GPS tracking and mobile monitoring for preventive fleet maintenance

As a fleet manager, you often face fleet maintenance challenges. You know what a headache it can be when you receive an alert that one of the vehicles has suddenly broken down. These challenges are very common in everyday work, which is why it is important to talk about them today. As you already know, there are two types of vehicle maintenance: mobile and preventive. Additionally, we take a look at the role of GPS tracking as crucial to data-driven decisions.

First, let's discuss what it is. A breakdown on the road is not always predictable. Therefore, you can think of mobile fleet maintenance as having a repair shop rescue your vehicle right where it sits on the road. In other words, it is a mobile service unit with tools, parts and certified technicians that takes care of vehicle maintenance and repairs on site. For you as a fleet manager, it is definitely an indispensable help if it is a minor breakdown and you need a quick repair from time to time. The mobile maintenance service shortens vehicle downtime and ensures smoother overall operations.

Preventive fleet maintenance, on the other hand, is similar to scheduling regular health checks to catch potential problems before they become costly problems. As a fleet manager, your job is to schedule regular inspections, maintenance and repairs, which are the backbone of ensuring all deliveries are made on time and keep both the company and customers happy.

Now you can see that these two types of maintenance have a common goal: minimize downtime and maximize vehicle life and fleet efficiency. Preparing to combine both maintenance methods is crucial to help you focus and focus more clearly on your other tasks so you can keep up with the flow. Because every coin has two sides, including mobile and preventive maintenance. We are sure that you would like to know both the advantages and disadvantages that you should pay attention to when using one method or another.

These are the main advantages of mobile fleet maintenance:

1. Flexibility. As mentioned, the technicians will arrive at your location with all the tools and parts, wherever you are and whenever you need them. It is a 24/7 service.
2. Reduced downtime. Sometimes we can't predict vehicle breakdowns, but quick repairs certainly mean we're on the road less.
3. Cost efficient. You can avoid high towing fees and avoid expensive emergency repairs.
4. Fewer operational disruptions. Regardless of whether your vehicle is on the road or in the company's workshop, there will be minimal disruption to operations.
5. Increased security. If you hire a technician to repair your fleet while on the road, they may discover another problem that can be costly if not addressed in a timely manner. Accordingly, you can make additional visits to the repair shop.

And of course the negative aspects of the service that you should consider:

1. Limited Services. There may still be some complex repairs that require a traditional workshop.
2. Weather dependent. Fix things outdoors? Well, it basically dances in tune with the weather.
3. Equipment limitations. Mobile service units can only carry a limited amount of tools and parts, so you can't be sure the mechanics will be able to fix a major problem.
4. Geographic factor. Sometimes driving and problems in rural areas can be painful as services may not be available in that zone. When planning your route, you should avoid such areas.

If we look forward to preventive maintenance, that is, scheduled checks, we can see these plus points:

1. Reduced outages. Catch these small, insidious problems before they become big problems.
2. Longer life for your ride. Just like a spa day keeps us young, regular maintenance can add years to the life of your vehicle.
3. Saved money. Fixing minor problems sooner can prevent spending a lot of money on major repairs later.
4. Safety always comes first. Keep your drivers and your cargo safe on the road by ensuring all safety features are working properly.
5. Fuel efficient. Regular maintenance keeps your vehicle running smoothly so it doesn't use as much gas. More kilometers, less fuel – that's a win!
6. More time to plan. While mobile maintenance requires more of your nerve cells to react quickly and get help on the go, regularly scheduling vehicle inspections is less rushed and calmer.

However, there are some disadvantages to be aware of when it comes to preventative maintenance:

1. Upfront costs. Yes, regular vehicle maintenance requires some upfront expense, but you should think of it as sowing seeds that will lead to big savings down the road.
2. Planning challenges. Having a large fleet and organizing maintenance for an entire fleet can seem like solving a puzzle.
3. Surprise hiccups. Even if you solve the mystery correctly through regular checks, sometimes you can still end up with a surprise party of unexpected vehicle problems.
4. Excessive maintenance. You don't want to overdo it, but you don't want to underdo it either. Finding this balance is a crucial key to avoiding unnecessary costs and time.

Statistics from 2023 show that the cost of preventive maintenance was significantly lower than reactive maintenance, and the use of software that takes more of the burden off your shoulders in planning and tracking regular maintenance has increased by 14% in the last year gone up. Now that you know how preventative and mobile maintenance work, you can better combine the two in your daily work.

In addition, there is one thing that will definitely come in handy when using these two services – GPS tracking. Did you know that the number of companies using this technology increased by 8.5% compared to last year? Additionally, a whopping 64% of fleet managers navigate their everyday lives using these convenient GPS solutions. How practical is it? Easily tracking your fleet's real-time location and communicating the location to mobile maintenance technicians is faster and easier. Using a GPS tracking system with an OBD-II socket, you can track your vehicle's health parameters such as engine speed, throttle position, load value, coolant temperature, fuel rate, emission control systems and vehicle battery voltage level. Despite this information, it may not be a complete inspection of the vehicle, but it can provide a situational analysis that can show what may have happened and where to start looking if the problem is easy to identify.

And there you have it – combine some mobile and preventative maintenance with GPS tracking magic, sprinkle it with some clear, data-driven decisions and voila! They have a fleet that is happily sailing.