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The capital outlay on a fleet of company vehicles can be considerable. It's worth protecting that investment by maintaining, repairing and servicing the company's cars to a high standard. But which is the best way to go about this?
To some extent, the answer depends on the size of your fleet, the type of vehicles and the demands placed upon them. Do you simply need routine servicing or a complete package of support, including across-the-fleet management?
There are various options to consider for ensuring that your company vehicles are correctly serviced.
Staff control
The simplest and cheapest way can be to pass responsibility for each vehicle to its designated staff owner. Part of their job will be to ensure the vehicle is cleaned, taxed, serviced and repaired in the correct way at the correct time. This can be seen as part of their ownership process and may actually encourage greater responsibility in caring for the vehicle.
Specialist fleet manager
One employee can be delegated or even recruited especially to oversee the management of the company fleet. Depending on the size of the company, this could be a full or part-time role. Tasks could include insurance, tax, service and maintenance, purchasing and disposal. In many small companies this system is combined to some extent with optional staff control.
Outside contractors
The easiest but most expensive option will be to employ external specialist fleet management contractors. They will be experienced and professional in running every aspect of your company fleet smoothly and efficiently, from finding the best servicing deals to advising on cost-effective disposals.
These agencies can be found in the advertising pages of motoring magazines, through an internet search or through contacts. They may be part of a car sales operation, leasing group or vehicle brokerage, or they may be an independent specialist agency. Bear in mind you are generally paying for the convenience of their service - they may use the same local car dealerships when servicing the vehicle.
Note imageMapPlaintext whoever controls the fleet management, the actual servicing is best done by the local franchise dealership for that make of car. They are specialists and their service stamp in the car's log book will ensure maximum residual value at the time of vehicle disposal.
Action Checklist:
- Consider how much work is involved in managing your fleet
- Decide whether it is worth handling that workload in-house or using external contractors
- Recruit or delegate a member of staff, or find an outside agency to handle the fleet
This is a guide. It may be helpful for you to speak to an advisor in fleet service management. E&OE