COVER STORY
When does it make sense to
OUTSOURCE
MAINTENANCE?
Steps to determine if contract
maintenance services are the
right approach for your fl eet.
By Erica Schueller, Editor-in-chief
MAINTENANCE & SERVICE
s operational costs continue to rise, it is now more critical than ever to implement
and follow dedicated preventative maintenance (PM) practices. But,
even with the most optimized PM schedules in place, there are many additional
tasks required of a fl eet maintenance department, such as handling
unexpected breakdowns, keeping up with the latest vehicle technology and
technician training and assisting with or completing equipment spec’ing.
To address these needs, and ultimately aid in maximizing vehicle uptime,
some fl eets may choose to outsource their maintenance operations to a third
party contracted service provider.
Reasons for outsourcing
Th ere are a number of reasons fl eets may opt to outsource maintenance.
Considerations such as directing resources and attention to focus on the
company’s core competency, addressing operational issues and keeping up
with continued vehicle and tooling technology all play a role in a fl eet’s
decision to outsource.
From a fi nancial and business strategy perspective, a company may choose
to invest in other areas of the business such as marketing, expansion, product
development, etc. and opt to not have maintenance be a core competency
of their business.
“If transportation is not your company’s core business, then a full-service
lease or maintenance program could be in your company’s best interest,” says
David Rhodes, area operations manager - east, Paccar Leasing Co. (PacLease).
A division of Paccar, PacLease is a commercial truck leasing company with
options for full-serve leasing, rental and contract maintenance programs.
A
10 Fleet Maintenance | May 2018
Continued Page 12
» Typically used for newer or leased vehicles,
fixed-cost maintenance agreements provide
fleets a guaranteed cost per month.
Photo courtesy of PacLease