Operating a fleet of vehicles for your business requires oversight. Therefore, you need to make sure the vehicles receive regular preventive maintenance. Some of the most critical components to maintain are the wheel and tire systems. What can you do to keep your tires in good shape?
Regardless of the vehicle, they all need tires to work. Therefore, you must do your duty to keep tires in functioning order. To oversee tire health in your fleet, keep a few of the following ideas in mind.
Why Tire Health Is Important
When it comes to your vehicles’ systems, the wheels and tires are among the most sensitive. They make direct contact with the road. They face puncture and corrosion risks from exposure to debris and other objects on roadways. The also corrode over time due to use.
As your tires break down, the risk to vehicles increases. Poorly-functioning tires cannot do their part in helping a car work appropriately. Therefore, at minimum, they put added stress on internal systems. This could lead to significant, costly problems. Not only that, if a tire fails while in transit, the risks of an accident could skyrocket. It’s very difficult to control a vehicle that has suffered a catastrophic tire failure.
The better care you take of your tires, the safer you make your fleet. That makes you a better driver. It also lets you potentially avoid a claim on your commercial auto insurance.
Protecting The Tires On Your Fleet
Rather than waiting for fleet tires to fail, do what you can to prevent these accidents in the first place.
- Have regular maintenance on all vehicles. Mechanics can check the tires and tell you if you need to take care of developing problems.
- Make a point of checking tires yourself for signs of problems. Check tread to see if it has begun to deteriorate. Regularly test and adjust the tire pressure and inflation in all tires.
- Encourage employees to report any tire damage to you expediently. Put in place a reporting system to make it easier for you to track developing issues.
- Provide each vehicle with a tire safety kit. These kits should include at least a spare tire, jack and tools for changing the tire. Also consider such items as pressure gauges, emergency patches and valve caps.
- Include a copy of insurance and any available roadside assistance in each vehicle.
With appropriate care, you can keep your vehicle fleet’s tires in good shape. The appropriate care will help you avoid potential problems along the way.
