Vehicle Maintenance
Whether a vehicle is owned or leased by the organisation, it is their responsibility to ensure that vehicles are in a roadworthy condition. As well as reducing the risks of being a danger on the road and a vehicle breakdown, a well maintained vehicle will operate more efficiently and economically, for instance returning a better fuel economy.
The organisation will require a planned approach to vehicle maintenance, including daily and weekly driver checks, as well as planned maintenance programmes with clear standards and minimum periods between services.
Maintenance work should be regularly assessed to ensure it is of high standard. Ensure quality replacement parts are used on your vehicles, particularly for safety-critical elements such as brakes or tyres.
Monitor the durability of parts and any vehicle defects that occur, so that you can identify problems and trends in order to upgrade your vehicle choice, component choice or maintenance regime accordingly.
Where servicing and maintenance is carried out ‘in-house’ it is essential to reference the vehicle manufacture’s handbook.
Servicing
To comply with a vehicle’s warranty it is important to follow the manufacturer’s servicing schedule and conditions. Generally, servicing is undertaken at a set period of time or set mileage intervals, and is carried out by qualified technicians experienced in the vehicles being serviced.
The need for servicing may be more frequent in different regions and for harsher environmental conditions.
An organisation needs to ensure its vehicles are being serviced on time. If they are being serviced early, it can be unnecessarily costly, while if they are being serviced late there is a risk of breakdowns and failures, and an associated risk to fleet safety as well as to the manufacturer’s warranty.
Maintenance
Maintenance work should be regularly assessed to ensure it is of high standard. Ensure quality replacement parts are used on your vehicles, particularly for safety-critical elements such as brakes or tyres.
Monitor the durability of parts and any vehicle defects that occur, so that you can identify problems and trends in order to upgrade your vehicle choice, component choice or maintenance regime accordingly.
Where servicing and maintenance is carried out ‘in-house’ it is essential to reference the vehicle manufacture’s handbook.
Driver Managed Vehicle Repairs
In a breakdown situation, it is often the case that the driver is best placed to make emergency repairs to the vehicle to enable them to continue their journey. If an organisation decides that this is appropriate, the following issues need to be considered:
• What repairs can drivers undertake?
• What additional training is required?
• What spare parts should be carried in the vehicle?
• What additional tools should be carried in the vehicle?
• What manuals should be carried in the vehicle?
Alternatively, drivers must be provided with details of what actions to take in the event of a breakdown.
