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Fleet maintenance: How to build a successful program

Fleet maintenance: How to build a successful program

Author NameBy Ima Ocon
•
January 10th, 2025
• 8 min read
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Table of contents

  • Benefits of fleet maintenance
  • Key components of conducting fleet maintenance
  • Essential checklist for regular fleet inspections
  • A digital application for seamless fleet management
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Summary

Find out how to implement fleet maintenance to improve performance, reduce downtime, and cut costs. Discover key strategies and best practices that’ll keep your fleet road-ready.

Fleet maintenance aims to proactively address potential issues before they become bigger problems. This involves more than just occasional tire checks or oil changes–it involves a solid program with scheduled inspections, preventive maintenance tasks, and tracking of vehicle conditions. To meet legal requirements, it also includes documentation, such as maintenance records and incident reports.

Benefits of fleet maintenance

Here’s why consistent fleet maintenance leads to efficient operations:

  • Enhanced safety and compliance: Regular inspections and repairs keep vehicles in top condition and minimize accidents.
  • Reduced downtime: Preventive maintenance avoids unexpected breakdowns, keeping vehicles on the road.
  • Lower overall costs: By addressing small issues early, you prevent expensive repairs and reduce fuel consumption through well-maintained engines.
  • Prolonged vehicle lifespan: Routine care extends the life of your vehicles, maximizing your return on investment.
  • Improved efficiency and productivity: A reliable fleet allows for better scheduling, fewer delays, and a stronger ability to meet customer demands.
  • Data-driven decision making: You can use analytics to identify trends and make smarter, cost-saving decisions.

Key components of conducting fleet maintenance

Whether you manage a small fleet or oversee hundreds of vehicles, understanding how to conduct maintenance effectively can save you time, money, and resources:

1. Create a maintenance plan

The maintenance plan is the foundation of successful fleet management. First, classify the vehicles in your fleet based on their specific requirements—delivery vans, construction equipment, or passenger cars will each have unique needs. Check the manufacturer’s guidelines for recommended maintenance intervals and tasks, like oil:

  • Engine oil and filter changes
  • Tire maintenance
  • Brake system inspection
  • Fluid checks and replacements

You can then schedule preventive maintenance tasks to address these proactively.

Include a contingency plan too for urgent repairs. Breakdowns can happen suddenly, so your plan should cover emergency procedures, such as contacting roadside assistance or nearby repair services.

2. Conduct regular inspections

Regular inspections are essential for maintaining fleet health since they allow you to spot issues early on. Aside from maintenance, pre-trip and post-trip checks should be part of your routine. Lumiform has several customizable checklists that you can fill out digitally for these, for any vehicle type.

Daily inspections don’t have to be time-consuming. Drivers or assigned team members can do a quick visual assessment while documenting findings digitally for easy tracking.

For more detailed reviews, schedule weekly or monthly in-depth inspections by maintenance personnel. These in-depth reviews go beyond surface-level issues, examining engine performance, suspension systems, and other technical areas

3. Document and track maintenance activities

Keeping a detailed record of all inspections, repairs, and maintenance tasks gives you important information about the condition of your fleet. Unless there’s a proper system in place, you risk missing critical maintenance tasks, leading to expensive breakdowns or safety hazards.

With Lumiform’s digital platform, documenting and tracking maintenance activities is straightforward and efficient, from completed inspections to assigned repairs. Instead of relying on paper forms or scattered spreadsheets, you can record every detail in real time on the app. Through data analysis tools, you can also identify patterns—such as vehicles requiring frequent repairs—and make informed decisions to address underlying issues.

4. Assign responsibilities

To maintain clarity, document the responsibilities of everyone involved and ensure proper training. Some important roles would be:

  • Fleet manager – oversees the entire fleet maintenance program, coordinates activities, and makes strategic decisions
  • Drivers – conducting daily pre-trip and post-trip inspections and reporting any issues or concerns
  • Mechanics and technicians – perform in-depth inspections, diagnoses issues, and complete repairs and maintenance
  • Safety manager – ensures fleet operations meet all safety regulations and standards and investigates incidents
  • Parts manager – orders, tracks, and manages inventory of replacement parts and supplies

5. Address issues immediately

It’s critical to act promptly when problems pop up during fleet maintenance. After all, small issues like uneven tire wear or low fluid levels can turn into costly problems if left unresolved.

Develop a workflow. Schedule repairs promptly and ensure there’s a process for follow-up checks to confirm that the issue has been resolved. for identifying, prioritizing, and resolving maintenance concerns. Encourage drivers and maintenance staff to report issues promptly

These defects and malfunctions require immediate treatment:

  • Defective braking systems – Defects or malfunctions in the braking system are highly dangerous and can lead to life-threatening incidents for passengers on board if the brakes do not stop the vehicle during use. It is therefore of utmost importance to check for signs that could indicate a malfunction, such as squeaking noises, stuck pedals, or non-functioning brake lights.
  • Unnoticed oil leaks – Can lead to engine failure and cause serious environmental and safety risks. Regular checking for signs of oil leakage is essential.
  • Flat tires – A puncture at high speeds can lead to loss of control of the vehicle and cause serious and fatal roadside accidents. Regular air pressure checks can prevent unnoticed dangers to the tire.

Essential checklist for regular fleet inspections

Here are some tasks that should be covered in your inspections:

Engine oil

Man-made synthetic oil is cleaner, more efficient, and lasts longer than regular oil. That means your car will have more mileage before you need to have an oil change. The manufacturer’s manual contains the engine’s viscosity and the recommended mileage to have an oil change. Compare that with the oil change mechanic’s estimate.

You can also check the level of your oil by using a dipstick or electronic gauge. If the oil is darker or muddier, it’s time to change it.

Car fluids

Aside from oil, vehicles run on other fluids, too. Coolants, steering, and antifreeze fluids can be checked with a dipstick or gauges. The owner’s manual might not specify when you should refill or check them but you can ask your local mechanic about this.

Replacing and refilling fluids are two different tasks. If your fluids are running low, you can just refill them. If you need to drain the fluid, there is more work required to accomplish it.

Battery and tires

Car batteries play an integral part in running a healthy van, and when you follow the right steps, you’ll never get wrong.

Tire pressure needs some inspection too, so a simple walkaround can show you whether any of the tires have less air than they should have. Check if the treads are worn and if they need replacing already.

Air and cabin filters

These are the two filters that you shouldn’t ignore because they affect the air quality of the cabin and protect the engine. The engine air filter prevents debris, dirt, and other contaminants from getting in. Clogged filters will put too much stress on the engine, affecting its performance and fuel efficiency.

The cabin filter, on the other hand, prevents pollutants from entering the HVAC system. To keep it in optimum performance, you need to replace or clean it.

A digital application for seamless fleet management

With Lumiform’s mobile app, you easily perform fleet management tasks on the go – online or offline. The app guides you step by step through the necessary checks. This ensures that you do not forget any inspection points and that all-important data can be recorded.

With the desktop software, you create checklists and evaluate the data collected in the field. This significantly reduces the risk of accidents, documentation errors, and reputational damage.

After the checklist is done, you receive a comprehensive final report with all the data collected from the check. You can see trends and weak points at a glance and can then initiate repair measures. Benefit from additional advantages:

  • The flexible form builder from Lumiform helps you to convert any individual paper list into a digital checklist without much effort.
  • In addition, we offer more than 12,000 ready-made templates to help companies get started digitally in no time.
  • Using the super intuitive mobile app, you and your teammates conduct checks in the field with ease and in no time.

Try Lumiform for free today and discover how it can transform your fleet maintenance operations!

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Frequently asked questions

How do I decide between in-house maintenance and outsourcing?

This depends on fleet size, budget, and the complexity of your vehicles. For smaller fleets, outsourcing can save money by leveraging expert services without the need for specialized staff or equipment. Larger fleets may benefit from in-house maintenance, which allows for faster repairs and more control over scheduling.

What are the key signs a vehicle needs immediate attention?

Key signs of urgent issues include unusual noises (e.g., grinding brakes), dashboard warning lights, excessive smoke, fluid leaks, or sudden performance drops. Other red flags might be misaligned steering, overheating, or reduced braking power. Address these issues immediately to avoid further damage or accidents.

How do I handle seasonal challenges in fleet maintenance?

In winter, switch to snow tires, check antifreeze levels, and inspect heating systems. For summer, focus on air conditioning, tire pressure, and cooling systems. Seasonal variations also affect wear and tear—roads can become slippery in rain or dusty during dry periods, so adjust cleaning and inspection routines accordingly.

Author
Ima Ocon
Ima is a writer and editor who specializes in technology, with experience crafting content for companies like Canva and FluentU. She's passionate about startups, remote work, and language learning, as well as the applications of AI in marketing. Currently, she is based in Asia, and she previously studied in Taiwan and Singapore.
Lumiform offers innovative software to streamline frontline workflows. With over 12,000 ready-to-use templates or custom digital forms, organizations can increase efficiency and automate key business processes. The platform is particularly user-friendly, offering advanced reporting capabilities and powerful logic functions that enable automated solutions for standardized workflows. Discover the transformative potential of Lumiform to optimize your frontline workflows. Learn more about the product

Related categories

  • Operational excellence
  • Logistics and transportation
  • Maintenance

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