Engine diagnostics for efficient fleet management

Engine diagnostics — and fleet vehicle diagnostics in general — are imperative for fleet management to assess vehicle health, schedule proactive maintenance, and bring costs under control across the board.

Here, we’ll expand on the benefits of proactive vehicle health monitoring, including proactive maintenance scheduling for efficient cost control and extended fleet longevity.

The importance of fleet vehicle diagnostics

Diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) play a crucial role in efficient fleet management. Without them, fleet managers lack adequate visibility into the current state of their vehicles, making it difficult to determine their condition and usage, and to know when to take them off the road for necessary service.

According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), per-mile repair and maintenance costs rose by 12% in 2022. Additionally, rising labor costs and increased parts purchased from non-regular suppliers have impacted maintenance timeframes as well, resulting in increased delays. 

Combine these statistics with the cost of downtime estimates, which are figured to be anywhere from $488 to $760 per vehicle per day, and it starts to add up.

Fleet managers gain comprehensive insights and crucial data by utilizing DTCs and maintenance alerts delivered by telematics, empowering them to increase operational efficiency and minimize maintenance expenses.

How DTCs and maintenance alerts augment fleet management

The ATRI outlined the average cost-per-mile of both maintenance and tires for fleet trucks in their 2023 report, which is $0.196 and $0.045, respectively, on average. With a bit of math, these figures work out to approximately $241 per mile for repairs and tires alone, or about $24,100 for every 100,000 miles driven.

DTCs and maintenance alerts based on the current condition of a vehicle present an opportunity to reduce the per-mile cost of maintenance and repair for small, medium, and large fleets:

• Prioritization of repairs: DTCs provide information about the severity of a problem, helping fleet managers prioritize repairs based on the urgency and potential impact on vehicle performance.
• Reduced downtime: By addressing issues early on, fleet managers can minimize unexpected breakdowns and reduce downtime for vehicles, ensuring they remain operational for more extended periods.
• Optimized maintenance schedules: DTCs can guide fleet managers in optimizing maintenance schedules. Instead of relying on fixed intervals, they can tailor maintenance based on the actual condition of each vehicle.

Reliable vehicles not only help keep drivers and other road users safe but can improve employee and customer satisfaction, too. By reducing the stress of vehicle maintenance on drivers and management, you can focus more on growing your business.

Proactive fleet monitoring with WEX

WEX telematics enables proactive fleet monitoring capabilities by providing near real-time, accurate data on vehicle health, usage, driver behavior, and more.

Collect valuable, accurate, and current vehicle-level data across your fleet. Reporting and insights are all presented in one central platform to help you schedule preventive maintenance, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs.

For additional benefits, consider integrating telematics data with your WEX fleet card to amplify the advantages of both GPS tracking and fuel management. If you want to go even further, dash cams can help enhance particular aspects of fleet management, from driver behavior monitoring to overall on-the-road safety, and more. Ready to learn more? Get started today.

All fleet cards are not the same, and different types of fuel cards suit the needs of different kinds and sizes of businesses. View WEX’s fleet card comparison chart to see which fleet fuel card is right for you.

WEX speaks the language of small business operators. Whether you’re looking to modernize your insight and reporting efforts, save on fuel costs or take advantage of the latest GPS tracking technologies, WEX offers solutions to simplify the business of running a business. To learn more about WEX, a dynamic and nimble global organization, please visit our About WEX page.

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