If you are trying to keep your truck fleet in the best possible shape, then you need to know the key points of maintenance. To help you figure things out, we have put together a fleet maintenance checklist for movers to follow!
Engine maintenance
Your fleet maintenance checklist should always start with the engine. It is the trickiest part of the truck to take care of, and you cannot allow any problems to develop with it. Here is what you need to get done:
- Look over the fuel and cooling system
- Check on hoses and belts
- Look for fluid leaks
- Change the oil and filters
- Change or refill antifreeze
- Inspect the transmission mount
These checks need to be done regularly, especially during the winter months. So, it might be useful to include regular reminder pings in the software for moving companies you are using.
Exterior maintenance
The exterior of your trucks cannot be allowed to degrade, either. It might not cause damage as serious as engine issues, but it can still quickly grow expensive if ignored. Here’s what you need to do to prevent that:
- Report any rust or corrosion
- Check on the condition of the undercarriage and frame of the truck
- Check the moving components in doors and windows
- Double-check that mirrors are secure
- Test all exterior lights prior to every set off
- Look for cracks, chips, leaks, or other damage
- Refill the windshield fluid regularly
- Replace the windshield wipers at the first sign of wear or issues
- Check your exhaust system regularly
Interior Maintenance
Checking over the interior of your truck, especially in the newer models, is not just a matter of comfort. It can be vital to ensure it continues to work properly. Here are the steps:
- Test the steering and suspension system
- Have a professional look over the electrical system components
- Make sure that the interior lights work
- Inspect the condition of the seats and seatbelts
- Check over the heating, air-conditioning, and defrost
- Make sure your horn works
Brakes check
When driving a truck, it is troublesome enough to stop the vehicle without suffering problems with brakes. This is why they need to be in top condition. Make sure you regularly change brake pads and rotors if you notice degradation. Also, refill the brake fluid and check over the drive shafts and CV joints. It does not take too long to do, and it can save the life of your fleet’s drivers.
Wheels and tires
Similarly, when it comes to your fleet maintenance checklist, it is impossible to skip checking over the condition of the tires and wheels of the trucks. In fact, the condition of tread depths, tires, rims, and wheels needs to be meticulously maintained. You should also remember to replace the tires seasonally with the appropriate versions, and replace them again if you notice any significant wear.
Useful tips helpful for keeping your fleet in good condition
Keep vehicle records
It will be extremely helpful, if not outright necessary, to keep extensive records on the vehicles in your fleet. You can, of course, use moving industry software to help you keep all the information tidily sorted out. Which should go a long way towards making the task easier. However, what you need to track is:
- Previous ownership history, if any
- The information on the dealership that new trucks were purchased from
- Maintenance history
- List of replaced parts
- Mileage of the trucks
- The reports of vehicle inspections
- List of accidents where the trucks were involved (if any have occurred)
By staying on top of all this, you make it extremely difficult for any slipups in maintenance to occur. It also prevents theft of parts by ‘replacing’ perfectly good parts with new ones.
Train your drivers properly
In point of fact, other than when purchasing a vehicle for business and the occasional official inspection of the fleet, your drivers will be the ones in most direct contact with your trucks. As such, they are the ones who will be performing the daily maintenance routines that can ensure your fleet can last longer without needing a replacement. Due to this, it is extremely advisable that your drivers are acquainted with the fleet maintenance checklist. It is also smart to put them through a simple training course for performing maintenance themselves.
Regularly check tire pressure
If the truck’s tires start deflating, and no one notices it in a timely manner, it is easy for damage to develop in the core of the wheels. This is an extremely costly result that could be avoided with simple measures: checking the tire pressure regularly. Just as using the moving cost calculator is a smart move for customers, it is only smart for business owners to encourage practices that can prevent financial losses!
Encourage drivers to spot and report problems
It is, sadly, easier to follow moving industry trends than it is to find qualified drivers. For this reason, when you have experienced and knowledgeable drivers, you should make full use of them! If a driver can spot problems developing with his vehicle and takes the initiative to report them, this should not be dismissed or discouraged. Instead, this behavior should be rewarded in some way. Any preemptive spotting of a trouble spot’s development can save tons of money on repairs. Not to mention that pre-emptive repair is much faster and puts your truck out of commission shorter than waiting for something to break down fully!
Have spare parts in storage
The final tip to make following your fleet maintenance checklist for movers easier is to have some spare truck parts in your inventory. In fact, it may even be smart to let your drivers bring along the parts that commonly wear down and that they are trained and capable of replacing themselves. While the replacement should still be called in and regulated, doing things this way can save a lot of time and trouble.
Final Comment
Going through the fleet maintenance checklist for movers to follow, it should be obvious that there are two parts two it. One part is the checks that only a professional can do. While the other part consists of what anyone with minimal training can accomplish. If you want your fleet to be well maintained, you need to make sure that the professional checks are done regularly, too!
