Running a fleet isn’t just stressful; it can also be a hugely expensive endeavor. Whether you’re new to the business or have been doing it for years, saving money and cutting costs for your fleet takes a long time to perfect and implement. No matter how many new ways you find to trim fuel costs or refine maintenance checks, maintaining a fleet of cars is expensive. However, t here are a lot of easy ways to cut down on costs without compromising the quality of your fleet. If you’re looking to shave a bit off of your bottom line, here are a few costs to keep an eye on.
Purchase Costs
Before you can do anything with your fleet, you have to have vehicles that will be able to go the distance time and time again. Purchasing cars for your fleet provides one of the largest outright costs any fleet owner has to deal with. Whether you’re replacing an older car that’s out of commission or buying a few supplementary vehicles for your fleet, the cost of a new car can make a big dent in your budget. If you’re looking to save a bit on the initial cost of vehicles, the best thing to do is to consider purchasing reliable pre-owned vehicles as stand-ins for cars undergoing maintenance or to invest in a few hybrids for your fleet to help cut down on fuel costs.
Maintenance Fees
Once your cars are out on the road, you’ll have to start thinking about maintenance. One of the most important parts of your job as a fleet manager is to keep each car from running into trouble on a job. That means keeping up with maintenance checks to stop problems even before they occur. While this can end up being expensive as well as taking lots of cars out of rotation, it’s worth it to pay the preventative costs rather than paying the cost of an outright repair. To save a bit on maintenance, hire a team of experienced mechanics to stay in-house so you won’t have to rely on outsourcing your checks or repairs.
Insurance
Finding a way to insure each vehicle in your fleet isn’t easy. In fact, it can end up costing a ton of money in the long run. That’s why choosing commercial fleet insurance is an easy, affordable way to cover your entire fleet without having to worry about getting each individual vehicle its own policy. You’ll be able to find a plan that covers almost everything, and you’ll only have to pay one flat rate for your entire fleet.
Fuel
Fueling an entire fleet isn’t cheap. When it comes to fluctuating gas costs and changing mileage, it can be extremely difficult to lock down and predict your needs for a gas budget through the year. However, investing in bulk fuel options specifically for fleets, like WatchCard fleet fuel cards, will go a long way toward cutting down your gas costs through each quarter. You’ll be able to pay in advance, and you’ll be protected from the ups and downs of the gas market.