Winter is almost always unpredictable. The heavy snow on roads, accompanied by increased traffic, limited route options, road salt, downtime, delivery delays, and increased fuel consumption, are some of the biggest challenges businesses face during winter. Fleet managers increasingly need to maintain and track fleets and assets and keep their drivers and communities safe.
As the weather gets more unpredictable, winter preparedness has become more challenging. However, timely planning, proactive maintenance, and regular upkeep can help fleet businesses increase fleet productivity during freezing temperatures. Here are 11 ways to ensure Improve Fleet Productivity during Winter:
1. Prepare Maintenance and Service Plans
As the holidays approach, the roads are blocked with thick ice and traffic. To ensure minimum delays and downtime, you must create an all-inclusive fleet maintenance, routing, and repair plan. Planning can also help you see a better return on your investment.
Plan your seasonal maintenance with precision timing, making sure all products are in stock and ready to go. Make sure your fleet is best-suited for the route and that the drivers and accompanying technicians have the required expertise in driving and troubleshooting.
2. Invest in Winter Protection Products
Winter maintenance isn’t just fixing a dysfunctional engine or checking the heating system. Road salt, humidity, corrosion, and other factors related to extreme temperatures can damage your vehicle’s exterior and interior. Using anti-corrosion, patching, and metal protective coating products can decrease corrosion and maximize the mobility of the interior and exterior parts of the vehicle.
Invest in industrial-grade corrosive salt neutralizers, ice melters, and rust encapsulating inhibitors and keep them on hand before winter arrives. Some of the best industrial products manufacturers, like Continental Research Corporation, manufacture a range of winter protection products, such as non-stick coating, windshields washer solvent, diesel fuel conditioners, rust de-bonder, high solids primer, liquid rust converters, and much more. These products ensure the smooth functioning of your vehicle and boost your fleet’s productivity during winter.
3. Use Vehicle Coolants
Vehicle coolants are antifreeze liquids that help regulate the engine temperature during winter. Coolant is pumped throughout the engine block during hot and cold weather to maintain an even temperature. Using vehicle coolant increases a vehicle’s productivity and prevents delays caused by frozen engines.
4. Consider Tire Inspection and Replacement
Tires frequently become stuck when the temperature drops. To start winter fleet preparations, rotate your tires and check whether you need to lubricate the internal parts of the wheels. Inspect the tires thoroughly and replace them if the tire’s treads seem worn out. If your fleet tires have rib treads, you might also want to consider changing them to lug treads. Lug treads provide better stability and allow better handling on slippery roads.
Due to cold temperatures, the air inside the tire condenses and causes it to deflate. Deflated tires negatively affect tread life, fuel economy, and overall safety. Monitoring the tires and checking the tire pressure regularly, especially before departure, help minimize any risks during transport.
Additionally, install valve caps on each tire to prevent moisture and ice from accumulating in the valve core.
5. Protect Fleet Brakes
If the brakes are already corroded, the icy and humid weather can further interfere with their function. It’s always important to keep your brakes in good working order, especially during snowy weather. Have your mechanic lubricate your vehicle’s automatic brake adjusters (ABA) to prevent corrosion.
Check that the dust plugs on your air disc brake wheels are properly seated and installed. Examine the protective boots and guide pins for cuts or tears. Check your vehicle’s air dryers and filters to avoid freezing your brakes.
6. Use Winterized Fuel
Winterizing your trucks’ fuel will help your diesel engines run better. Winterized fuel can start the engine even in freezing temperatures and gel less quickly. Since fuel economy decreases in the winter, it’s a good idea to use winterized fuel and save on maintenance and fuel costs.
7. Check the Battery Output
Battery drain happens faster in cold weather. A colder engine requires more energy from the batteries to start. Choose batteries with thermal insulation during the summer months to protect your batteries from excessive drainage during the winter. Keep track of the battery charging and ensure all the battery connections are tight to prevent any liquid leakage. To prevent dead batteries, keep the terminals clean and remove any corrosion.
8. Test Heating System
Logistics is a tedious task, and drivers must spend days or weeks driving large vehicles on ice-covered roads. To keep your drivers comfortable and protected during long driving hours, ensure the fleet’s heating system is working perfectly. A functional heating system guarantees comfort and safety for the driver and keeps the windshield defrosting feature running during frosty weather.
9. Overview of the Statistics of the Previous Year
This is a major step many fleet managers tend to overlook. You can predict weather conditions and identify areas for improvement during transportation by reviewing the weather statistics and fleet data of the previous year, including routes, delays, areas with extreme weather conditions, maintenance history, and major technical or non-technical issues. By identifying all areas of concern, managers can make significant changes in the fleet plan for the coming winter and improve fleet productivity.
10. Use Fleet Management Software
Fleet management software comes with AI-powered tools that help you choose the best vehicle for the set route. It also keeps track of vehicle maintenance history and reminds you if any pending maintenance job needs immediate attention. Fleet management systems use GPS and GIS to track all the vehicles on the road and choose optimal routes for logistics.
11. Routing Optimization
During winter, avoiding terrains that receive excessive snowfall is important to increase your fleet’s productivity. Changing the route to a lesser altitude and straighter roads can help minimize delays and improve fuel efficiency. Use GPS systems to track your fleet and inform your driver if there’s a change in the routing plan.
Final Thoughts
Businesses face numerous challenges in maintaining and managing their fleet as the temperatures drop below freezing. For optimal results and improved productivity during winter, businesses must create a comprehensive winter fleet maintenance plan. They can stock up on necessary products, use winterized fuels, and invest in technology such as fleet management systems, GPS, RFIDs, etc., to choose optimal routes and minimize delivery delays. The above list will help you maintain your fleet effectively during winter and improve productivity.
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