Over the past 12 months I have tried to stay on top of the company vehicles monitoring any faults so they do not deteriorate and become major fixes which cost much more money plus the added down time. Work wise we are coming into season so we need every vehicle on the road knowing they will not break down and create chaos. I have purposefully created contacts over the last 12 months who will be on hand when needed instead of just using anyone. Relationships have been made and this will help us in the long run.
Last night I drove one of the vehicles home because it was apparently making some unusual sounds and they followed my instructions letting me know. The front brakes were making a clunking sound which was not normal and after testing the vehicle out the sounds disappeared. A worry as the problem has not miraculously fixed itself by myself taking it for a spin and this problem will reappear.
This morning I instructed the driver to take it to the tyre place where we have brakes tyres and shocks done. The driver misunderstood and took it to the mechanical workshop instead. They quoted to replace the discs brake pads and something with the rear drums so I knew it was a complete brake overhaul of the entire braking system.
I phoned the place the driver should have gone to first and they were 50% cheaper as they specialise in exactly this. The vehicle was dropped off and it turns out the first work shop had cracked one of the rear drums when trying to remove it. This is why you go to a specialist and not a general mechanic. I cannot prove he damaged the drum, but we all know this is what happened. One calamity after another, but at the end of the day the vehicle will be road worthy by tomorrow afternoon.
The vehicles are our work horses and they are literally driven into the ground and have plans to replace what we are currently doing with an alternative service provider. The trade courier prices are pretty good and are way cheaper than sending a vehicle and driver out. You would not think this would be the case, but we have been offered via my friends contact to join a group of businesses that have a package deal going. Deliveries in the Johannesburg/Pretoria region would come in at around R50 each or $3 and for larger items like tread mills R100 or $6.
The expenses saved would be large which would include possibly two salaries plus the vehicle costs. I would still keep 2 vehicles and get rid of two cutting my fleet costs by 50% which is significant. The savings on petrol alone without all the other maintenance/insurance and wages makes it worth while.
Unfortunately drivers do not maintain the vehicles and why the repairs become major repairs each time. The garage cracking the drum is just another one of those things and added an extra $100 to the bill. The only person you can rely on is yourself and why you have to be checking everything regularly before something else breaks. Getting rid of the vehicles is a step in the right direction by letting someone else deal with the pain.