It’s not easy to manage a fleet of vehicles. You have to handle the logistics of where they’re going, who’s driving them, paying for fuel, and most importantly, how they’re maintained. A fleet that isn’t serviced regularly is prone to a variety of financial and legal issues. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of failing to properly maintain your fleet.

Why Perform Regular Maintenance?

Regular fleet maintenance can increase the lifespan of your vehicles and all their parts, which in turn lengthens the amount of time before you have to replace them. To put it in perspective, an oil change is quicker and cheaper compared to replacing an entire engine. And the more time a vehicle is out of service, the more money you lose as a result.

Plus, when you are ready to replace your vehicles with something better, all of the servicing that was performed on them will improve their resale value. Vehicles will also run more efficiently and safely when getting the service they need, which helps reduce the amount you spend on fuel and decreases the risk of accidents.

FMCSA Compliance

If you’re still uncertain whether it’s worth implementing regular maintenance for your fleet, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) may change your mind. Even if your vehicles are still able to perform their functions without maintenance, they may still fail inspections from FMCSA, which will cause them to be put out of service.

You should strive to not just meet the minimum FMCSA maintenance requirements but exceed them as much as possible. A poor Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) score from FMCSA will put you on a list of high-risk fleet carriers, which will cause FMCSA to pay closer attention to your operations.

Frequency of Fleet Maintenance

Now that you understand the dangers of not keeping your fleet well maintained, it’s important to consider how frequently you get your fleet serviced. The amount of time between various maintenance procedures can vary widely depending on what vehicles you’re operating and the parts that need to be serviced.

A good start to putting together a comprehensive preventive maintenance schedule is to read through the service schedule provided by your vehicle or equipment manufacturer. And even then, you may want to consider getting your assets serviced even more frequently than what is shown in the service schedule, since they’re put to use so often.

If you’re starting to get overwhelmed by the idea of keeping track of all your vehicles by yourself, there’s no need to. You can have your employees write down inspection reports before and after using their assigned vehicles. That way you can know as soon as vehicles begin to have any issues and maintain a detailed record of their use. This is already part of staying compliant under Department of Transportation (DOT) rules.

Consider Using Fleet Management Software

To further monitor the state of your fleet and potentially cut down on costs, you may want to consider installing fleet management software. While there are many different types available, most of them tend to have similar features, including:

• GPS tracking: To monitor where your vehicles are located and whether or not they’re speeding
• Acceleration tracking: To monitor how quickly and safely drivers brake or accelerate
• Fuel consumption: How efficiently your vehicle is using fuel
• Vehicle diagnostics: Real-time reports on the status of your vehicle and what issues may be occurring
• Legal compliance: Whether or not your vehicle is violating any important rules

What Should Be Inspected?

Ordering fluid sampling and analysis for a fleet routinely can help you closely monitor the condition of your engine’s interior. Some other aspects of your vehicles that should be inspected frequently include:

• Brakes
• Couplings
• Tires
• Shocks and struts
• Spark plugs
• Steering and suspension
• Seatbelts
• Serpentine belts
• Front and/or rear differentials
• Batteries
• Lights
• Air filters
• Transmission
• Coolant
• Windshield wipers

This list does not cover everything that should be inspected, as it may vary from vehicle to vehicle, but this can be a good start for your future inspections.

Don’t Delay or Become Complacent

Properly accounting for your fleet includes taking preventive maintenance and its benefits seriously. With the right approach, you can maximize the life of your most important assets and ensure a high return on investment.