With new cars in the short supply fleets have been holding on to their old assets longer than they normally do. To ensure that their old vehicles remain functional and efficient there has never been a time more essential for fleets to remain up-to-date with their maintenance tasks.
Although many aspects of our lives have been restored to pre-pandemic norms at this point, vehicle procurement remains an obstacle in the way of fleet managers all over the world. The constant disruptions to supply chains have caused costs to rise as well as the availability to diminish and cancellations of orders to become a common occurrence. Without any relief the majority of fleets have chosen to maintain their vehicles longer than they normally might (or would prefer to).
For older vehicles to be in good condition, it's essential that they're properly maintained throughout their lifespan. Let's take a look at the steps fleets need to undertake to ensure their vehicles are functional (and cost-effective) over the long term.
Be on the lookout for DVIRs
Inspection reports for driver vehicles (DVIRs) serve as an initial line of defense to safeguard the fleet against costly breakdowns. Yet, the majority of defects that are recorded in DVIRs remain unresolved because they're not considered to be a problem that requires immediate attention. Since even minor defects can result in catastrophic equipment failures in future, fleets are wise to steer clear of tossing the can in the future.
Instead fleets (especially ones with older vehicles) must be vigilant about the status of their DVIRs to ensure that failed items are dealt with promptly. Fleet managers can make use of the software for monitoring fleet performance to monitor their DVIRs and monitor patterns.
Make sure you follow OEM guidelines for maintenance intervals with high mileage.
As we get older, doctors recommend their patients to see them more frequently on a regular on a regular basis. In the same manner the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) suggest that their vehicles be maintained more often when a certain reading of the odometer is reached. These OEM guidelines usually recommend that specific maintenance procedures should be performed based on intervals of miles (e.g. oil changes every 3000 miles) or on time (brake inspections each year).
If they follow these guidelines fleets can stop small scratches from accumulating into expensive breakdowns, thereby helping to keep their vehicles on the road for longer.
Fleet management software makes keeping track of vehicle maintenance intervals with high mileage easy by automatic reminders when the service is due. Users can customize the reminders to be according to time or meters reading-based intervals (or either).
Follow TCO to determine cost that aren't in line with the norm.
While almost every business keeps track of the costs of buying new vehicles, very few keep track of the amount they spend on maintaining the vehicles over time. In the end, these fleets are often not able to tell the time when they've spent a lot of money on a vehicle that could be better off replaced. The absence of TCO (TCO) awareness is particularly challenging when dealing with old vehicles because of their higher maintenance requirements.
The good news is that fleets of any size can easily monitor TCO by using the Fleet management software (FMS). One of the most significant advantages of software for managing fleets is their capacity to track all costs associated with the vehicle (e.g. fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc.) and then report TCO at a real time. This data allows operators of fleets to make informed decisions about the use of vehicles and replacement policy.
Assign the assets according to their CPM
There are a myriad of factors that fleet managers must be aware of, cost-per-mile (CPM) is among the ones that are most effective. Based on dividing a vehicle's TCO by the amount of miles it has driven and calculating the car's CPM can assist fleet managers comprehend the costs associated with the task being completed by that particular vehicle. Based on this knowledge fleet managers can boost the profitability of their fleet by allocating assets according to their CPM.
In the case of the job requires a lot of traveling, deploying an automobile that has less CPM is more affordable as compared to a vehicle with an increased CPM. Since older vehicles tend to be equipped with more CPM and fleet managers are able to make use of this approach to assign them tasks closer to the place they are kept.
The best software will help make managing fleet assets effortless by combining the information associated with your assets into one reliable source. From recording assignment history to storing and surfacing documents, as well as crucial fleet utilization statistics the process of digitizing your asset management will dramatically improve the efficiency of your business.
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