Enterprise businesses always need ways to make their fleets more efficient while reducing their bottom line. That’s why enterprise fleet maintenance management is so critical. The best way to manage your fleet’s maintenance needs is with fleet management software, but not just any software will do. You need to ensure that the software solution you choose has all of the features you need to keep your vehicles and assets in the best shape possible, so you don’t have to worry about any delays or costly repairs causing you a headache. This article will discuss the maintenance features you should look for in fleet management software.
Maintenance Alerts
Telematics is a wonderful tool in your vehicle that can tell you all kinds of information about your vehicle, but it’s useless if that information doesn’t go anywhere. That’s why you need that information hooked up to maintenance alerts. Your fleet management software should use telematics to detect whenever your vehicle has issues with any of its parts. When it detects a problem, it should alert you immediately so you can take action right away. With a preventative maintenance plan in place, you may not think this feature is necessary because you are already performing inspections at routine intervals. Still, with maintenance alerts, there is no room for error. Furthermore, if a problem occurs while your driver is out on the road, the alert will also pick that up, and you can address it as soon as you can.
You shouldn’t only get alerts when problems arise. It’s also helpful to get alerts when it’s time for your routine maintenance. With so many things on your plate, it’s common to forget and miss when it’s time for your regular vehicle checkup. If you have maintenance alerts, however, it’s easy to schedule your maintenance appointments on time. With regular maintenance appointments, your vehicles will always be in their best condition.
Maintenance Logs
Keeping track of maintenance logs manually is a thing of the past. The more vehicles you have, the harder it becomes to keep track of all the paperwork. When you create a fleet maintenance plan, one of the first steps is digitizing your maintenance log. And this doesn’t have to be a tedious challenge. Seek out fleet management software that does this for you by housing all of your maintenance logs. Your maintenance logs should include five things:
- Date and mileage
- Service provider
- Service description
- Condition of the vehicle
- Service cost
With this information, you can make critical decisions regarding your fleet’s vehicles. Without this information, you may wind up making repairs again and again or spending too much money fixing your vehicles. This is why it’s critical to look for fleet maintenance software that helps you track this data.
Accessible Inspection Logs
Of course, your fleet drivers should be performing inspections routinely to ensure their vehicles are in shape to drive. Whenever your drivers or mechanics perform one of these inspections, it’s best if they can house their notes within your fleet maintenance software. One of the most important reasons for this is to comply with Department of Transportation regulations. The DOT can perform inspections at any place, any time, and your drivers need to be ready with their DVIRs. When these logs are not digitized, many fleets get docked for not having them on hand. However, when fleet drivers can easily pull them up on their phones or tablets, it becomes easy to comply with this regulation. When your fleet complies with FMCSA regulation, your business maintains a positive reputation, avoids costly fines, and ensures vehicles remain on the road.
Benefits of Proactive Fleet Maintenance
If you don’t have a fleet maintenance plan in place or aren’t considering fleet maintenance software, you may want to consider the many benefits of prioritizing your fleet’s maintenance needs. Fleet maintenance can help your fleet in a variety of ways.
- Cut down on cost by preventing breakdowns, preventing major repairs, and improving the lifecycle of vehicles
- Keep your business efficient by saving on time caused by breakdowns and planning for routine repairs instead of being surprised by major mechanical failures
- Maintain customer satisfaction by ensuring your drivers are always on time
- Attracting the best drivers to your business with high-quality vehicles
Get the Best Fleet Maintenance Software
You don’t only need fleet maintenance software, you need a comprehensive fleet management solution to get the job done. That’s where Azuga comes in. We offer all of the technology your fleet could ever want, from field service management software to dashcams to fleet tracking. You can try a demo of our software to see everything we can do and start improving your fleet’s efficiency today!