Fleet Upkeep: 5 Preventative Maintenance Tips You Need to Implement

Caring for your fleet can feel like a big task, but it’s important to stay on top of things. After all, these trucks are the staple of your business while in the vehicle transport marketplace. If you have a breakdown, it can be extremely frustrating as well as costly. However, the good news is that most of the time, this can be avoided by creating a maintenance plan.

Interested in learning more? If you are looking to stay on the road longer, it’s important to check out these preventative maintenance tips courtesy of our team here at Super Dispatch:

1.) Finding the balance.

When it comes to creating a maintenance plan, it is key to finding the balance. While nothing should be left out, you will want to focus on what is a priority and what isn’t. For example, do your tires need to be replaced, or simply just rotated? Taking proper notes and charting when these things are done will also allow you to have a better understanding of just how long each part lasts and when it should be replaced.

2.) Creating a maintenance timeline.

There are tasks that should be done daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly. Determining this sort of timeline can feel daunting at first, but there are great guidelines out there that can help you get started. Or, if you have a mechanic on staff, talk to them about their thoughts. Setting up this type of schedule will go a long way in streamlining the upkeep process and keep everyone safer while on the road.

3.) Assign each task specifically.

Creating a maintenance schedule is great, but if there isn’t someone specifically assigned to these tasks, they are bound to fall through the cracks. Assigning responsibility for each role will ensure that they get done in a timely manner. For example, are there daily things that the driver needs to do each day? What are the weekly responsibilities of the maintenance technician? Who is assigned to each particular vehicle in your fleet? Answering these questions will help you to create a clear and concise schedule with the right people held accountable.

4.) Organize by task and type.

Due to the way that each vehicle in your fleet is built, there are bound to be natural timelines for various parts. Tires, windshield wipers, and spark plugs are likely not all going to go out at the same time. That is why we recommend creating a schedule that is separated out by task and type, all while accounting for frequency.

5.) Write down clear instructions.

Finding out a breakdown could have been avoided if only the instructions were clearer is devastating. You might be thinking, ‘where did we go wrong?’ only to discover that what was written was convoluted and hard to understand. When creating this maintenance plan, be sure to talk it over with the team and make sure everyone is on the same page before putting it into action. Whenever a new person is hired, make sure that this plan is gone over in detail with them and review any questions they might have.

Super Dispatch is an one auto transport software where Carrier and shippers can use it at one time and move cars faster. We provide the best platform which increases visibility and takes control of your operations.