When your business depends on the successful operation of a fleet of diesel pickup trucks, it’s easy to see why you should keep up on preventative maintenance. But when business is hopping, it can be challenging to find the time to do what’s needed. Here are three convincing reasons why it should be at the top of your priority list:
It Reduces Downtime. You know this, but when is the last time you added up the downtime for your fleet for, say, the past five years? You can calculate the cost in terms of lost productivity and lost sales and then compare these numbers to what it would cost to pull your diesel pickup out of active service to do some prevention work. You’ll find it’s worth it.
It Saves Repair Costs. Another obvious reason, but also another one that you may not have ever connected with a solid number. Review your repairs for the past few years and determine which could have been avoided with the right preventative maintenance. Maybe you can detect some quick, easy maintenance steps that would have saved money in repairs.
It Gets Your Team Focused on Prevention: Creating a preventative maintenance plan not only creates savings in areas like downtime and repairs, but it also gears your team toward thinking in terms of prevention. That means that as soon as they notice a little need for some TLC on their fleet vehicle, they will be more mindful of addressing it before a repair is needed.
Part of changing this mindset among your team is getting the whole staff involved in creating an effective maintenance plan. It’s likely that you already know who is hardest on their vehicle and equipment. You can see it in their repair records, but also in the condition of cosmetic features of their vehicle.
It’s also worth noting that there are software solutions that can help you keep track of preventative maintenance measures, whether it’s work you can do in-house or if it’s something more complex that you usually take to a repair shop. Since most maintenance is scheduled according to the odometer, tools like these can help fleet managers keep consistent records and schedule maintenance accurately. If your diesel pickup fleet is ready for a catch-up session in preventative maintenance, contact us at Gray Diesel & Equipment Services to schedule service at our Lincoln, Nebraska, or Lexington, South Carolina, shops.