The old adage fail to prepare, prepare to fail may sound like a cliché. But in fleet management, it’s the truth.
A preventive maintenance program is one of the most valuable tools a fleet operator has. After all, a proactive approach to looking after vehicles beats stressfully reacting to last-minute breakdowns.
Yet, preventative maintenance often slips when the schedule gets busy. A good maintenance strategy doesn’t just keep vehicles roadworthy. It helps reduce costs, avoid unplanned downtime, and ensure full compliance.
In this guide, we’ll show how to build a planned preventative maintenance framework that works in the real world. Whether you're running 10 vans or 200 HGVs, the steps below will keep your maintenance schedule under control and protect your O-licence.
Why Preventive Maintenance Matters
Do you ever have one of those days where everything goes against you?
Routine maintenance gone wrong. Missed inspections. Unexpected breakdowns. Costly emergency repairs. This is the reality of reactive maintenance. It creates risk for both your vehicles and your operator licence.
Agencies like the DVSA recommend proactive maintenance through consistent servicing. A planned maintenance routine is essential not only for compliance, but also for improving operational efficiency.
Learn how preventive maintenance is far cheaper than your next breakdown.
What Should a Preventive Maintenance Program Include?
A strong program goes beyond oil changes and brake checks. It should cover every maintenance task in the vehicle care cycle:
Scheduled inspections (daily, weekly, 6-week cycles)
Mileage or time-based servicing
Daily walkaround checks and defect reporting
Repair tracking and follow-up
Document storage for audits
Staff responsibilities for each maintenance activity
You’ll also want to prepare for the unexpected — even a well-maintained fleet can still hit a pothole.
Step-by-Step Guide to a Preventive Maintenance Program
1. Audit Your Fleet
Gather a list of all vehicles, trailers, and equipment. Include age, mileage, and service history. Centralising this data is the foundation of good maintenance management.
2. Set Realistic Service Intervals
Base intervals on mileage, engine hours, or time. Follow manufacturer guidelines but adapt to your operation. Stick to DVSA recommendations wherever possible.
3. Build a Preventive Maintenance Checklist
Your preventive maintenance checklist should cover inspections, cleaning, minor servicing, and safety checks. It should be clear, repeatable, and built into your preventive maintenance software or workshop system.
4. Assign Responsibilities
Drivers should log defects, mechanics should sign off repairs, and managers should monitor schedules. Assign each preventive maintenance task clearly to avoid gaps.
5. Digitise Your Process
Paper gets lost. Going digital means reminders, records, and reporting are automated. Tools like Fleet Fixation simplify audits with full, timestamped records.
6. Review and Optimise Over Time
Use data to spot patterns. If the same defects keep appearing, look at options like condition monitoring or even predictive maintenance to get ahead of failures.
Beyond Preventive: Predictive and Prescriptive Maintenance
Fleet Fixation supports more than standard preventive maintenance. Advanced fleets are adopting:
Predictive maintenance – Using data and sensors to forecast when a part will fail.
Prescriptive maintenance – Analysing multiple data points to recommend the exact fix before a breakdown occurs.
These techniques sit alongside preventative maintenance as part of a wider maintenance strategy, offering cutting-edge reliability and cost savings.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
Relying on memory or verbal communication
Letting service dates slide under workload
Logging walkaround checks but not following up
Skipping repairs because the vehicle “still runs”
Not storing documentation for audits
Ignoring best practices like defect follow-up and audit prep
How Fleet Fixation Helps
Fleet Fixation brings everything into one platform, blending planned maintenance with modern tools like predictive and prescriptive maintenance.
You’ll get:
A digital planner for every vehicle
Preventive maintenance activity tracking
Integrated accident and repair reporting
Mechanic and driver apps for regular inspection
Real-time costing and service tracking
Audit-ready service history for your maintenance operation
Centralised tools that also support facility management teams
This ensures every maintenance strategy — from preventative maintenance to proactive maintenance — is supported.
Final Thoughts
A well-structured preventive maintenance program is not just about avoiding reactive maintenance. It’s about running a fleet with less stress, fewer surprises, and more operational efficiency.
Whether you’re using a paper system or upgrading to digital, consistency is key. We make it it simple, say hello to a preventive maintenance strategy to revolutionise your fleet.
Book a Free Demo to see how Fleet Fixation can streamline your maintenance strategy today.