Thursday, March 26, 2020

5 Ways Successful Fleet Management Can Dramatically Alter Your Business


How can you ensure successful fleet management and a top-performing fleet? A successful fleet management program is crucial for controlling costs, ensuring roadside inspections go smoothly, lowering safety risks, and keeping productivity up. Managing a fleet is no small responsibility. It involves keeping up with a variety of tasks, however, these responsibilities will offer significant insight into future business decisions, from training drivers to plotting travel routes and purchasing new vehicles.
 
Essential Fleet Management Tasks
The best fleet management programs encompass a wide array of scenarios, including:

       Scheduling and recording data on routine maintenance tasks, tractor trailer repair, and emergency roadside maintenance.
       Training programs to ensure safe driving and a roadworthy vehicle, including safe-driving programs and training on pre/post inspection tasks to improve the identification of vehicle problems.
       Assessing data, uncovering issues, and finding solutions, such as alternate traffic routes for decreasing transit and idle times.
       Establishing processes for scenarios your fleet may encounter, including roadside breakdowns, accidents, and failed safety inspections.

What Benefits Does Improving Your Fleet Management Plan Provide?

  1. Reduced Fuel & Maintenance Costs
    Fuel costs frequently exceed expectations, however, careful fleet management can help you minimize these costs. Finding solutions for inefficient practices such as out-of-the-way routes, or heavily trafficked roads that result in excessive idling can reduce fuel consumption and vehicular wear-and-tear while improving productivity.

  2. Vehicle Longevity
    By keeping up with routine maintenance, you will avoid “snowballing” repairs, such as an inexpensive oil change that can quickly turn into your choice of a new truck or a several thousand dollar engine repair bill.

  3. Improved Safety
Drivers are at the core of your fleet operations, and their safety integral to your success, making it essential to keep up with fleet trailer maintenance and repairs on every vehicle. This decreases the likelihood of roadside breakdowns and traffic accidents resulting from equipment failure. 

  1. Enhanced Visibility
    Keeping a log of maintenance issues, travel time, mileage, and other data can give you access to critical information such as fuel efficiency, transit times, repair issues, and more. Analyzing this data and identifying opportunities for improvement can allow you to operate your business more effectively, avoiding problem routes, and keeping faulty vehicles off the road.
  1. Improved Customer Service & Increased Business
             The positive impact of a well-managed fleet can result in increased business and word-of-mouth referrals. Well maintained vehicles don’t get stuck roadside waiting on emergency mobile trailer repair, allowing drivers to arrive at deliveries on-time. This improves the customer experience, securing future business.


Are you missing out on business opportunities because of downed vehicles? Boost your brand image, ensure driver safety, and reach your fullest potential with a more comprehensive fleet management plan. Take a load off with a proactive monthly maintenance plan from Ainsworth Trailer Repair.  We service the Greater Denver areaLearn more today.




Thursday, March 12, 2020

Tips for Passing Roadside Inspections


How can you avoid roadside inspection violations and make sure your vehicle makes the grade? In 2018, more than half of roadside inspections led to infractions. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be you. With a little bit of forethought and organization, including regular pre and post-trip inspections and fleet trailer maintenance, you can minimize violation risks.


Safe Vehicles are Compliant Vehicles
If the vehicle you operate is mechanically sound and reliable, they’re going to be compliant. Vehicles that are not are quickly cited and fined during inspections. These vehicles are also likely to suffer unexpected issues down the road, resulting in interruptions in delivery and service and the need for emergency mobile trailer repair.


Avoid these Common Roadside Inspection Violations
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Statistics from 2018 indicate the top roadside inspection violations include:

       Record-of-duty status violations
       Speeding
       Failure to wear a seatbelt
       Condition of the vehicle
       Brake systems issues
       Lights
       Operation without proof of periodic inspection


Know What to Expect During an Inspection
Having your materials prepared for roadside inspections can significantly streamline the process and get you back on the road again faster. Roadside inspectors typically begin with collecting documents, including your commercial driver’s license, registration, medical certificate, record-of-duty status, bill of lading, and trip receipts.

Have a dedicated place for these documents, keeping everything in order. Make sure to toss expired insurance cards and registration documents, so inspectors don’t have to search through a slew of unnecessary and outdated paperwork to find what they need.


Focus on the Importance of Vehicle Inspections & Timely Maintenance
Both drivers and fleet managers must be involved in meeting fleet maintenance needs. Drivers should be trained on how to properly inspect key vehicle components so they can quickly report issues for timely maintenance attention by the fleet manager. The typical Level I inspection looks at these critical and non-critical areas:

       Lights
       Brakes, particularly brake stroke
       Fuel system
       Exhaust system
       Steering, including steering gearbox leaks and mounting hardware security
       Suspension, particularly ball joint and tie rod connections, airbags and mounting, springs, U-bolts, and suspension mounting hardware
       Tires & rims
       Coupling devices
       Frames in vans/open top trailers
       Securing of cargo


Familiarize Yourself with Electronic Logging Device Technology
Electronic logging devices (ELDs) significantly speed the inspection process, reducing most violations down to driver error, though they do bring some challenges. You could be held up if you don't know how to operate your ELD. Get to know your ELD, and how to work it. Always keep your user manual on hand. Because there are hundreds of models, it's impossible for inspectors to know how to operate them all, making the process of transferring data more time-consuming. 


Empower your fleet drivers with knowledge and safe, well-performing vehicles so they can navigate roadside inspections without concern. Sign up for a proactive monthly maintenance program from Ainsworth Trailer Repair,  or drop in for a fast FHWA inspection today at our Denver location..