Gallagher shares tips for business fleet vehicles

With many businesses holding onto ageing vehicles amid vehicle shortages and supply pressures, global brokerage giant Gallagher has offered tips on reducing vehicle off-road (VOR) time.

In its latest blog, Gallagher said that vehicle downtime is a costly factor when managing fleets, costing businesses loss productivity daily. Additionally, delaying vehicle maintenance and servicing could be expensive.

“This also extends to grey fleet vehicles, where employees use their own vehicles for business purposes, as the business is still responsible for ensuring these vehicles are safe and adequately maintained,” Gallagher said.

How to reduce VOR time

Gallager said businesses can help reduce VOR time and contain rising service, maintenance, and repair costs by adopting the following measures:

• Checking a vehicle before going out on the road can identify potential issues before they become critical.
• Take a proactive approach to regular servicing and obtaining safety certificates by using forward-booking facilities offered by many service centres.
• Lease vehicles regularly to keep them within the warranty period.
• When purchasing new vehicles, consider models that are easier to repair and service.
• Robust fleet management and maintenance records help ensure vehicle safety and establish evidence when making an insurance claim.
• Insure your fleet vehicles with a courtesy vehicle included in the policy to ensure that indemnity periods provided reflect realistic downtimes.
• Consider temporarily increasing your fleet at peak business times by using rental vehicles rather than spending on new vehicles that do not provide yearlong return on investment.
• Defensive driving training and using telematics can help reduce the human error in road risks and accidents.
• Analyse VOR time and any common causes to help improve your business vehicle fleet management.
• Focus on regular servicing, maintenance, and repair of employee-owned vehicles and apply the same considerations for reducing costs as for business-owned fleets.