Whether you use a single truck to pull lawn care equipment or an entire fleet of delivery trucks for your business, keeping business vehicles running smoothly is critical to fulfilling your business goals. If you want to succeed, you need to keep your business vehicle or vehicles up and running smoothly. If employees are using those vehicles, that adds in another layer of complexity. No wonder you’re concerned!
It is not impossible to have business vehicles and get a good night of sleep. By following a few tips and pieces of advice, maintaining your trucks, vans, and cars will be easier than ever before:
#1 Get the right California car insurance. The right insurance can make or break your budget. You don’t want to blow all of your money on monthly insurance premiums, but if an accident should occur you need it to be covered. Plus, you can’t wait weeks to get paid out in the event of a crash. This is why choosing the right commercial insurance policy is crucial, one that isn’t too expensive but does meet your needs.
#2 Make your expectations very clear. If you have employees driving your vehicles, it takes a very strict hiring process to place this trust in them. Make sure that anyone who is using a company vehicle has been vetted for their driving history. Beyond this, give clear expectations as to how you expect them to use a company vehicle, and be clear about the consequences if they violate those rules. Make sure you know who is driving each vehicle and when.
#3 Train all employees and stay up to date with training. Driving a delivery truck isn’t the same thing as zipping home from work in their sedan. It’s always beneficial to stay up to date on safe driving practices. Asking your employees to attend a safety course or training program will make them safer drivers.
#4 Schedule regular maintenance. Have a system in place for your employees to record any changes or issues they notice before, during or after each trip. For business vehicles, staying on top of preventative maintenance is a must. Follow your vehicle’s manufacturer’s recommendations and have it serviced regularly. You’ll want to have it cleaned monthly, or more if it gets really dirty, and inspected on an annual basis.
#5 Anticipate and set aside money for repairs. If this vehicle isn’t driving, you aren’t making money! Vehicle breakdowns tend to happen at the worst times, if you’re not careful. There’s no reason to be caught off guard when a major repair is needed. Start a small savings account and contribute a little each month so that when a vehicle does need new brakes or new tires, you have the cash on hand to fix it and get right back to work.
If you’re not sure where to begin getting California car insurance for a commercial vehicle or whole host of commercial vehicles, Pronto Insurance makes it easy!
