If you own or manage a fleet of delivery vehicles, you know how busy the office and garage can get. Add in the quickly approaching holiday season, and the days get as long as a child’s list for Santa. But unlike Santa, Rudolph’s shining nose won’t help you if you run into transportation problems. Instead, delivering those boxes is up to you and your team.
Fortunately, you can take steps to ensure that your trucks and vans can make the rounds and get those packages where they belong.
Fleet Preventative Maintenance Tips for Your Delivery Service
When it comes to managing a delivery service, the goal is to keep as many vehicles as possible on the road. After all, downtime costs you money. Don’t ignore the value of fleet preventative maintenance.
Test the seat belts, horns, and any warning systems.- Check, change, or fill fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, wiper fluid, etc. Also, inspect the various lines for these fluids. Replace any cracking, tearing, or fraying lines.
- Ensure the heating and cooling system work.
- Replace any filters so this unwanted debris stays away from the engine and the moving parts.
- Be sure the lights are working.
- Inspect the locking mechanism on sliding doors. You don’t want anyone injured because a door slid open or closed at an inopportune time!
- Look at the drive shaft, CV joints, axles, belts, and hoses. Replace any that show signs of age or damage.
- How is the line of sight for the driver? Be sure that windows are clean and there are no cracks. Your drivers need to be able to see clearly.
- How is the engine functioning? Any odd sounds, knocking, or fumes can indicate more significant concerns, resulting in downtime.
- How about the tires? A lot is riding on these, and you can’t call in the reindeer! Check the tires’ air pressure. Get them rotated and aligned as needed. Watch for any knicks, tears, or damage. Don’t forget to look for any puncturing from road debris, such as screws or nails, that may have been picked up while making a delivery.
Keeping a Well-Maintained Trucking Fleet
You can simplify some of these tasks by always having the needed items on hand. Purchase your oil, transmission fluid, octane boost, antifreeze, and other products from AMSOIL dealer, Lifetime Oil. Better yet, by buying these items in bulk, you can save time and money.
To help make preventative maintenance easy to track, many programs are available. These programs can be accessed by as many or as few people as you need.
No matter the time of year, keeping your fleet on the road is a must. With preventative maintenance, you avoid potential problems and ensure those boxes get to the right houses. Hmm, maybe you should call the drivers elves? After all, they are helping Santa out, right?