Increasing fuel efficiency and reducing operating costs
Preventative maintenance is one of the most important components of a green fleet strategy. A preventative maintenance program reduces vehicle downtime, helps optimize fuel and emissions performance, and increases awareness of sound maintenance practices. It involves identifying and scheduling regular maintenance and inspection criteria. Both minor and major maintenance should be defined and scheduled regularly to achieve optimal engine performance. Schedule maintenance according to driving distance, engine hours, and/or time period.
Benefits
A preventative maintenance program’s benefits include:
- Improved fuel performance
- Improved driver and mechanic / technician satisfaction
- Reduced emissions and related pollutants
- Optimal lifetime vehicle utilization
- Predictable operations and reduced downtime
- Improved client satisfaction
- Improved driver safety
- Higher resale value.
Preventative maintenance is something that every fleet manager will want to do
In setting up a preventative maintenance program, the goal is to identify regular maintenance and inspection criteria for each vehicle, class, or type to ensure optimum engine efficiency and performance. To do so:
- Identify and understand manufacturer’s maintenance standards
- Consider warranty requirements
- Involve all stakeholders – management, drivers, and mechanics / technicians
- Determine all types of maintenance tasks, from filter changes and proper tire pressure to 90,000 km vehicle tune-ups.
Identify appropriate maintenance and inspection intervals Developing regular procedures to ensure that your fleet’s engines and other parts are running at maximum efficiency will help you save money and the environment. Developing regular procedures to ensure that your fleet’s engines and other parts are running at maximum efficiency will help you save money and the environment and schedule according to your understanding of the vehicles specifications. Design these intervals according to distance or engine hours. While running the program, effective scheduling and supporting checklists allow for effective and efficient maintenance management.
Develop and execute procedures for all stages of vehicle ownership: when vehicles are being considered for purchase, directly after purchase, and during the life of the vehicle (e.g., preventative maintenance). Standardize forms and tasks as much as is effective to ensure clarity and easy use. This will also help when training new employees.
Monitoring and adjusting your preventative maintenance program is as important as setting it up and running it. Ensure that regular record keeping occurs. Track time and duration of repairs, suspected reasons, costs, and anything else that you think would help you better manage your fleet. Analyze the results to refine procedures and schedules and readjust your preventative maintenance program as necessary. Preventative maintenance will be an ongoing learning process.
Combine your efforts with a benchmarking program and a fuel data management system to be as effective as possible. And as always, communicate the importance of this program to all fleet employees as well as your efforts out into the community.
