Fleets expect suppliers to help manage vehicle downtime and measure improvements

Fleets are looking to their leasing partners and suppliers to play a key role in tracking metrics, highlighting trends, and providing evidence of improvement as they manage vehicle downtime.  

Proactive strategies were shared in a debate at the latest Fleet200 Strategy Network meeting on managing downtime. 

There was clear emphasis on the need for in-depth measurement.  

Key themes from the discussion: 

1. Downtime management strategies 

• ADAS and windscreen repairs 

Fleets are seeing increased downtime linked to ADAS-enabled windscreen replacements, both time-consuming and expensive 

• Daily hire 

While costly, many operators prefer to use rental vehicles during downtime. Maintaining mobility and meeting customer service level agreements take priority over the financial impact, which would be greater if service contracts were breached. 

• Proactive downtime planning 

There’s a strong desire to minimise downtime by grouping servicing events and adopting mobile servicing solutions.  

Fleets hope these measures will reduce time off-road and are looking to their leasing partners or suppliers if they have direct relationships, to help validate the results. 

• Driver daily checks 

Stronger daily checks were seen as vital for identifying maintenance needs early. This is less consistent across LCVs and cars, where driver engagement can be limited. Proactive tyre replacement was highlighted as a key area, with legal tread failures often a root cause of unnecessary downtime. 

• Tyre strategy 

All-season tyres were noted as important by some fleets to improve uptime across changing weather conditions. 

• Mobile servicing 

Widely welcomed to minimise VOR, especially for routine maintenance. Fleets want visibility from contract hire providers on whether this service is delivering measurable improvements. 

• Manufacturer and supplier decisions 

One fleet shared that they recently changed vehicle manufacturers and are working with their leasing partner to monitor downtime spend across the next cycle. The aim is to determine whether the change yields the operational and financial benefits expected. 

2. Measuring improvements 

• Hire days as a downtime indicator 

Some fleets are tracking the number of daily hire days to monitor increases or decreases in downtime over time. 

• Lease company analytics 

There’s a growing reliance on leasing providers to offer data and insights that help fleets assess the impact of operational changes. This includes identifying trends, quantifying cost reductions, and supporting future fleet decisions. 

• Benchmarking performance 

Fleets expressed interest in benchmarking their downtime against best-in-class performance. This comparative insight is seen as crucial for identifying efficiency gaps and improvement opportunities.