Administrative Services: Why Contract Maintenance Makes Sense For Private Fleets?

By Author: Trinity 3 Logistics
Total Articles: 1
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Businesses that decide to run their fleet of truckers tend to do so since they want control over their administrative services and cost of operation.
In addition, and more recently, they want to eliminate the limitations on the capacity that are a result of the market segment for hire.
It is reported that the National Private Truck Council says that there are over two million vehicles under the private fleet umbrella comprising around 53% of the trucks that are registered within the U.S. For these companies, the trucking industry is not their primary business. In other words, it tends to be seen as a cost-center versus a revenue source. This is why these businesses would like to keep the price of transporting their goods at a minimum.
A well-designed maintenance program is a vital component of keeping costs low to ensure that businesses get the best return from investments in transport assets. Businesses can decide to manage maintenance and repairs within their shops however, this requires the purchase of additional tools as well as inventory, equipment personnel, and training.
The trucking industry is ...
... currently facing not just a shortage of drivers but also a shortage of trained technicians. In reality, experts from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that by the next year 67,000 technicians would be required to replace retired workers. In addition, 75,000 new mechanics will need to be recruited to meet the growing demands.
Furthermore, trucking is undergoing an era of technological change with developments taking place at an alarming rate. Training technicians to work on the latest high-tech automobiles of today is challenging. This is not even touching the expense of having the proper equipment to recognize the latest vehicles.
One method private fleets can avoid certain troublesome maintenance and repair issues is to outsource their repair and maintenance work by working with an expert who has the knowledge, expertise, and scale to manage the maintenance requirements of the fleet with the best contract maintenance service.
A lot of private fleets believe that contract maintenance can be a universal solution but that's not the case. The most successful program for contract maintenance will be one in which your service supplier is informed of not only the truck fleet of the customer as well as its operational and delivery needs. The provider is then an integral part of the performance of the fleet - develops an agreement maintenance program employing highly-trained personnel and the latest diagnostic tools specifically meet the requirements of the client.
Many additional services are available in an agreement for maintenance contracts, such as assistance with vehicle specifications and replacement vehicles, wash and fuel tax reporting, as well as additional administrative support. A solid maintenance reporting system connects all this to offer complete transparency of key performance indicators in actual-time and historical costs for fleets.

A reliable contract maintenance service is aware that the foundation of maintenance for trucks is a well-organized, thorough preventive maintenance plan. Research has consistently demonstrated that timely completion of PMs with lower costs for operation (TCO). The provider's national service and the supplier network can deal with all maintenance problems that might occur at any time, all year round.
When contemplating a switch to contract maintenance the private fleet manager must share the details of their fleet's operations in the hands of the external service company, so that the provider has all the information about the carrier's requirements and can design an approach specifically to the needs of that fleet. Don't partner with any service provider that offers an identical procedure for repair and maintenance. Although you're handing the repair and maintenance work over to a third party you retain control over the way the work is carried out and determine the brands of products that can be used for different repairs.
When properly designed an effective program of contract maintenance can become an important asset for a private fleet owner, keeping vehicles on the road and decreasing TCO. The key to success lies in picking the right company with whom to collaborate.

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