Fleet owners and managers always need to prioritise and optimise truck maintenance, to get the best ROI and reduce operating costs, on the long run. Types of maintenance approaches include – proactive, predictive and reactive. They also have to consider factors like the fleet size, which influence costs of maintenance. Small fleets may find it economically not feasible to maintain infrastructure and inventory, when considering an in-house truck maintenance facility.
Reactive maintenance is a sort of ‘fire-fighting’ job, as the Fleet Manager responds to concerns currently happening, or those raised by the drivers. At this point, there could be a risk to the vehicle and driver and could lead to downtime of the vehicle (going out of service). So, this approach isn’t advisable.
The right maintenance approach
The right approach is to opt a proactive maintenance approach, which is based on a strict maintenance schedule, where the vehicle is inspected regularly, and repaired if needed, before a problem might actually arise and this will extend vehicle life greatly.
An in-house fleet maintenance system has some good advantages over an outsourced service. The Fleet Manager can set schedules/procedures according the mileage or needs of their vehicles deployed. Control of costs can be with them and a lesser dependence on external vendors can help.
A wireless solution to help maintenance
A wireless monitoring system for fleet management is a boon for in-house truck maintenance. The team can create better schedules, as unlimited number of schedules can be made, to support a proactive approach. If breakdowns increase, rescheduling can be done easily as per the case warrants.
The Fleet Manager can set preferences when scheduling maintenance plans, like for tyre management. Via the system, they can view maintenance history as per vehicle type, plus keep a track on the vehicle’s unplanned service. To help fleet maintenance, some procedures can be automated by the fleet maintenance software, Reminder Alerts can be triggered, like Temperature Alerts, Long Stop Alerts, Speeding Alerts Excess Idle Alerts and Maintenance Status Alerts.
Statistical reports can provide insight for better management of the fleet. Regular feedback can be generated and reports can be customised. It can help track the budgeted cost against actual costs. This will support in taking appropriate business decisions quickly.
Partner with Trinetra Wireless, a reputed fleet management solution provider, to get the most out of your fleet. To find how you can enhance fleet maintenance and to know more, visit www.trinetrawireless.com, or leave us an enquiry.
