If you’re in charge of fleet management, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is who will do the maintenance. Can you keep it in-house, or should you find qualified fleet maintenance providers? Can you do both?
Here are essential things to know about fleet maintenance outsourcing:
Most Fleet Managers Are Outsourcing
Studies have shown that most private fleets are outsourcing their fleet maintenance. The 2024 Benchmarking Survey Report from the National Private Truck Council showed that 46% outsourced all the work to fleet maintenance providers. Only about 20% did all the work themselves in-house, and 34% did a combination of both.
The report also showed that medium-duty fleet managers were outsourcing about 86% of their entire fleet maintenance spend. With so much of your fleet management budget spent on an outside provider, choosing the right fleet maintenance company is vital.
Why Outsource to Fleet Maintenance Providers?
Increase Uptime
The number one reason fleet management professionals choose fleet maintenance outsourcing is to increase uptime. It is more effective in keeping vehicles and drivers on the road. If a truck is down, it costs money and strains tight schedules. Outsourcing to fleet maintenance providers reduces downtime, money loss and stress.
Consistent Fleet Maintenance
Outsourcing fleet maintenance also ensures your fleet receives consistent maintenance. For example, Motorplex provides multi-point inspections, preventative fleet maintenance packages and on-site services. Our technicians will get to know your business and your vehicles and can predict future needs and costs. We will have and provide the data to benchmark performance, make service schedules and ensure consistent care for the entire fleet.
Allows Fleets to Grow
Fleet maintenance outsourcing allows fleets to grow and businesses to scale. With that aspect of the business taken care of, fleet managers can focus on operations, customer service, staff training and growing the business. In-house fleet maintenance can make this growth tricky, as it will require hiring and managing more employees, upgrading your facility and other costly things.
Managing a large fleet and performing in-house repairs and maintenance is a big, time-consuming job. Instead, outsourcing allows fleet owners and management teams to focus on scaling the business.
Can You Balance In-House with Outsourced Maintenance?
Absolutely! There is no ‘one size fits all’ regarding high-quality and cost-effective fleet maintenance. If your shop isn’t large enough, it doesn’t make good business sense to have in-house repairs and maintenance across multiple locations; outsourcing some of the work to fleet maintenance providers makes sense.
Investing in an in-house shop can have a good return, but that must be balanced with plans for shop upgrades, finding qualified technicians and how you plan on growing your business. For example, you might have the resources to do fleet repairs in-house, but fleet maintenance outsourcing makes sense for ongoing inspections and preventative maintenance. We can help you find the balance that works for your operations, resources and plans for the future.
Customizable Fleet Maintenance
Motorplex understands that your top priority is keeping your fleet on the road and your business rolling. We can customize our fleet inspections, preventative maintenance and fleet repairs packages to suit your needs and help your business grow.
Need professional fleet maintenance? Then Motorplex is here to help. Contact us now to book an appointment in Auburn, WA or Spokane, WA!
