One inevitability when it comes to vehicle maintenance is that parts and components will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. For fleets operating any number of vehicles, the cost of replacement parts and vehicle downtime for service and repair can add up quickly, so it is imperative to use parts and components that offer the best ROI. However, one fleet may find more value in certain product attributes than another fleet. The product that provides the best ROI may differ from one fleet to the next, depending on each fleet’s specific requirements. The Fleet Maintenance Product Attributes Report card looks at three of the most costly categories for fleets: tires, diesel engine oil, and air brake system components. We asked Fleet Maintenance readers what their fleets find to be the most important attributes for products in those three categories, and 173 fleets responded.
When it comes to purchasing tires, 27 percent of fleets purchase new tires for each specific vehicle placement (i.e. steer, drive, and trailer tires) while 17 percent purchase new steer tires and retread the drive and/or trailer tires. Meanwhile, the majority of fleets do not use an engine oil viscosity lower than 15W-40, while 5 percent use 0W-40. When it comes to brake spec’ing, 25 percent of fleets spec air disc brakes on new models, while nearly half of fleets do not use air disc brakes at all. On the following pages, you will find more information on the demographics of the fleets we surveyed as well as what fleets consider the most important attributes for tires, diesel engine oils, and air brake system parts and components.
Download the whitepaper below.
