. Routine inspections and repairs help ensure the vehicle is fully functioning and safe to operate.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
Reduce Operating Costs with PM
A properly maintained vehicle tends to provide the lowest operating cost. Equipment that isn’t maintained is prone to frequent breakdowns, higher expenses and operator downtime. Repairing vehicles that haven’t undergone regular PM can take longer to complete as there can be more issues to repair when they are serviced.
It is estimated that one hour of preventative maintenance can save operations 3 to 8 hours of labor. When vehicles are under regular PM programs, service requests are typically more minor and take less effort to repair.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
Schedule with Ease
For operations that use fleet management software, scheduling vehicles for preventative maintenance can be easily done within the software. Vehicles can be scheduled ahead of time – which lets shops avoid working on a vehicle when it’s supposed to be in-service. Operations can also submit work orders through the software to schedule PM services with technicians.
Fleet management software programs allow operations to pull preventative maintenance reports to show which vehicles are due for upcoming PM. This allows shops to schedule both technicians and vehicles accordingly.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
Avoid Unexpected Labor, Maintenance Expenses
Following a preventative maintenance program can allow operations to be proactive instead of reactive. Staying ahead of repairs and maintenance requests can help operations avoid untimely breakdowns and reduce the number of emergency requests. These urgent repairs can be costly for operations, as they can require additional labor and downtime for the vehicle.
Instead, proactive operations can plan ahead to service vehicles when it’s convenient and can address issues before they turn into emergency repairs.
Learn how RTA Fleet Management Software can help your operation improve its preventative maintenance program by scheduling a free demo.