Running and maintaining a business is expensive, especially when you’re managing a company fleet. With high fuel prices and vehicle costs, it’s easy to see why many companies invest millions in vehicle maintenance alone — and required expenses are continually growing.
Here are seven ways to keep your company vehicle maintenance costs low and keep your cars roadworthy.
Regular Servicing
Having your company’s vehicles checked regularly is a small price to pay than wasting exorbitant amounts of money for massive repairs later on. For instance, food manufacturers regularly check their machine parts, such as the piston filler attachments, to ensure they’re still working since they’re responsible for preventing waste and inaccurate quantities getting dispensed in bottles or cans. It saves them thousands of dollars later on if issues with their products arise.
By having your vehicles undergo regular checkups by trusted mechanics, they’ll be able to help detect minor issues — and address them immediately. That way, these problems won’t become something more challenging to face later on. Remember, servicing doesn’t need to be expensive. All you need to do is find the best bargains and take advantage of the many vouchers and discount codes that workshops offer.
Create and Follow Fleet Maintenance Programs
Higher expenses often result from simple things such as not being prepared for accidents or adhering to schedules or processes outlined in a routine fleet maintenance program. Scheduled maintenance usually has predictable costs since it allows you to plan efficiently. Additionally, having a planned maintenance program and following it will naturally lead to higher quality work and improved productivity — lowering costs.
Manage Parts Inventory
Companies can quickly realize cost savings if it includes efficient parts inventory optimization techniques to its fleet maintenance program. With the right parts on hand, your technicians can complete service and repair work regarding your company’s vehicles more efficiently — reducing labor costs significantly. After all, if the needed parts aren’t immediately available for maintenance and repairs, the expenses will inevitably increase.
Comprehensively managing parts inventory is an essential cost-saving element, and having the “right inventory” for your company vehicles ensures they’ll spend less time in the workshop, saving you money.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Nowadays, businesses use technology to keep costs down, and fleet maintenance software can help keep your company’s vehicle maintenance costs down. They’re a valuable and practical tool that can help you keep expenses low as possible by giving better visibility into the operations, helping you find better and cheaper opportunities. Take advantage of the information you have and schedule maintenance sessions to manage parts, labor, and other aspects of company vehicle maintenance operations with ease.
Overall, technology can be the central point for creating a better and more cost-effective fleet maintenance process, promoting efficiency and a more prosperous bottom line.
Practice Preventive Maintenance
A great way to keep company vehicle maintenance costs down is to have your staff in that department be familiar with basic repairs and replacements. Help them familiarize themselves with their cars and components and learn preventive maintenance, including checking oil levels, water levels, tire treads, battery condition, and tire pressure.
Educating them helps you save a lot of money on professional servicing, emergency repairs, and roadside assistance — keeping your vehicle maintenance costs down.
Outsource Certain Tasks
Regularly monitor the costs and effectiveness of all in-house car workshop expenses, including running costs, utilization, and equipment hire. Then compare all of them against multiple quotes from different third parties and see which fits your budget and preference the best. The main areas you need to discuss with these providers are the service levels and overall costs.
Don’t forget to negotiate with these providers. After all, it’s a competitive market, so it won’t hurt to try.
Keep the Cars Clean
Dust, dirt, and other particles will eventually leave a negative impact on your company’s cars, causing wear and tear, which ultimately leads to rusting. The best thing to do to preserve and extend the lifespan of your vehicle is to wash them thoroughly regularly (at least once a month). You can have your staff in charge of your company fleet handle the cleaning to help you cut costs.
However, if you’re looking for a thorough cleaning that’ll last you longer, it’s best to hire a professional. In any case, getting dirt and other substances off of your company vehicles will help extend their lifespans.
Naturally, companies would want to minimize expenses to secure a steady flow of profit, and one of the best ways to reduce operational costs is by regularly maintaining company vehicles. The tips mentioned can help you cut costs while ensuring the vehicles’ prime conditions and functionality, making less of a financial impact — increasing your revenue.
