You can’t have a tow truck business without a fleet of tow trucks that actually work. It’s important that your tow trucks are in good health so that they’re up to the task of hauling cars – that’s no easy job, and you don’t want your vehicle to quit on you and break-down in the middle of a job. That’s why preventive maintenance is essential for towing operations. Preventive maintenance is basically having a professional check over your tow trucks to see if there are any repairs that need to be done before the truck breaks down (as the name suggests, you’re trying to get ahead of a potential problem with maintenance.) You might be wondering how to start a preventive maintenance program for your wrecker operation, and we can help you out with that.
1. Check each vehicle and get a starting point.
You need to have a starting point for each of your vehicles. You’ve got to start somewhere, and that means getting a mechanic to inspect the tow truck and note the mileage of the truck and the fluid levels. Basically, you just need a general baseline of what’s going on with your tow truck. You also need a record or report of this inspection.
Remember, you need to keep detailed records of this initial inspection and every inspection after. Keeping thorough reports and paperwork is important.
2. Keep a record of important details of your trucks.
That means being sure to log mileage of the vehicle, track the fuel usage, and the note of the age of the tow truck. If there are any other relevant details you need, include those in these records, too.
3. Decide how often you need to have the trucks taken for preventive maintenance.
You might use mileage as a gauge for when it’s time to get the trucks looked at, or maybe it makes sense to set up a schedule based on the number of weeks between maintenance checks. It’s important to consider things like how many tow trucks you have, how much your drivers drive, and how many mechanics you have available to work on your wreckers. Your preventive maintenance schedule depends on what’s right for your business.
4. Let your drivers know about the new maintenance program.
Everyone has to be on-board and aware of the maintenance program. Your drivers have to know how to recognize problems with their trucks and how to properly report them. Remember to emphasize the importance of keeping detailed paperwork and the importance of communication between them and the mechanic – and you, of course!
5. Keep track of the expenses.
The goal of preventive maintenance is to take care of problems with the wrecker before they get out of control – and too expensive. Ideally, the expenses of preventive maintenance would be less (in the long run) than that of repairs done after the truck breaks down. But of course it’s important to have neat, detailed records of the expenses and money that you’re pouring into your tow trucks.
Preventive maintenance and doing pre-trip vehicle inspections can help you keep your tow trucks as safe as possible. Driving is dangerous enough as it is, but if you take care of your wreckers you can reduce the chances of one of your drivers being in an accident caused by a mechanical issue with their vehicle. And avoiding accidents can help you save money on your tow truck insurance rates, which is great because tow truck insurance costs have been rising. So, preventive maintenance isn’t just a way to avoid headaches with your tow trucks – it can also help you save money for your business.
If you’d like to save some money on your tow truck insurance by shopping for rates, we can help. All you have to do to get multiple quotes for tow truck insurance is fill out our online form or give us a call today.
Source:
https://gorillasafety.com/news-room/implementing-a-fleet-maintenance-program
https://gorillasafety.com/news-room/streamlining-fleets-preventative-maintenance/
