Commercial Fleet 10 Commandments

Vans and other commercial vehicles aren’t cars. They don’t just get people places, they get jobs done.

And while that in itself isn’t a tremendous insight, it has loads of not-so-obvious implications for businesses that lease, maintain, and operate commercial vehicles. Watch our quick video to understand how generic fleet can be damaging to a business with a commercial fleet.

Here are 10 pretty important things you really need to know about Choosing, Driving & Maintaining your vans so they keep making you money, not losing it.

Choosing the van of your dreams…
Your vans carry your business to your customers. And that means you should:
1. Never pick a van out of habit

Driven a certain 3.5 ton van for 20 years? Never wanted anything else? Think again. Vehicles are always evolving, and your business is, too. So keep an open mind. Chances are there are options out there that make more sense for you today, in terms of tax, fuel efficiency and whole-life-cost – and tomorrow’s environmental legislation.
2. Pick your accessories wisely

Need special racking? A tail lift? Crane? A tachograph? Not a problem.
Just be aware that these things might need:

Extra time for build and delivery
Safety
Calibration
Regular maintenance

Heavy add-ons will impact your fuel consumption (the second largest cost in a leased vehicle after the rental) and they’ll diminish your payload (as does the weight of your driver!).
3. Always be brutally honest about your weight

What are you using your van for? Carrying serious amounts of bulk-bought anvils or taking fluffy new-hatched chicks to free-range bliss?

Weight isn’t something to be precious about: Compliance breaches can endanger your whole business and cost you much more than leasing a van made for the extra load.
On the other hand…

If you’ll only be transporting heavy loads once in a while, it probably makes sense to go for a lighter weight vehicle for day-to-day and rent out a heavy van for the days when you need it.

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