In the demanding market of transportation, fleet maintenance and management is very important in the productivity of the business. Effective maintenance of the truck fleet will allow reducing business downtimes and disruptions. So it is important to get the fleet aligned with the strategic needs of the business in order to ensure proper maintenance levels.

Why is maintenance important?

Maintenance programs for fleet are important for timely actions on customers specifications. The fleet needs to fulfill demand and be ready for service whenever required. As truck fleets have a downtime, they will depreciate with time. So it is essential to keep them going for long to provide proper maintenance services and apply strategies to keep the fleet working.

It is also important to understand the maintenance cost at asset level. Costs cannot be managed until they are measured. Acquiring good baseline data can help truck owners understand the actual maintenance costs to achieve cost reductions at a significant level. This calls for seeking out opportunities to equip them with the latest tools to leverage on the purchasing power, gain consistency in service and reduce costs by making them capable of handling different type of work.

Fleet Maintenance Manager

Usually a fleet maintenance manager is required to perform scheduled checks on the trailer vehicles. The manager is responsible for appropriate handling of equipments and testing tools. He also ensures that regular maintenance and services of all the trucks is being done on proper time to avoid any delays in delivery. Fleet maintenance has to be conformed with the industry regulations and standards as well as the safety norms.

Replacements

Replacements are also a very important part of fleet maintenance program. At times it is more economical to replace vehicles than fixing them based on the severity of usage, type of truck and type of maintenance. Efficient fleet maintenance will require vehicles to be available for replacement whenever needed. This can be measured in advance based on the depreciation of the vehicles.

Acquiring Automated Fleet Maintenance Software

Automated maintenance systems can also provide efficiency at operational level. Truck fleet maintenance can also be achieved by integrating processes with technology. Many software companies are providing web based fleet maintenance and management solutions to meet the trucking needs of companies. These provide efficient and cost effective services by improving operations.

With such maintenance software, tracking details of the fleet will be easy and will include all details of vehicle and equipments. The time sheets are also available to define due services for trucks at all times. This is very important in fleet maintenance as task assigning, statuses, financial transactions and shipments can be instant and automated. Accountability can also be managed and accurate data monitoring can reduce cost on maintenance delays.

Training Programs for Operators

Training programs for operators will be very beneficial in avoiding danger of damage to the fleet. These programs will help in better skill building of operators and techniques to handle faults and repairs with the fleet.

Acquiring partnerships can provide extensions in operations. Administrative handling can be centralized along with other services. Following these points can help in efficient management and provide cost effective maintenance for truck fleets.