Fleet Maintenance for Company Cars, Trucks and Vans

Fleet service fits any business that depends on vehicles to earn money: plumbers, electricians, landscapers, delivery routes, property managers, sales teams, and nonprofits with a few vans. Two vehicles or twenty, the problem is the same. A truck in the shop is a crew that cannot work.

We handle light-duty vehicles: sedans, SUVs, pickups, work vans and cargo vans, and light-duty diesels. Tires, alignment, brakes, oil and diagnostics happen in the same building, so one visit covers more.

There is a line we will not blur. Federal rules require an annual inspection on commercial vehicles over 10,001 pounds, and California's Basic Inspection of Terminals program has carriers inspecting covered vehicles at least every 90 days. Those inspections are not what this shop does. If part of your fleet sits in that weight class, keep those units with a shop set up for them and bring us the light-duty side.

A PM calendar is a simple plan that says which vehicle is due for what, and when. It turns surprise repairs into planned visits you can schedule around jobs.

A calendar we can build together

• List every vehicle: year, make, model, VIN, current mileage, and how it is used.
• Set intervals: work from each maker's severe-service schedule, since most work vehicles qualify. Conventional oil commonly runs 3,000 to 5,000 miles and full synthetic 5,000 to 10,000, though many newer vehicles replace the fixed number with an oil life monitor.
• Put rotation on the same visit: most manufacturers call for a tire rotation every 5,000 to 8,000 miles, or at each oil change, which is the easier rule to run a fleet on.
• Calendar the time-based items: most makers want brake fluid replaced every 2 to 3 years regardless of mileage, most car batteries last about 3 to 5 years, and many manufacturers suggest a shock and strut inspection around 50,000 miles.
• Keep the small legal items current: California requires working windshield wipers, requires them in use whenever the windshield is wet, and requires headlights on whenever the wipers run continuously. Most makers suggest new blades every 6 to 12 months.
• Pick slow days: book visits on the days a vehicle is least needed.
• Stagger vehicles: do not take half the fleet off the road the same morning.
• Track results: each visit's inspection notes feed the next plan.

Pairing jobs saves trips. An oil change with a rotation and a brake look is one stop instead of three. Our preventive maintenance page lists what goes on a typical schedule.

Downtime usually comes from waiting: waiting for approval, waiting for parts, waiting to hear back. We work on the waiting.

• Clear approval rules up front. Tell us who can say yes, and up to what limit, so work does not stall while we chase a signature.
• Photos with the estimate. The approver sees the problem without driving over.
• Need versus want on every line. Safety items first. The rest can go on the calendar.
• Updates if a time slips. If a job runs past the window we gave, we contact your person.
• Tires on the same visit. Same day when the size is in stock and the bay is open.

We will not promise a fixed turnaround for every job. Parts availability and diagnosis vary. We will tell you what we know when we know it.

Account terms are set with each business, so we do not publish them here. Ask these when you call or send the fleet account inquiry:

1. Can invoices show the vehicle number, VIN, plate and mileage on each line?
2. Can we require a purchase order number before work?
3. Who on our side is allowed to approve work, and what is their limit?
4. How are invoices delivered, and how often?
5. What payment methods and terms are available for our account?
6. Can we get a history of past work by vehicle?
7. How are drivers told what to do when they drop a vehicle off?

We answer these with facts for your account, in writing. The fleet service programs page explains how packages can fit a fleet.

Fleets lose time when every driver explains a problem differently and every call reaches someone new. With one contact on each side, the story stays straight.

On your side, name the person who approves work and gets updates. On our side, the service advisor keeps notes on your vehicles, knows your approval rules, and calls that person. Drivers still drop off and pick up, but the decisions go through one line. When a driver reports a noise, the advisor turns it into an inspection with photos, so your approver is deciding on evidence instead of a secondhand description.

Even a well-kept fleet has surprise failures. When a work truck or van goes down, the goal is a fast answer on what is wrong, a written number your approver can act on, and a clear plan for the rest of the week. Good PM records speed that up, because we can see what was done last.

How an unplanned work truck repair usually runs

1. Call with the unit number and symptom. Tell us where the vehicle is and whether it can be driven safely.
2. Get it here. Drive it in if it is safe. If it is not, arrange a tow to 1775 W Foothill Blvd and tell us it is coming.
3. Diagnose first. Warning lights start with check engine diagnostics. No parts are ordered on a guess.
4. Your approver decides. Photos, need versus want labels and a written estimate go to your named contact.
5. Plan around parts. If a part has to be ordered, we share what we know about timing and do not promise what we cannot confirm.

Records that help

• Last service date and mileage for the unit
• Driver notes on when the problem started
• Any recent tire, brake or battery work done elsewhere

Unplanned work uses the same invoice format as scheduled work, so fleet invoicing stays consistent for your bookkeeper.