Depending upon your business model and stage of development, your vehicles may vary in number and type, but one thing that fits well for all startups and small businesses is “ultimate care and maintenance of company vehicles”.
Every startup must consider optimum fleet maintenance from the day one. Good care and maintenance will not just improve the performance of your business vehicles, but will also keep them running on roads for longer while reducing your overheads in long term.
This article will cover the basics of vehicle care, for company cars as well as for other vehicles.
1- Keep a Vehicle Maintenance Checklist:
Whether you have a single car for your business or you own a fleet, it’s your business asset and must be taken official care, so keep a checklist for each vehicle and make sure that all the drivers go through the checklist on daily/weekly/monthly basis and submit the document to the relevant department on time.
This checklist may include, external vehicle condition, fluids, interior and equipment, and function checks.
2- On Time Service:
It’s important to get your business vehicles serviced on regular basis, but especially during hotter weather, cars need frequent service checks because of over exerted air conditioners and batteries.
Oil checks and double-checking the status of belt and battery can prevent future accidents.
3- Tyre Maintenance:
Since, commercial vehicles are busier than personal ones, their tyres need most care. Make sure that tyres of every vehicle are rotated and are not worn out especially during the summer season.
4- Park in the Shade:
It’s ideal to park your company car and other vehicles in the shade; either underground, in a covered car park or under any shaded area. In case if you do not have a shaded area, you must invest in durable car covers.
Car covers do not just help when you don’t have a shaded area, but also help in protecting your vehicle and minimizing the exterior cleaning costs and time. Moreover they also help in preventing unsightly dents, dings and scratches, act as an excellent theft deterrent and also act as barrier between the vehicle paint and damaging weather.
5- Ban Pressurized Items:
Make sure that the drivers of all your company vehicles, i.e. cars as well as those delivery vans and trucks follow the safety standards and do not keep items like lighters and perfume bottles, pressurized air fresheners etc. in the vehicle.
Such items are highly dangerous, especially during the summer season and may explode.
6- Must Keep Emergency Items:
Every vehicle in your fleet must have an emergency kit including A flashlight, flares and highway triangles, First-aid kit, Jumper cables. Also have extra clothes and gloves, Paper towels and rags, extra washer fluid, basic tools like wrenches, a ratchet and sockets, screwdrivers and pliers or Vise-Grips, rope and bungee cords, pencils, paper and accident forms.
Moreover, in case of an emergency, it’s also important to have your auto service provider’s number ready! The good news is that if you have motor fleet insurance in place you can claim against any costs if the accident is not your fault or you have fully comprehensive cover. If not get a motor fleet insurance quote and upgrade your policy.
Wrapping it up….
You may not be a person who takes extra care of his personal car, but when it comes to keep a fleet for your business, you must have to take care of each and every vehicle, because it’s your investment and higher ROI is only possible when all the vehicles are well maintained and you have the right auto insurance in place!
