Keeping your fleet in tip-top condition is a priority for most businesses, but as fleet maintenance is not your core business activity, it’s not something you do as efficiently or as cost-effectively as you could. You don’t have the right tools, you have to jump through hoops to meet the relevant fleet cleaning regulations, and frankly, your employees would rather be doing just about anything else.
So, what should you do if you don’t have the time, inventory or inclination to keep your fleet ship-shape? You could carry on as you are, wasting time and money as you go, or you could decide to make a change.
Outsourcing fleet cleaning and maintenance doesn’t mean you have to outsource the entire process. If washing your vehicles is the real pain point, our fleet cleaning services can help to put the smile back on your face. But there are also plenty of other high-level business benefits you can realise by trusting your fleet maintenance to third-party experts:
1. Greater cost savings
Fleets managers can typically reduce their fleet maintenance and cleaning costs by between 15 and 30 percent by outsourcing the work to the experts. Outsourced experts have to compete for your business, so they’re continuously optimising their processes and costs to provide the best possible service at the lowest price. They also have more buying power when it comes to purchasing the tools and equipment they need to do the best possible job, which further reduces your costs.
2. Increased human resource efficiency
Outsourced fleet cleaning and maintenance services allow you to redirect your employees away from your non-core activities and back to what they do best. In some cases, you may even be able to reduce your human resource requirements and do away with the associated payroll processing and other back-office functions to improve efficiency and make further savings.
3. A better service
Choosing to outsource fleet maintenance and cleaning will give you access to increased fleet scheduling flexibility, so you can arrange essential and preventative maintenance at a time that suits you. There’ll also be enhanced availability of parts and a quicker turnaround to reduce downtime. Third-party providers also put quality assurance and ISO processes in place to achieve the best possible service standards.
As well as a better job, there’s also likely to be a greater range of services on offer, whether it’s quick-fix repairs, preventative maintenance or whole fleet cleaning. This greater availability of high-quality services can also improve vehicle lifecycles and even reduce the need for spare parts and vehicles.
4. Reduced capital investment
Keeping your fleet cleaning and maintenance in-house requires the investment of your capital in non-core business functions. Outsourcing this service will create a single cost that can easily be accounted for without having to invest in equipment. It will also free up cash-flow that will help to maintain the health and viability of your business and put a big smile on your boss’s face.
5. Improved fleet performance
A fleet cleaning and maintenance provider can make sure your fleet is looking its best and ready to perform, even during high-volume, peak periods. Increased performance comes in the form of vehicle utilisation, downtime and repair turnaround, all of which will reduce your operating costs and increase your ability to meet your customers’ demands.
6. Reduced risk
When a company operates its own maintenance and fleet cleaning facility, there’s a high risk of damage to vehicles and to the health of staff. If one of your employees is hurt on the job, it will make a significant dent in your budget, and money aside, it’s just not something you want to happen to one of your team. Similarly, if you fail to make a repair properly that leads to an accident, you’ll be liable.
A third-party provider will reduce the number of risks you face. They will be responsible for the safety of their team and will be liable if any damage is done to vehicles in their care. They’re also responsible for the disposal of hazardous waste and wastewater, as well as complying with all the relevant environmental regulations that could lead to fines.
7. A flexibility boost
With in-house fleet maintenance comes unavoidable peaks and troughs in demand. As you go through those transitions, it’s difficult to make sure you have the right amount of staff for the job, which can lead to increased overtime costs and periods when fleet performance is affected by a lack of staff.
8. Keeping up with changing technology
Few in-house fleet maintenance teams have the capital to invest in the latest tools and equipment consistently, which, over time, will lead to inefficiencies and a reduction in the quality of the work. Contracting out the work will allow you to tap into the latest technological expertise.
9. Giving your eco credentials a boost
There’s strict vehicle cleaning legislation from the UK Environment Agency that applies to all businesses that wash vehicles as part of their business activity. Whether you’re cleaning one vehicle or 50, it’s illegal to discharge run-off and cleaning products into drains or groundwater systems. Ignore the regulations and you could face a hefty fine.
Outsourced fleet cleaning services can take of these regulations for you. There are even waterless fleet cleaning services that will clean your entire fleet without using or wasting a drop of water. That gives your business eco-friendly credentials worth shouting about!
Book waterless fleet cleaning today
At Dropless, we provide on-demand and scheduled fleet cleaning services that save up to 300 litres of water per wash, with no toxic runoff. Just tell us how many vehicles you’d like to be cleaned and how often, and our engineers will come to you. Get in touch to book your fleet clean today.