There are only two ways to approach vehicle downtime. By guessing how often the maintenance should be or by relying on technology. What guesswork doesn’t account for is the amount of time a vehicle may sit on the lot waiting to be serviced or waiting for pickup after the job was completed. New solutions can serve as a fleet manager’s eyes and ears no matter where the job site is in order to eliminate unaccounted time in downtime projections.
A fleet manager can be notified the instant a vehicle enters a repair shop with geofencing technology; in other words, a virtual boundary triggers a notification when the vehicle crosses it. In some instances, drivers may be lax in returning a newer model rental vehicle and let their everyday vehicle sit in the shop for an extra day or two. Additional downtime costs could pile on top of this if the employee is generating revenue for the company by performing a service or making a delivery.
While that may save a marginal amount of money in the short term, it can have a drastic effect on the company’s budget in the long-term. Instead of assigning an oil change interval across the entire fleet, group vehicles by segment or class, specific job function, and operating conditions, big data and statistical analysis can pinpoint small issues that, over time, could develop into larger problems and extended downtime.
Through a combination of new technology and old-fashioned common sense, the number of hours a vehicle sits at the repair shop can be minimized—reducing costs and allowing the driver to continue earning revenue.
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