Fleet maintenance is a major aspect in any organization managing its own logistics, as it is crucial to maintain vehicle upkeep and avoid downtime. With vehicle breakdowns happening here and there, productivity and earnings can quickly go down the drain, but once you invest in proper fleet maintenance tracking as a priority, you’ll save time and money. Below are 5 reasons why you should never overlook fleet maintenance tracking.

1. Eliminates Avoidable Repair Costs

Aside from reducing the frequency of unforeseen breakdowns, tracking your fleet maintenance can help eliminate avoidable repair costs. This is because last minute emergency repairs can be a lot more costly compared to preemptive maintenance which fixes issues early in advance. Besides tracking vehicle locations, some GPS tracking systems can help you track maintenance as well, enabling more savings in the long run and possibly even extending your vehicles’ life spans.

2. Save Time and Costs on Vehicle Parts Management

Another reason why tracking is important is because approximately 33% of your overall fleet repair costs will come from your vehicle parts inventory. Using a GPS tracking system can help you track vehicle spare parts and know when to restock or reduce your inventory. With this, you will have no trouble tracking numerous spare parts for your entire fleet and save time on planning parts acquisition for vehicle maintenance.

3. Provides Accurate Fleet Data

Tracking also provides you with critical fleet data such as vehicle last serviced date or engine health. This means you will never miss an important scheduled maintenance or overlook a faulty vehicle if you use maintenance tracking. Having routine vehicle check-ups is critical in making sure that your vehicles are safe for use. Imagine being the driver in a vehicle that needs a gear replacement, in the middle of rushing a service. This could result in costly accidents and poor service provision. With accurate vehicle information available to you at all times, you’ll always be one step ahead to prevent vehicle breakdowns.

4. Increases Productivity for Fleet Managers

As you go through fleet business decisions, you may be expanding or downsizing your fleet and need to know which vehicles are being utilized efficiently and which ones are on the verge of breaking down and due for replacement. Using a GPS tracking system to aid with maintenance tracking and vehicle management will save your fleet managers plenty of time and effort in tracking the important details in your fleet. Your fleet managers will then be able to focus on higher-level tasks, and at the same time minimize repair expenses and fleet downtime.

5. Tracks Fuel Usage & Asset Utilization

Fuel is one of the biggest operating expenses in fleet management, therefore, it’s important to optimize fleet routes when fulfilling customer requests. A maintenance and GPS tracking system will sometimes come with fuel tracking features, allowing you to monitor fuel usage for every vehicle. Using fuel tracking, you can adjust your fleet routes to achieve the best fuel economy while keeping your customers happy. You will also be able to see which vehicles are being utilized most or under-utilized, allowing you to know when to downsize or expand your fleet.

In Conclusion

Tracking fleet maintenance is not merely a way to efficiently plan out routes or save fuel. In the long term, it’s a strategy to increase fleet efficiency and decrease expenses. Investing in a GPS tracking system may seem a bit intimidating in terms of upfront expenses, but know that it provides far more benefits to make up for it and keep your business sustainable for decades.

There are many avenues you can explore to optimize the capacity of your fleet, with GPS and maintenance tracking being one of them. If you want to learn more about how we can help your business streamline and speed up your transportation process, contact us today.