Coencorp Blog

If you have had the misfortune of having to take the car to the garage due to a significant breakdown at some point, you can attest to the fact that, over the long term, repairs always cost considerably more than maintenance. F. Aboulfath’s research paper titled: “Optimal Maintenance Schedules for a Fleet of Vehicles…” published by the University of Toronto’s Department of Engineering, expands on the optimal challenges of fleet vehicle maintenance and proves the benefits of Preventive Maintenance as an essential solution to cutting costs and extending the life cycle of your fleet.

This fact is crucial for fleets of dozens, hundreds, or thousands of vehicles and pieces of equipment. Not only is equipment longevity at stake, but also company operations and productivity, the safety of employees, and public safety in some cases. In 2016, Chalmers University of Technology published a research paper by Donmez & Zenmouri, definitively illustrating the higher cost of corrective maintenance can be exponentially increased when managing fleets.  

When your company relies on the smooth, predictable, coordinated, and safe running of equipment, efficient maintenance management is more than best practice, it can mean the difference between profit and loss.

A business-wise man once told me, "Fuel Management may not be the sexiest, but top fleet managers know it's where the money is."

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: next to labor, fuel nearly always represents the highest cost of running a fleet. You need a fuel management system if you have your own fuel tanks and dispensers (AKA in-house fleet fueling). No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The level of sophistication and control required will vary from one industry to the next and even between companies within the same industry. But the need for minimal distribution and inventory control of fleet fuel is undeniable. Fuel is expensive, and maintaining inventories without knowing how much, to whom, when, and where it goes makes as much sense as having an open-bar bank account for all to dip into.