If you’re a fleet operator, you know that cleaning and maintenance are vital to reduce vehicle breakdowns. Finding time for proper fleet care can, however, be difficult. Keeping your fleet well maintained improves life expectancy and fuel efficiency, but it’s all too easy to overlook when you are focused on the day-to-day routine of running a business.
Here are a few tips to get an effective plan in place that will transform your cleaning and maintenance routine.
Put a checklist in place
It can be difficult to ensure consistency of care for your vehicles if your team members are left to their own devices. Putting a checklist in place is one way to make sure that everyone is on the same page. This way, you ensure that important cleaning and maintenance tasks don’t get overlooked.
Your list should be unique to your fleet’s needs, but could include:
- Checks of major systems such as fuel, auxiliary, braking, exhaust, etc.
- Checks of fluids
- Checks of cabin comfort controls and overall internal cleanliness (throw out garbage etc.)
- Checks and cleaning of interior and exterior lights
- Checks and cleaning of tires, wheels, rims, frame and undercarriage
- Checks of horn and seat belt
Assign Responsibility
So you now have a checklist, but who’s going to get these tasks done? It’s often that cleaning and maintenance just don’t get taken care of because everyone assumes someone else is supposed to do those tasks.
You should start by clearly stating who is responsible, and you can go so far as to put this in your staff contracts. Often businesses choose to put drivers in charge of their vehicles since they have the most control to clean and manage them properly. However, it’s important to take your specific needs into consideration and put a simple system in place that ensures proper accountability.
Be Proactive and Preventative
Don’t wait until a vehicle breaks down to perform maintenance. Avoid unexpected repair costs and driver downtime by taking a proactive approach and scheduling preventative maintenance. Proper cleaning of vehicles should be a part of this.
What many owners and Fleet Managers don’t realize is that, in addition to being unsightly, dirt and grime can cover over a host of potentially major issues which can cause breakdowns. Furthermore, dirt itself can lead to damage to your fleet, so it’s important to factor cleaning into scheduled maintenance.
When it comes to cleaning your fleet assets, using a pressure washer will give you better results, faster — and will save you money over time. In addition, cleanliness can be a powerful profit generator that will increase your productivity and improve your bottom line. If you want to think of it this way, there are seven benefits to CLEAN:
- Reduces downtime
- Improves productivity
- Decreases driver turnover
- Improves your company’s brand image
- Increases safety
- Enhances regulatory compliance
- Increases vehicle life
Everything starts with CLEAN — and we own CLEAN. We can help you leverage its power in everything you do. When it comes to CLEAN and the pressure washing tools you need to harness its power, Hotsy Iowa is your best source. For more information on Hotsy Iowa and how our cleaning products and services can save you time and money, call us toll-free at 1 (800) 798-8800.
Listen to your drivers
Your drivers are out there with fleet assets every day. You rely on them for their professional skills — so why not listen to them about what can be done to keep their vehicles running well? That isn’t to say that you should act on every piece of advice. But by creating a team approach to cleaning and maintenance, you’ll not only hear early warnings on issues but make your drivers feel involved which can improve compliance and effectiveness.
Des Moines Hotsy Equipment Maintenance Plan
Following the advice above will help you put a great cleaning and maintenance plan in place — one that will allow you to avoid the high costs of vehicle downtime and expensive repairs while at the same time improving driver satisfaction and effectiveness. At Hotsy, we have a customer service program in place for Hotsy owners across Iowa. Each owner is assigned to a Customer Service Representative who make regular stops on customers to ensure they’re using their equipment to its fullest capacity and watch out for any maintenance issues that may lead to costly downtime.
