If you own or operate a fleet of vehicles, you need to ensure that they are properly maintained. No matter which category you use, each type of vehicle has its own maintenance requirements. All must be maintained properly in order to prevent damage or accidents and protect your business from liability.
Why carry out regular inspections on a vehicle fleet?
The benefits of regular vehicle inspections are numerous:
- Increased vehicle lifespan;
-
- Reduction of maintenance costs;
-
- Reduction of unexpected breakdowns;
-
- Increased safety for drivers and cargo.
Who should carry out the inspections?
Most heavy vehicle maintenance work should be performed by properly trained and certified maintenance crews, but vehicle operators can and should perform daily vehicle inspections.
For best results, drivers should use paper or electronic inspection forms to ensure they cover all important points.
What are vehicle inspection best practices?
Drivers and maintenance teams should adhere to the following practices to achieve consistent and reliable results:
Document everything.All vehicle inspections must be properly documented using a vehicle inspection form. These inspection forms should then be filed and stored digitally so that the data can later be used for historical analysis and to aid in preventive maintenance
Use appropriate inspection equipment.“Knocking the tires” is not an appropriate inspection procedure. Anyone performing vehicle inspections should use pressure gauges, tire depth gauges, gloves and a flashlight.
Know your vehicle.Each vehicle has its own driving characteristics and maintenance requirements. Drivers need to know how their vehicle should be used while driving, so maintenance crews need to know the oils, parts and special attention required for each vehicle.
In conclusion
Vehicle inspections are essential to prevent breakdowns that could lead to damage or injury. Fleet managers should ensure that inspection schedules are properly defined and that the people carrying out said inspections have been properly trained to properly carry out maintenance operations.
By doing so, you, as a fleet manager, guarantee that vehicles will be in good working order at all times and that your fleet is both safe and profitable in the long term.
