New, six-point guidance for fleets who are extending the replacement cycles on their van fleets has been launched by FleetCheck.
Barrie Willson, commercial fleet consultant at the fleet software specialist, explained the advice had been created in response to customers who were operating vehicles for longer and seeking advice.
“There’s a couple of trends at play here. One is that many fleets have learnt, post-Covid, that modern vans can be operated economically and safely for longer periods that previously thought. Three-five year replacement cycles are being stretched by a couple of years or more.
“The other is more recent. Some fleets are finding the drive towards electric vans impractical for reasons of range, payload and charging infrastructure, so are actively planning to hang onto their diesel vans for longer.”
The FleetCheck six-point plan says:
- Adhere to manufacturer servicing recommendations
- Ensure vehicles undergo a full technician inspection at least once a year, especially if they have a 24-month service interval
- Action any vehicle recall notices promptly
- Create a policy for pre-use checks and defect management, ensuring drivers have been trained effectively and that compliance is monitored
- Regularly review your driving for work policy to ensure drivers understand their responsibilities
- Analyse maintenance spend by vehicle and driver, and act on those trends
Barrie said, “Really, it’s a question of fleets recognising that the maintenance regime they have used for shorter replacement cycles needs a serious upgrade if they are going to keep vehicles for longer.
“Operators who didn’t previously need to worry about a timing belt change at 100,000 miles, for example, will now need to do so. It should be factored into SMR schedules and some will now need to change the belt twice before eventually defleeting that vehicle.
“Manufacturer recalls, common for brakes, fuel systems, airbags and more, will become more problematic if ignored, while MOT advisory notes will be more common as vehicles age and should be taken seriously rather than treated as advice that can be deferred. Failure to fix these issues promptly will store up problems for the future.”
He added that a strong pre-use vehicle check policy would help ensure that small problems were identified before they become bigger.
