Fleet replacement is a necessary strategy to have in your fleet management arsenal. And it’s about more than just keeping up appearances. This article explains why it’s so powerful to optimize your fleet replacement processes.
Why is fleet replacement so important?
- Maximizes efficiency. If the units you’re putting out into your defined areas are newer and in better shape, they’ll do the job better and the benefits will show in other ways. One way includes bringing down the cost of energy, which is good for the environment and your bottom line.
- Reduces repair and maintenance costs. The newer the vehicles, the higher the chances they’ll perform unobstructed. This ensures that the amount of maintenance needed stays low, and any repair cost is minor.
- Boosts overall safety. Safety often goes overlooked in many fleet management considerations, but that’s a big mistake. Customer safety is paramount, and replacing older vehicles promotes this.
- Boosts customer experience. Sometimes the customer will want more out of your service other than the ability to get from point A to point B. Since this is the case, you’ll need to have the right vehicles to get the job done. By making appropriate replacements, you create better chances for superior customer experiences.
Creating a fleet replacement strategy
Now that you know why it’s so important to implement efficient fleet replacement, let’s go over some key ways to create an effective strategy.
Research vehicle optimal usage life
It’s a lot easier to make big decisions concerning replacement if you’re aware of how long your units can last. This will vary depending on your specific fleet, so do some detailed research. For example, if you have a fleet of cars of one specific make or model, find out when these types of cars just don’t perform well anymore, say at 75,000 miles. Or, if you rent kick scooters, find out how long, i.e. 3 years, that the wheels become non-functioning, or worn out completely.
Set a timeline for replacement
Once you have a general idea of how long your units will function, it will be easy to determine an appropriate timeline for replacement. For example, you might set a limit on a certain car type, replacing the entire fleet of them once they reach 150,000 miles on the speedometer, no exceptions. By getting a timeline down, there will be no uncertainties of whether you’re making the right decision, because the data and research will support your decision.
Plan ahead for post-replacement
Depending on the units you rent, chances are there will still be value to be had from your fleet. If you have a large quantity, it will get messy trying to sell them individually. Find a system or service that handles bulk vehicle sales so that the process is seamless each time you need to upgrade.
What are fleet services?
Within many fleet leases and fleet management services are ‘fleet services’. These are helpful advantages to help a company get their vehicles taken care of before they need replacement. The specific services included vary, but are often things like maintenance, optimization, updates/upgrades and general management.
So why are fleet services worth mentioning? If your fleet management system includes extra services, you’ll be able to upkeep the vehicles for longer without needing large scale replacements.
How often should you consider replacing vehicles?
We’ve touched briefly on the idea of finding a specific time to replace your fleet based on various factors depending on the units/vehicles. Let’s dig a bit deeper into that, using research we’ve found to guide your decision. As we said earlier, it is important to have this down firm, as a scheduled thing (replacing the vehicles). As such, here are some general guidelines to help show you when.
- The average sedan functions, especially in a rental setting, optimally and with minimal repair costs for approximately 80,000 to 90,000 miles.
- The average truck functions at the same high level up to and a bit over 100,000 miles.
- Bicycles last about about 4.5 years.
- The average kick electric scooter lasts 5 years.
Remember that at the end of the day, the decision is yours. But, just because a vehicle is chugging along from one place to another, doesn’t mean it’s giving customers a good experience.
Wunder Mobility partners with top manufacturers to supply sharing-ready vehicles to shared mobility operators worldwide. Check out our line of vehicles and ensure your fleet of mopeds, scooters and bikes are always up and running.