Companies that choose to operate their own trucking fleet do so often because they seek control over customer service and operating costs.
Additionally, and most recently, they also want to avoid capacity constraints that arise in the for-hire market segment.
The National Private Truck Council says that there are more than two million vehicles operating under a private fleet umbrella, encompassing about 53% of all trucks registered in the U.S. For these companies, trucking is not their core business. Put another way, trucking is more likely to be viewed as a cost center versus a revenue generator. As such, these companies want to keep the cost of shipping their goods as low as possible.
A quality maintenance program is an integral part of keeping costs down to ensure that companies get an optimal return on their investment in transportation assets. Companies can choose to handle maintenance and repair in their internal shops, but that requires an additional investment in tools, equipment, inventory, personnel and training.
The trucking industry currently faces not only a driver shortage but also a shortage of qualified technicians. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that by next year, 67,000 technicians will be needed to replace retired workers, and 75,000 new mechanics must be added to meet additional demand.
In addition, trucking is in the midst of a technology upheaval with new developments occurring at a dizzying pace. Keeping technicians trained to work on the high-tech vehicles of today can be daunting. That does not even touch on the cost of having the right equipment to be able to diagnose today’s sophisticated trucks.
One way for private fleets to avoid some of these maintenance and repair-related headaches is to outsource its maintenance and repair work by collaborating with a specialist that has the experience, technology and geographic scale to handle the fleet’s maintenance needs with a top-notch contract maintenance solution.
