Technology makes our lives easier. It can also make doing our jobs easier, and that’s especially true in the automotive industry. Businesses that use maintenance tracking software know exactly when vehicles are due for maintenance, where money is being spent, and they’re instantly alerted about potential problems. Maintenance automation helps fleet managers avoid more costly repairs down the road, resulting in a longer-lasting, more reliable fleet.
Here are three ways maintenance automation can help you create a better maintenance process.
Maintenance reminders are one of the most convenient benefits of using maintenance automation software. Fleet managers can plan and keep track of routine maintenance, inspections, registration renewals, battery swaps, and anything that may be specific to your fleet like freezers or cranes.
Things tend to go smoother at the shop with maintenance automation. You can reduce needless repairs that are caused by inconsistent upkeep; saving valuable man hours for other projects. And predictable maintenance schedules keep a shop’s workflow more consistent, helping you avoid unnecessary labor spikes, scheduling issues, and budget blows.
Electronic DVIRs (Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports) help you easily keep track of your fleet’s maintenance needs without stacks of paperwork. Since they’re digital, maintenance personnel have instant access to issues with notes and pictures before the vehicle even gets to the shop. And when repairs are completed, the driver is notified and can easily confirm whether or not the issue was resolved with a few taps; creating a seamless and dependable maintenance workflow.
Fleet maintenance software can capture accurate data from a vehicle by plugging into the vehicle’s ECM, allowing you to see things like odometer mileage and diagnostic trouble codes in real-time.
Using this information, customized alerts can notify you when something’s wrong with a vehicle, making it easier to quickly assess problems and get them fixed so you can get vehicles back on the road as quickly as possible. You can receive alerts when:
A fleet will spend, on average, anywhere from $15,000-$20,000 per year on repairs and routine maintenance. Avoiding preventable damage also saves money on parts and tires – which typically costs carriers about $4,000 a year for each truck and trailer in the fleet.
Serious maintenance problems can affect MPG by as much as 40%.
As gas is often the number one expense you’ll have, implementing a dependable maintenance workflow can help you avoid serious problems that would otherwise go unnoticed and hurt your bottom line.
With a maintenance tracking solution, tracking the time and cost associated with routine maintenance and repairs is simple. And convenient category spend reports show you exactly where the money is going per vehicle or for your entire fleet.
Reports can help you spot when a truck may be reaching the end of its life. That way you can plan for a new truck purchase before the old one becomes a money pit. With proper maintenance though, the trucks you already have on the road should last longer. And since semi-trucks set companies back around $100,000-$150,000 each, increasing their life on the road has the potential to save lots of money in the long run.
It’s easy to be reliable when a fleet is in tip-top shape. Unexpected breakdowns cost a lot of time and money between tows, reroutes, and delays. This doesn’t just affect profits though. It affects your relationships with customers and the company’s overall reputation. It’s hard to put exact numbers on that kind of damage, but you feel the impact.
Maintenance tracking doesn’t have to be difficult. Schedule a free demo to see how an automated maintenance solution can help your business’ bottom line.
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