Regularly looking for and reporting faults helps streamline the fleet management process as it ensures that no vehicle damages interfere with daily business operations. For fleet managers, it’s essential that repairs and issues are promptly attended to in order to maintain both fleet and driver safety. However, this isn’t the only reason that vehicle defect reporting is a priority for fleet management; it’s also paramount for maintaining legal and safety compliance. Failing to comply with the relevant rules and regulations can lead to disastrous costs and damage to the organisation’s reputation, so it’s key that these are always followed.
Many businesses have started using new technologies such as defect reporting apps to help with this process. The apps, such as Crystal Ball’s vehicle checklist and defect reporting app, record the faults and send this information to a central database. This can be used to ensure that issues are quickly fixed and there is a clear audit trail for every vehicle problem.
In this article, we’ll tell you more about the importance and benefits of using defect reporting. We’ll also help you choose a vehicle defect reporting app that best suits your business needs.
The Importance of Vehicle Defect Reporting
Vehicle defect reporting is very important as it prompts businesses to quickly attend to defects and repairs. This helps prevent a small matter or defect from developing into a major issue that can lead to breakdowns. Defects that are not attended to can also lead to accidents or cause the vehicle to lose its regulatory compliance.
Ignoring repairs can also affect a vehicle’s lifespan and fuel consumption efficiency. Vehicles that aren’t properly maintained or are operating under sub-par conditions typically use much more fuel and won’t be able to run as efficiently. In the long term, this can cost you a lot of money!
Using a proper reporting system ensures that your fleet is roadworthy and helps keep maintenance expenses to a minimum.
Using apps such as Crystal Ball’s vehicle checklist app helps streamline the fault-finding and repair process. Apps reduce the need for manual paper trails, which can end up being misplaced and disorganised, and instead create an easily accessible electronic audit trail.
Ensuring fleet safety
By properly maintaining and servicing your vehicle through regular inspections, fleet management officials will be able to ensure that their entire fleet of vehicles is safe and properly functioning.
Repairing defects – such as indicator lights, brakes, and tyre conditions – helps avoid roadside breakdowns or accidents. Not only is this essential for ensuring smooth business operations, but it’s an important factor in guaranteeing driver safety.
Fleet managers and employers have a duty of care to their employees, so when operating a business that employs drivers it’s important to have policies and processes that keep them safe while they are working on the road.
Maintaining regulatory compliance
Doing daily walkaround checks and vehicle inspections is a legal requirement for all businesses operating vehicle fleets in the UK.
Being compliant ensures that your company is not fined during routine roadside checks for any vehicle defects.
A clear road safety record can also boost your business fleet’s credibility and reliability. This shows current and potential clients that you are intent on avoiding any unnecessary delays and unscheduled downtime.
Benefits of Implementing a Robust Reporting System
Using a mobile reporting app helps you quickly and accurately report incidents or any defects present.
The captured information is automatically fed into your fleet management system. All relevant team members now have access to this information and can now ensure that repairs are attended to and the required parts are bought.
Some other important benefits of having a robust reporting system include:
Improved maintenance management
Maintenance management can be a time-consuming and complex exercise. But by using a well-implemented reporting system you can improve the speed and efficiency of the process.
The defects are recorded and fed into the management system in real-time. This allows for better maintenance management and increased uptime for all vehicles.
In fact, the best defect-reporting systems are ones that can be fully integrated into a wider fleet management system. For instance, our Vehicle Checklist integrates seamlessly into our 4G fleet dash cam and vehicle tracking solutions to create an efficient all-in-one fleet management system.
Reduced downtime
If a fault is picked up and reported early, repairs can be actioned before a vehicle breaks down.
A fleet that is properly maintained will see a reduction in both vehicle downtime and income losses.
With a well-functioning reporting system in place, issues can be identified and repaired early enough to avoid unplanned vehicle breakdowns. This is especially useful for retail and delivery companies that are expected to offer reliable and timely delivery services for their customers.
Enhanced driver safety
A well-maintained and serviced vehicle is a reliable and safe vehicle, and this is an extremely important aspect to keep in mind when looking to maintain driver safety.
If, for example, your defect reporting system identifies a broken indicator light on a vehicle, technicians are notified immediately. The mechanics can then fix it immediately too. Failure to do this could lead to a potential road traffic accident or a traffic fine.
Similarly, should a truck’s brakes fail, it can lead to a dangerous accident that could potentially injure the driver. However, if the problem is picked up beforehand it can be fixed. This boosts the safety of your vehicles, staff, and your company’s safety record.
The Role of Technology in Defect Reporting
Technology, due to its ease of use and mobility, has become more prevalent in its use in defect reporting systems. Mobile apps offer businesses built-in functionalities to quicken the vehicle inspection process. They automatically process and feed information into a business’ fleet management system. This allows the automatic generation of repair orders.
They generate a full audit trail of each vehicle’s inspection details and what repairs were done. They also require zero paperwork. The apps integrate into a business’s reporting system and trigger instant alerts and instant feedback. This ensures that all parties involved in the repair process are notified, speeding up the process.
Conclusion
Reporting defects on fleet vehicles is of utmost importance for many businesses. Promptly identifying and repairing defects helps ensure that vehicles are kept roadworthy. It also ensures that maintenance expenses are kept to a minimum and that vehicles keep their regulatory compliance.
With apps like Crystal Ball’s vehicle checklist to streamline the defect reporting process, fleet managers reduce the need for manual paper trails whilst creating easily accessible electronic records to monitor the repair process.
To fully transform your business’s vehicle fault reporting process, contact Crystal Ball today.