The Autoglass research indicates that only one quarter (27%) of fleets perform regular maintenance checks in addition to scheduled services. In contrast, 58% of fleets tend to rely on their annual or recommended service to identify maintenance problems and a further one in ten (13%) relies solely on drivers to report potential problems.
Yet with more than half (54%) of fleets saying that the main cause of unexpected time off the road for emergency repairs is general wear and tear (54%), this indicates a large number of fleets potentially missing maintenance problems that could be put right sooner, faster and at lower overall cost to the business.
The research also found that van fleets spend twice as much as car fleets on maintenance each year – £1,392 versus £687. On average, the operational cost of a van fleet vehicle being off the road for one day is £726, compared to £588 for predominantly car fleets.
Jeremy Rochfort, national sales manager at Autoglass, said: ‘Prevention is much better than cure when it comes to vehicle maintenance. With more regular, ideally monthly maintenance checks, relatively minor issues such as a chipped windscreen can be addressed much more quickly and at much lower cost than if left to deteriorate.
‘Of course, regular maintenance is not just important for reducing the overall cost of running a fleet, it’s also crucial for safety and to project a professional business image. However, it’s striking that losing even two days of productivity per year of productivity by having a vehicle off the road can, on average, cost some fleet businesses much more than the entire annual maintenance and repair spend for that same vehicle.’
