7 Key Elements of Preventive Maintenance for Fleets

Fleet preventive maintenance is among the most cost-effective ways to increase vehicles’ lifespan, minimize breakdowns, and improve efficiency. Here are seven elements to help you achieve that!

Alert!

Maintenance Due for Vehicle No. UP80CQ1234.

For the logistics and transportation sector, fleet vehicles are their most prized possessions. And why shouldn’t they be? After all, they help them carry out their businesses. Getting this alert can help maintain the health of their beloved vehicles.

Preventive maintenance plays an important role in maintaining and extending the lifespan of vehicles or equipment. It benefits the company by helping it avoid sudden breakdowns, vehicle downtime, or expensive repairs. This will most definitely result in an increase in fleet productivity and efficiency.

Fleet preventive maintenance efficiency is dependent on 7 key elements. Additionally, investing in good preventive maintenance software with all the right features can make the job of monitoring vehicle performance and health and scheduling servicing easier.

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The 7 Key Elements of Preventive Maintenance for Fleet

1. Inspections

It is essential to regularly assess the state of assets to ascertain their worth and requirements going forward. Physical, mechanical, electrical, and other inspections should all be scheduled and carried out as needed.

2. Servicing

Servicing vehicles and other assets is essential and should be done frequently to reduce premature wear and failure. A corporation must maintain records of prior maintenance. So any cleaning, lubrication, charging, and other maintenance performed on assets and equipment should be documented. This makes it possible for the maintenance team to determine precisely what kind of servicing is needed and when.

3. Calibration

Preventive maintenance helps determine the worth of an asset’s (equipment) or vehicle’s qualities regularly by comparing them to the expected standard made available by either the manufacturer or experts. It entails comparing the two, one of which is a certified standard with known precision, to detect and correct any discrepancy in precision between the asset being compared and the established certified standards.

4. Testing

This involves constantly testing and inspecting to ensure serviceability and to detect and track component degradation.

5. Alignment

Alignment is a must for vehicles, but it also includes modifying an asset’s defined variable parts to achieve the highest performance.

6. Adjustment

To achieve optimised vehicle performance, some specified variable aspects of an asset or equipment must be modified regularly.

7. Installation

To prevent breakdown and preserve the desired system tolerance, limited-life components or assets exhibiting time cycle or wear degradation should be replaced and installed prior to failure during the maintenance process.

Additional Components of a Fleet Preventive Maintenance Program

Scheduled Service Reminders

Most fleet managers develop maintenance schedules entirely based on odometer (kilometer basis) changes. Tracking meter readings for all assets in your fleet is critical to ensuring that assets receive the service they require on schedule. However, because many firms continue to employ paper systems, fleet managers may receive occasional and frequently wrong odometer updates. That is why a systematic service reminder is required rather than relying on a kilometer basis.

Routine Inspection

An efficient preventative maintenance program is powered by the knowledge gathered from routine inspections. Routine inspections, like the daily vehicle inspection, save time when creating a preventative maintenance program. Inspections might happen at gasoline stations, during yard checks, or at a scheduled time. Note the information and add it to the maintenance calendar as soon as you find out what needs to be maintained and whether an inspection has been completed.

Fleet Reports

Whether you handle preventative maintenance yourself or hire a third party to do it, accurate data is essential. You should also use the data you have to monitor the effectiveness of your program. Major maintenance tasks can be prioritized by examining historical data on completed services.

Service Programs for Bulk Management

Distinct asset types require distinct preventive maintenance tasks. Creating service schedules for every asset in your fleet takes a lot of time and effort. You will need service programs that generate and oversee service reminders for all assets to help standardize their preventative maintenance, simplifying the procedure.

This will provide you with a way to batch attribute service tasks to particular assets and arrange them in an organized manner. You can simultaneously manage several vehicles with TrackoBit’s servicing package.

Inventory Management

Optimizing your parts and inventory can make your fleet’s PM program more economical and successful. You must ensure that you have an adequate supply of the most regularly used maintenance items, such as fluids, hoses, belts, and filters.

Employees in your spare parts room can be trained to manage the inventory and arrange the fastest-moving parts. You can also incorporate barcode inventory management systems for parts to track inventory and place reorders when they drop below the minimum order level.

Must Have Features of Fleet Preventive Maintenance Software

1. Automated Scheduling

The program should streamline and automate requests, work orders, scheduling, reminders, processes, and work order tracking. Every procedure involving data should be automated and stored. These capabilities can simplify handling purchases, maintaining vehicle inspection records, and controlling inventories.

2. Maintenance and Service Reminders

Preventive maintenance plans must incorporate a notification and alert feature. The program should automatically notify you when scheduled maintenance, such as cleaning, servicing, and other upkeep tasks, is due based on your set criteria. With automated maintenance reminders, you can monitor repairs, oversee labor schedules, and ensure all fleet cars receive the necessary maintenance.

3. Data and Reports

The software should enable and simplify reporting services, inspections, and defects with a predefined set of problems. This way, drivers and fleet managers can swiftly finish their assessments and document the information. And more than that, this will preserve accuracy and flow in the operations while saving time.

4. Remote Accessibility

Fleet managers should be able to remotely access the software on their laptops or mobile phones, allowing them to make quick decisions and provide instructions from anywhere in the world.

5. DVIR

Driver Vehicle Inspection Report OR Dvir is an essential feature of fleet preventive maintenance as it helps detect vehicle issues before and after the trip. The driver can do it through TrackoBit’s driver app, where they can digitally fill out the report after inspecting the vehicle.

Results of Preventive Fleet Maintenance

Extended Vehicle Life Span

Preventive maintenance can extend each vehicle’s useful life by identifying and fixing issues early on. Transportation companies maintain the automobiles in their fleets, which are among the most expensive assets. Regardless of the age or purpose of the vehicle, a preventive maintenance program can enhance decision-making and expedite the maintenance procedure.

Lower Cost Repairs

Over time, a preventative maintenance program can save repair expenses, which is another significant advantage. Preventive maintenance aims to address problems before they become serious problems or even catastrophic failures. Given that most fleet cars spend a large portion of their time on the road, this also lessens the possibility of accidents brought on by malfunctioning vehicles. The cost of individual parts required to maintain the fleet can be decreased by ordering parts and supplies in bulk when preventive maintenance work is scheduled in advance.

Reduced Liability

Whenever a mechanical issue causes a vehicle to break down, the cause is usually investigated. If maintenance is found to be a problem, the accountable business may be liable for failing to safeguard the public and its workers. For improving vehicle health, a proactive approach like preventative maintenance helps a business lessen the possibility of recurring malfunctions.

Improved Fuel Efficiency

Proper maintenance makes vehicles run more smoothly. Factors such as filthy air filters, underinflated tires, and engine issues can raise fuel consumption. Preventative maintenance routinely resolves these problems, keeping cars fuel-efficient and assisting companies in cutting fuel expenses.

Conclusion

An integral part of infrastructure management, preventive maintenance increases equipment lifespan, reduces unplanned downtime, and eventually lowers long-term maintenance costs. A fleet business practices preventative maintenance of the fleet’s lifespan while reducing maintenance and repair costs. Starting a preventative maintenance program may seem difficult initially, but selecting the right software an make it easier, lower labor costs, and lower overall maintenance errors.

TrackoBit is the best choice because of its expertise in fleet management. It has advanced features that constantly update you about the vehicle’s health in real-time. From inspection to scheduling, you can do everything digitally and in just a few clicks. Moreover, you get to enjoy timely reminders of due maintenance that helps ensure no mechanic upkeep is missed.

Schedule a free demo today and see how you can reduce vehicle downtime by a significant number.