Aside from the obvious, having fleet vehicles in top repair is vital to ensuring the smooth running of the business. Whether it’s making sure a particular plate is on the road for a specific client or getting the fleet back on the road for a big job.

For example, when your fleet vehicles are in need of repair, they can be a detriment to the safety of employees, cost thousands (if not millions) of dollars in down time, compromise FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) inspections and more.

Here at the D.A.C.C. (Dealership Autoplex Collision Center), we work with both commercial and domestic urgent vehicle maintenance. Meaning we’re well-versed in the importance behind fleet repair and its time-sensitive nature.

So, here’s how to master urgent vehicle care in a fleet repair service:

1. Establish a Relationship with Your Fleet Repair Provider

The first way to make sure your fleet repair is done to standard and at speed is by getting to know your urgent vehicle maintenance service provider, first.

When you’re familiar with your repair shop, they’ll be able to help with a lot more than you might think. For example, as soon as you have a fleet car needing repair, restoration or maintenance, you should call your collision center ASAP. They can help provide estimates on time so you can plan around repairs effectively and minimize business revenue losses.

As well as this, they’ll know your fleet. Going to an autobody shop with ASE-certified technicians isn’t the only importance when it comes to urgent vehicle maintenance and fleet repair. They need to know your fleet from hood to chassis in order to speedup repairs.

2. Review the 7 Key Areas for Vehicle Safety and Compliance

It’s vital to be aware of state-wide and national laws for safety and compliance when it comes to commercial fleet vehicles. Whether they’re trucks used in haulage or business-to-customer fleet hire services.

Most of the time, they’ll outline core areas that must satisfy inspection on a regular basis. With this in mind, fleet repair and urgent vehicle maintenance should always visit these areas prior to addressing any other concern.

This helps ensure the vehicle remains compliant and safe for employees, clients and other road users. Why and How to Manage Urgent Fleet Repair

The 7 key areas for vehicle safety and compliance under the FMCSA (Dealership Autoplex Collision Center) and OVFM (Office of Vehicle Fleet Management) are:

• Batteries (and jump-starters)

• Brakes (and brake pads)

• Fluid Levels (and leaks)

• Fuel Levels (and the condition)

• Suspension (for short and long-haul)

• Third-Party Accessories (and electronics such as rear-view cameras)

• Tires (and portable air compressors)

3. Take a Proactive Approach with IVMS

When we say IMVS, we’re talking about in-vehicle monitoring systems that detect and alert to a vehicle fault the minute it happens. For example, a transmission failure or engine issue.

So, we suggest installing these after-market accessories for your fleet and fast. If you want to learn more about installations on your vehicle to prevent the need for fleet repair, have a look at our other article “Getting Auto Accessory installation for Your Truck”.

As well as this, there are even more ways to be proactive. Such as modifying routes to reduce mileage, ensuring driver monitoring prevents poor driving habits and adding routine maintenance procedures. They all add up to bring down costs.

Here are 5 reasons it’s vital to take a proactive approach to fleet repair and urgent vehicle maintenance:

• Reduce the risk of break-down

• Reduce the vehicle off road time

• Reduce the overall repair costs

• Reduce operating costs

• Reduce inspection failures

And that is the D.A.C.C. manual to urgent vehicle maintenance for your fleet.

The short of it is that you should always make sure your fleet is going to a trusted collision center for repair and maintenance. As well as this, the fleet always needs to be checked against the state laws for commercial vehicles and you should never underestimate the effect of preventative fleet car care.

As ASE-certified technicians with over 25 years of experience in the Dallas region, we’re one step closer to your urgent fleet repair, the next step is getting to know the team. So, call us on (972) 242-0092, check-out our website or bring the fleet straight to the shop for our technicians to work their auto-mechanic magic right here is Carrollton, TX.