Many businesses own trucks, and there are some factors to be aware of to get the best out of your fleet. It may be that you operate a large operation or run a few trucks? Regardless of fleet size, there are a few essential things to know when your business owns trucks.
How to Find the Best Insurance
Insurance is a legal requirement, but not all policies are equal. Doubtless, we are all aware of the price discrepancy, but what are the reasons for some insurers being more expensive? To compare insurance, we must delve deeper into the features of each policy. The first thing to check is the excess you will pay in the event of a claim; this is the fee you pay to make a claim, cheaper policies often justify their price tag with a higher excess. Other features that might be worth going with a higher-priced provider can be breakdown cover, courtesy vehicles, key-cover, and more.
Maintenance
Keeping your fleet in good working order should be a priority for every business. Broken down vehicles cost us in so many ways. If our staff are standing at the side of the road waiting on a tow truck, they are costing us money rather than making it. Broken down vehicles contribute to damaging our reputation, we end up being late for customers and others can see our vehicles stuck at the side of the road.
Where to Buy
Which trucks to buy and where to source them are important considerations when building a fleet. I always used this international used truck center as it offers us a wide choice of suitable vehicles. We can shop and compare from a range of locations, and we rarely struggle to find what we need.
Signage
One key consideration is signage. We would always ensure that our trucks have signage on them. The relatively low cost of having the signs put on more than pays for itself when compared to the visibility it gives to the brand. The decision is always how much detail to put on the sign? For some companies, it makes sense to have the business name and maybe a phone number? This strategy works well for established firms in their industry. For some newer enterprises, it may be useful to include graphics and imagery. Whatever way you go be sure to pay for professional vehicle wraps to ensure your image is upheld.
Fuel Costs
Having a fuel-efficient trucking system can be of huge benefit to your bottom line. Our first consideration is getting the size of the truck right; if we buy something too large our fuel bills will be unnecessarily high, but if the truck is too small then repeat trips will put many extra miles on the road. Taking out a fuel card account can give you savings at the pump with the added benefit of being able to monitor which vehicles are using the most fuel.
