Running a fleet costs your organization a significant sum of money. You may think that this is part and parcel of operating a business, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, there are multiple methods you can use to get vehicle expenses down and help move your finances into the black.
Here’s what to do:
Cut The Size Of Your Fleet
Do you really need to run as many vehicles as you do? Sometimes, it is worth thinking about this openly.
Let’s say that you operate ten vans as part of a plumbing company. Each day, plumbers arrive at the depot, pick up a van, and then drive it to various clients. You might think that since each van is in use, there’s nothing you can do to reduce fleet costs, but that’s not always true.
Think carefully about what your customers want. Many would like you to provide plumbing services on weekends and evenings, too, not just Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. And so there’s no need to have all your vans out during the day. You could, for instance, split your workers up into two groups. One would use five vans for regular office hours, and one would use those same vehicles for evenings, nights, and weekends.
Improve Your MPG
Improving your MPG is something that dramatically lowers the cost of your fleet operations. A two percent change might not sound like much on a single refuel, but it soon adds up when you add it up over multiple vehicles and many months. Often, you can wind up saving thousands of dollars.
There are all sorts of things you can try, from MAN cylinder head 51.03100-6328 fitted to D2676 to adding aerodynamic elements to your vehicles. Whatever changes you make, figure out the ROI. Work out how much money you’re likely to save by making the modifications. Often, you’ll find that you make large returns.
Look For Fuel Savings
We’re still a few years away from electric trucks. So in the meantime, managers need to look for alternative fuel sources for savings. Many operators now use natural gas or propane autogas. These tend to be slightly less expensive than regular gas.
Reduce Lifecycle Costs
In the old days, businesses would simply assume a working life for a truck. It would last around ten years, after which time, it becomes uneconomical to maintain.
That type of thinking, however, is now becoming outdated. Modern manufacturing techniques mean that many individual units can stay on the road for perhaps fifteen or twenty years. And that means that many companies can afford to extend product life cycles and reduce their costs substantially.
Other firms are also looking for smart ways to cut their lifetime costs. These include things like preemptive maintenance on vehicles or creating a replacement part schedule. These strategies help to automate fleet upkeep, eliminating the fiddly jobs that tend to hold things up.
In summary, fleets are expensive, but they don’t have to be. Implementing the ideas described above could net you a 20 percent overall saving – possibly more.
