4 Tips on Efficient Truck Service

Fleet managers need to find ways to service and repair heavy trucks in a way that limits downtime while keeping maintenance costs affordable. This article discusses some useful tips which can help fleet managers to attain their maintenance targets easily by outsourcing truck servicing repair.

Find Several Service Providers

It is advisable for you to identify more than one provider of maintenance services for your fleet. Categorise one provider as the primary (go-to) entity while others can be secondary. This arrangement will enable you to have your trucks attended to promptly when repairs have to be conducted during an emergency.

Retain Some Functions

It is not mandatory for you to outsource all your maintenance and repair needs. Identify those tasks which cannot be performed internally due to various factors, such as lack of equipment or technical personnel. The contract you sign with the external providers can stipulate that you expect them to offer those needed services. Continue conducting repairs or maintenance on the aspects where in-house competence exists. This will help you to keep costs in check since outsourced services may be more costly than in-house services.

Pay Attention to Systems

One complaint about outsourcing maintenance services is that fleet managers remain in the dark about turnaround times. You can avoid such a problem from affecting your fleet by agreeing on communication channels with the service provider. For example, telephone contact is susceptible to a communication failure in case someone is inaccessible by phone. Additional communication channels, such as software to send updates about repair assessments and expected turnaround times, can remove some of the jitters that result when fleet managers don't know what is happening to a truck which has been taken in for repair or service.

Set KPIs

Your relationship with the external service provider will be successful or it will fail based on how well each party understands the expectations of the other party. One way to understand one another is by agreeing on key performance indicators. For example, how soon should a truck enter a service bay once it reaches the premises of the external service provider? What are the turnaround times expected for each kind of repair? Detailed KPIs will streamline how each side views the working relationship. In this way, misunderstandings may be avoided.

It is inevitable that fleets will have to outsource some or all of their fleet's repair and maintenance functions. The rapid changes in the trucking industry, such as the use of novel materials, make this change inevitable. Start thinking about how this process can be managed in a way that makes the transition seamless.