Preventative Fleet Maintenance vs. Reactive Fleet Maintenance

Maintenance is mandatory to ensure the safety and reliability of machinery. Operating a fleet up to code is demanding work with moving parts that can not be overlooked.  Fleet managers must ensure vehicles and drivers are ready at a moment’s notice. When documenting and tracking vehicle maintenance fleet managers have two options, reactive or preventative fleet maintenance. 

Reactive Fleet Maintenance 

Reactive maintenance is the mentality of fixing machinery when it breaks. Reactive maintenance can seem less costly at first, but as with all things, time catches up one way or another. Without proper care, machines break down quicker than if maintenance is routinely maintained. 

Reactive fleet maintenance could result in unexpected downtime costing the fleet anywhere from $448-$760 a day and that cost is just the machinery being out of commission. Additional costs from downtime include equipment repairs, labor, and drivers that are unable to work but still expect to be paid. Reactive fleet maintenance can escalate costs quickly. 

Preventative Fleet Maintenance 

Preventative maintenance is the ideal that regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs keep equipment operational for longer, while also warding off unexpected downtime. Fleet managers are tasked with keeping their fleet regulation standards while also ensuring equipment performance and reliability. To guarantee success, fleet managers should always have preventative maintenance services in their back pockets. 

Cost of Running a Fleet 

The transportation industry has been around for centuries. As times have changed, more factors have been incorporated into the requirements and regulations of transportation. Some transportation systems are tried and true, while others have become archaic. 

The cost of doing business is higher than ever with the current economy. Cost can vary due to factors such as the type of vehicle, age, condition of the equipment, fuel cost, maintenance, repair cost, insurance, and the cost of labor. Fleet managers searching to increase fleet fuel efficiency and lower repair cost choose to rely on preventative maintenance software.

Maintenance Tracking

Tracking maintenance for one vehicle is time-consuming let alone maintenance tracking for ten to hundreds of different types of vehicles. Fleet managers need to be organized and prepared for when a piece of equipment is forced into unexpected downtime. For instance, the equipment in downtime might have warranties, depending on the mileage or newness of the machinery; fleet managers need to be able to produce this information at the time of service to ensure the fleet is not hit with unnecessary added costs. 

Fleet managers using preventative fleet maintenance software can set up alerts and notifications for each fleet vehicle to make certain maintenance is never missed; effectively lowering the fleet’s risk of accidents and inflated driver turnover. 

Effective Ways to Decrease Downtime

Using preventative maintenance software, fleet managers can plan downtime when drivers are on vacation. When using this method, fleet managers can have the necessary maintenance parts ordered before the scheduled downtime. Just another way preventative maintenance services can save fleets time and money. 

Equipment Lifespan/Longevity

A standard oil change in The United States costs around $65-$125 including labor- without regular oil changes the engine starts to experience problems; starting with overheating, making the engine run less effectively. The heat can cause a gasket to blow; even if that doesn’t happen, the vehicle’s parts will start to warp from overheating. A simple oil change could have saved the equipment and extended the longevity of the vehicle in the fleet. An oil change is just one of many required maintenance on fleet equipment to keep vehicles safely operating. There are numerous other factors that can contribute to the longevity of equipment; preventative maintenance software offers fleet managers a sustainable system to keep track of every piece of equipment maintenance and predicted lifespan. Allowing fleet managers to be prepared for any obstacle. 

Whip Around 

Whip Around aims to help create a culture that prioritizes safety, compliance, and preventative maintenance.

Using Whip Around’s premium preventative fleet maintenance services, fleet managers are able to easily adapt Whip Around’s culture image of safety, compliance, and preventative maintenance into any fleet. 

Ushering vehicles out at a moment’s notice is a demanding, fast-paced job. Fleet managers must acquire the data that preventative fleet maintenance software offers. Preventative maintenance services give peace of mind to drivers and fleet owners about the condition of their vehicles.