As important as your business fleet can be to your business, it can also easily be one of the biggest overheads to manage. Any vehicle can become a serious financial drain if you let them. Here, we’re going to look at how to keep the costs of your fleet light to make it a much more manageable part of the business, looking at both how you purchase your fleet and how you care for it.
Look at different ways to purchase the vehicle
If you’re looking at adding more vehicles to the fleet, then you should take a closer look at how you’re going to pay for it, as buying it one payment or financing it on your own credit may not always be the most affordable option. For instance, there are some ways that you can have the funding and ownership of the vehicle split with staff members. There are also fleet financing options such as hire purchase and contract hire. When it comes to financing a vehicle, just be sure that you’re aware of who owns the vehicle at the end of the agreement. If you’re dead set on making sure the vehicles become a company asset at the end, then financing a purchase might be the option even if it’s not the most affordable.
Take advantage of what deals you can
When you’re looking at vehicles, it might pay to consider going a little outside the box. By looking at the used and refurbished market, you might be able to find vehicles much more cost-effectively. However, if you look outside of the market of vehicles strictly meant for storage, you might find even more opportunities to save. For instance, you could look at used ambulances for sale and compare the costs with vans that might offer the same space. Add the costs of renovating it to suit your purpose and you might find that you still come out on top with some savings.
Take better care of your vehicle
Don’t just look at the cost. Look at the cost-effectiveness of your purchases, as well. If you take better care of your vehicle, then it’s going to last a lot longer and bring more value to the business. What’s more, a preventative maintenance schedule can help you cut the overall costs of repairs, reducing your overheads dramatically. Keeping your fleet safe on the road is going to help you cut costs, too. Not only can you reduce the very expensive risk of accidents and collisions on the road, but you can track driver habits like over-acceleration and harsh braking. These habits can lead to more maintenance and replacements and by addressing them, you can reduce these behaviors thus cut down on those costs.
A commercial vehicle needs to be both built and maintained with care. Getting a good deal on a new vehicle might be all well and good, but it’s not going to mean much if the costs of repairs and maintenance soon outweigh any savings you might have made in the first place.
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