When choosing the best engine oil for a fleet maintenance shop, the first step is identifying the specifications required by the OEMs within the fleet. Then a fleet should identify the dominant performance characteristic that is aligned with its business goal. For instance:
Maximize vehicle life – choose an oil with strong durability and wear performance
Maximize vehicle uptime – reliability and extended drain intervals are important
Simplify maintenance – choose a single oil that performs well across several OEM types and fuel types
“As you can see, there is quite a bit to consider,” says James Booth, commercial sector manager at Chevron. “A fleet shouldn’t feel like it is on its own to figure all of this out. A fleet has 101 other things it needs to be considering throughout each day. That is why, as much as we are passionate about lubricant technology, we understand that consulting on the application of a lubricant technology is very important.”
Gregg Wartgow is a freelancer who Fleet Maintenance has relied upon for many years, writing about virtually any trucking topic. He lives in Brodhead, Wisconsin.
