How to prepare your company car fleet for the peak order period?

90/60/30/14/7 day plan — why it pays off and what it covers

Splitting tasks into 90/60/30/14/7 day stages is a practical approach used by logistics companies and fleet service teams. It gives time to order long‑lead parts and minimizes the risk that several vehicles will enter repair simultaneously.

Below is a concise plan for each interval. Adjust the number and scope of tasks to your fleet size and business specifics (e.g. refrigeration, ADR).

• 90 days — full fleet audit: list of VINs, mileages, service history and open work orders; inventory of critical parts; review of contracts with workshops; list of replacement vehicles and staffing resources.
• 60 days — workshop bookings and orders for parts with a long lead time (the wait between ordering and delivery); confirmation of critical stock item (SKU) availability with suppliers; verification of insurance policies and warranties.
• 30 days — schedule inspections and repairs so you don’t send many vehicles at once; prepare ‘hot spares’ (vehicles ready for quick deployment) and define short‑term rental options.
• 14 days — detailed inspections and road tests for vehicles scheduled for service; check completeness of tools and parts in vehicles; training/reminder of procedures for drivers.
• 7 days — final checks before start: tyre pressure and condition, fluid levels, battery charge/state, validity of technical inspections and documents, and a short reminder of breakdown procedures.

Technical priorities — what to check first

Treat as first‑priority the items that affect safety and regulatory compliance. Also prioritise failures that cause the longest downtime or administrative penalties.

Focusing on these areas minimizes the risk of vehicle stoppage on the road and unplanned downtime.

• Brake system — pads, discs, emergency brakes (we do not provide repair instructions).
• Tyres — pressure, tread, visual condition; also check the spare wheel / repair kit.
• Lighting and signalling — all lamps, hazard lights, reflectors.
• Steering and suspension — play, fasteners (visual inspection and road tests).
• Battery/starting system — battery condition and charging system.
• Cooling system and fluid levels — especially important during intensive operation periods.
• Visible bodywork damage that affects safety or functionality.

90‑day audit and preparing long‑lead parts

A 90‑day audit will reveal stock shortages and long lead times that cannot be solved quickly. This is the time to order critical parts and adjust PM (preventive maintenance) schedules.

The audit should be simple: collect a list of vehicles with VINs and mileages, check repair history, list open work orders and inventory of critical parts.

• Draw up a list of long lead‑time parts and order them immediately.
• Check contracts with workshops — do they provide season priority, what are their response times and parts availability.
• Identify vehicles that can be quickly prepared as ‘hot spares’.
• Verify availability of technicians/drivers and potential replacements.

Parts management — ABC classification and a practical stock policy

ABC classification (A = critical, B = important, C = minor) simplifies the decision of what to keep in stock. For a small fleet the rules should be clear and easy to implement.

For critical parts it is worth maintaining a stock equal to several weeks of normal consumption — adjust quantities to actual lead times and seasonality.

• A: critical parts — 2–4 weeks of stock (adjust to lead time), consider a consignment supplier (VMI/consignment) if available.
• B: important parts — min/max planning, replenish when approaching the minimum level; reserve for PM.
• C: minor parts — order cyclically (e.g. quarterly), do not tie up working capital in inventory.
• Measure fill rate (percentage of orders fulfilled from stock) and days of inventory — simple metrics that show effectiveness.

SLA with workshops — what to put in writing

Written agreements with workshops (the industry term is an SLA — a written standard for response and repair times) reduce misunderstandings during the season. A service agreement does not have to be complicated — it should contain concrete clauses on response and billing.

If you use several workshops, keep the key terms and an escalation procedure with each of them.

• Maximum response time from notification (e.g. in hours) and procedure for reporting failures outside working hours.
• Target first‑time fix rate — an example target is >85–90% (orientational value, depends on fleet specifics).
• Parts availability (fill rate) — what percentage of parts the workshop can supply without waiting.
• Reception hours, hourly labour rate and rules for parts billing (e.g. invoicing, warranties).
• Escalation procedures and reporting (weekly/monthly) and possible penalties/bonuses for meeting SLA.

Digital tools that actually help

Even simple tools reduce the risk of downtime. Telematics provides location and basic diagnostic data; a program for recording inspections and repairs (instead of a paper log) organizes vehicle history.

Data integration (telematics + repair management software + parts ordering system) provides the most value, but you can start with single solutions and connect them gradually.

• Telematics — vehicle location and basic diagnostic alerts (e.g. engine warning lights).
• Scheduling and repair logging software (instead of a notebook) — stores history, reminds about PM and generates reports.
• Parts management system — min/max, automatic ordering when minimum level is reached.
• Driver app for daily checks (pre‑trip checklist) — a quick way to catch minor faults before departure.

KPIs to monitor and simple targets for a small fleet

A few well‑chosen metrics are enough to track fleet readiness. Don’t overcomplicate reports — stick to things that directly affect vehicle availability and costs.

The KPIs below are often cited as the ‘Big 5’ in practical guides; treat the suggested values as a starting point and adapt to your operations.

• Vehicle availability (availability/uptime) — what percentage of the fleet is operational; a target orientational value is >95% for a small fleet (adjust as needed).
• PM compliance rate — share of scheduled PMs completed on time; target orientational value >95%.
• Mean time between failures (how often things break) — watch the trend, not only the absolute value.
• Mean time to repair (how long repairs take) and first‑time fix rate — improving these shortens downtime.
• Cost per km and parts inventory turnover — monitor month to month.

Contingency plan for the season start — minimizing downtime

A contingency plan is a list of quick actions you trigger when a problem occurs. Prepare it in advance and practise it with drivers and people responsible for procurement and service.

Key rule: don’t leave a single point of failure — don’t rely solely on one parts supplier or one workshop.

• Hot spares — at least 1–2 vehicles ready for immediate use, fully equipped and serviced.
• Short‑term rental agreements as a buffer (terms and contact details recorded).
• List of alternate parts suppliers and workshops and a fast ordering procedure.
• Driver procedure: quick diagnostics with a checklist, contact to the service centre and rules for documenting the failure.
• Emergency contact and escalation — name/number of the person responsible for decisions on rental/replacement vehicles.

Summary

Preparing a fleet for the season combines advance planning (90/60/30/14/7 days), focus on technical priorities, a clear spare parts policy and specific clauses with workshops. Use simple digital tools, monitor a few key KPIs and have a contingency plan with hot spares and alternative suppliers. Start with a quick 90‑day audit — it’s usually enough to identify gaps and order critical parts on time. If you want, we can help with a fleet audit, preparation of checklists and service agreements — see the offer Obsługa flot i Auta zastępcze dla firm.