From small trucking companies to major trucking companies, commercial fleet repair services are impossible to avoid. As any trucking business owner or freight manager will know, commercial fleets break down and need repairs more than your average vehicle. After all, they’re hauling heavy items regularly, sometimes going from one side of the country to the other and back. This puts a lot of stress on even the most competent vehicle.
For those who are considering opening a business in the commercial fleet industry, operating a commercial fleet repair shop can be a lucrative endeavor. Since there’s no shortage of trucks and other hauling vehicles that need repairs, you won’t run out of business any time soon. If you already have some experience in auto repairs or trucking, you can transfer those skills to become the best essential business owner in your area of expertise. As you’ll read below, commercial fleet services are essential to keep the trucking industry going and other industries that rely on fleets to deliver their goods or services.
Defining Commercial Repair Services for a Fleet
Although it might seem obvious to some, a commercial fleet service repairs commercial vehicles that are used to transport freight and other supplies to businesses or commercial enterprises. Some commercial freight services may focus on repairing specific types of trucks while others may generalize to cast a wide net to attract business. In general, commercial fleet repair services are indispensable for trucking companies and other businesses that own fleets that might be liable to break down.
Commercial repair services for fleets have to operate quickly to get vehicles back on the road safely as soon as possible. Even the smallest delay in rendering repair services can cost trucking companies money and clients if they can’t show up for their scheduled business activities. Fleet repair services support the trucking industry and help it continue to run efficiently.
Without these services, trucking companies would be scrambling to hire general auto repair workers to do specialized work. This scenario would put the workers at risk and everyone on the road since repairing a fleet requires specialized skills. As you can see, commercial repair services for freight fleets are the unseen backbone of the industry.
Speed Is Key
For most freight companies, time is money. The longer it takes for your freight to get to a client or customer, the more it costs you as a business to transport those goods. What’s more, some customers may become frustrated if they notice that their freight is taking longer than expected
When you own a freight business, you’re working to support other businesses that have their timelines and goals for things. If a store doesn’t receive its merchandise on time, it may have to delay a major launch and risk losing out on thousands of dollars. They might also get frustrated if they need an item by a certain date so they can beat the competition by making it available to their customer base earlier than other stores that carry the same product.
Freight companies know that they need to spend as little time as possible getting freight from point A to point B while maintaining standards for safe transportation. As a result, they can’t afford to spend time switching freight from one truck to another. To avoid breakdowns and costly delays, we need commercial fleet services to repair trucks quickly and prevent them from running into issues on the road in the first place.
Commercial Fleet Problems Affect the Bottom Line
When a commercial fleet vehicle is out of commission, it’s more than a frustrating incident, it can also be costly. If your freight company gets a reputation for being unreliable, potential customers may become uninterested in hiring your company for their freight needs. What’s more, some clients who have loved your work in the past may switch providers if they notice that their supplies are getting delayed more often than not. Although it might feel like commercial fleet problems are out of your control as a business owner, there are some things you can do to change these issues and prevent them from popping up at the most inappropriate times.
As a commercial fleet business owner, you can partner with commercial fleet services to get jobs done quickly. They can inspect a fleet before it hits the road and let you know about any potential problems before they become a bigger issue. In exchange for their services, you can offer them a referral code for any companies they may refer to your services or give their hard-working workers a free lunch in exchange for a discount on services if they are open to that kind of offer.
Although it costs money to repair fleets and freight trucks, it’s not as expensive as it would be to lose your entire business or livelihood thanks to broken-down trucks. Restoring and repairing vehicles is an unfortunate cost of operating a trucking business. While it can feel unfair that you need to pay for your vehicles to be maintained, the freedom that owning your business offers makes it well worth it. As with a personal vehicle, you should ensure that your commercial vehicles meet standards for driving, pass inspections every year, and are properly insured to avoid costly liability expenses and other issues related to lacking commercial vehicle insurance as a business owner.
Plumbers
If a fleet has plumbing that has gone awry, a commercial fleet repair service may specialize in fixing the plumbing. Some may also offer specific services that are tailored to certain types of vehicles such as hydrojetting services. For fleets that transport waste materials, fleet repair services may also install a sewer line hookup to a vehicle for easy access to sewer systems and safe disposal of those materials.
Cold freight transportation systems may need plumbing to work properly to keep coolant running through a system or cycle cold water through the vehicle. Although every cold freight vehicle is different, fleet repair services should have a basic understanding of how these mechanisms work and be able to apply that knowledge to troubleshoot issues with them. Since some supplies could spoil or be ruined if they don’t stay cool enough through the entire transportation process, commercial fleet services need to be available at every stop in their path so that they can get them back on the road and avoid spoilage. When supplies spoil or become unsafe to handle due to warming up, businesses can lose customers and money which makes freight repair services especially vital in this scenario.
Landscapers
Diesel maintenance technicians can partner with landscaping professionals to help them fix their hauling vehicles. Some landscaping professionals may need assistance with adding a field drainage solution to their vehicles. What’s more, they might rely on a commercial fleet repair service to help them outfit their vehicle so that it can withstand the harsh work that landscaping does.
When landscaping companies have to haul heavy materials like stones or hefty bags of mulch, they need to make sure that their vehicle can handle it. Although most commercial trucks should be up to handling heavy loads like this, it’s always wise to have commercial fleet professionals inspect the vehicle before it hits the road. They can also provide tips for distributing the weight of the freight so that it doesn’t wear on certain aspects of the vehicle over time.
Hauling large items like trees can also be tough on even the most reliable freight vehicle. As a result, you may find that you need to get the vehicle you use for hauling checked out more often than some other professionals in your circle if you own a landscaping business. Partnering with diesel repair shops can be a lifesaver for your landscaping business even if it doesn’t seem like it’s necessary when you first start your company from the ground up.
Roofers
A typical commercial fleet repair company is used to working with all kinds of professionals from general contractors to truck drivers to roofing professionals. When a fleet repair service works with commercial roofers, they may ask questions about what you’re hauling and how heavy a typical load is. As an owner of roofing contractor businesses will know, that roofing requires you to haul large roofs and materials that can take a toll on even the most robust vehicle. While some roofing companies outsource their freight and hauling to trucking companies, others may have an in-house freight department that handles this aspect of their business.
If you use commercial trucks to haul materials for your roofing business, you’ll want to work with commercial fleet repair companies to ensure that your trucks are in working order every time they go on a long trip. Once a vehicle returns from a long haul, you should take it into the shop to assess potential damage if you notice issues. You can also ask the driver if they noticed any difference in the way the vehicle looked or functioned during the trip compared to the last time they drove it.
Fuel Companies
For hauling oil, you can’t risk not hiring a commercial fleet repair service to help you maintain your vehicles. Since oil is flammable, you should use a specialized automatic oil delivery company to haul oil and only haul it in freight trucks that are designed to carry flammable materials. Working with a commercial fleet company that specializes in repairing oil trucks can ensure that they won’t use materials that would be unsafe to apply to vehicles that hold oil regularly.
Water Well Companies
Transporting water is a tricky business that can be hard on freight trucks. For the average water well company, having an in-house diesel maintenance professional isn’t as helpful as hiring someone from a company that specializes in repairing commercial fleets. After all, a shop that does commercial fleet repair will have access to equipment that is designed for this specific purpose without you having to pay out of pocket for it as a business owner.
Since water well companies may need to guard their vehicles against rust, fleet maintenance companies can advise you on the best materials to use for this purpose. They may also offer advice about how much water you can carry without damaging the truck. Finally, they may have useful tips for hauling water at a long distance safely.
Caterers
Businesses large and small may need a commercial fleet repair in industries like food service. For those who work in the food industry, hauling freight can mean transporting products that require temperature control and special conditions to stay safe. To avoid disruptions in the services of a business catering service that you own, you should work with fleet repair companies that understand the needs and regulations of the food industry. Since this industry can be demanding, it’s good to work with a shop that can keep up with the fast pace of food service while also prioritizing quality when performing repairs or other services.
Septic Tank Companies
When you’re hauling sewage, you need to have a commercial fleet repair in your contact list. While some companies that do local septic tank cleaning might not need to haul freight, they may transport heavy equipment or use commercial vehicles that fall under diesel repair services. To ensure that your customers don’t experience delays in getting the septic tank services they need, make sure that you know a fleet repair service you can trust when your vehicles are out of commission.
As you can see, commercial fleet repair services matter for many industries. Beyond the industries we listed, retail stores, cosmetology shops, educational institutions, and other settings may need to utilize fleet repair services that specialize in repairing commercial vehicles. If you’re not sure if your business or industry requires you to lean on these services, you can call your local commercial diesel mechanics and ask what they would recommend for your industry.
In short, business owners and truck drivers should find reliable fleet repair services in their area. If you service specific regions, you can find services in those areas for convenient access. If you drive all over the country to deliver commercial freight, having a fleet repair service you trust in every state might be best.
