By RAM Tracking on 23 Apr 2018

To help prevent costly time away from the office or the next customer interface, let’s take a closer look at the most common issues with business vehicle breakdown to help gain knowledge on what to watch for and how to avoid valuable lost time. 

Electrical

The past decade has shown dramatic enhancements to vehicles as electric circuits and functionality becomes more and more complex.  At the same time, electrical problems become more and more common, leading to strange behaviour that can be often challenging to diagnose and almost impossible to fix along a roadside.  Warning signs to watch for when it comes to electrical issues brewing would be to be mindful of erratic behaviour on electric components of the vehicle, such as navigation.  Even the smallest of changes in electrical function may lead to a larger underlying cause that may need to be reviewed by a professional. 

Tyres

Whether it be debris in the road or normal prolonged use, tyre failure is generally one of the highest occurrences in business vehicle breakdowns in the UK.  Although it cannot always be avoided to be impacted by debris in the roadway, under-inflation can cause tyres to overheat, leading to more likelihood of failing.  A business vehicle fleet should consistently maintain tyre pressure as well as tread condition as often as possible to help avoid the stranded vehicle scenarios that will cost additional time and loss of opportunity with the next client.  Another item to watch for when it comes to tyres is a slow deflation that may be occurring in a given tyre, often referring to a small puncture or valve problem that will need to be further inspected. 

Battery

Beyond tyre and electrical problems, the top vehicle breakdown cause can be found with flat or faulty batteries.  If the engine cranks, or turns over, when the key is turned, but the vehicle won’t start, the most likely culprit is the battery.  Additional causes may relate to the starter or other factors, but the most likely of reasons will be focused on the battery.  Keeping a set of jumper cables along with every business vehicle will be a crucial option to help get on the road as quickly as possible and then replace with a new battery so the vehicle does not become stranded once again. 

Most often, as we have seen, the simplest of reasons can create business vehicle breakdowns, causing lost time and valuable actions that are necessary for strategic initiatives.  Additionally, there are multiple options to help keep your business vehicle on the roadway more often than not and help to avoid the most common issues faced by business vehicle breakdowns. The simple option of including a tracking system with each vehicle, to help monitor where a driver may be located in an emergency, will help ensure minimal impact to bottom line performance as well or get reliable vehicle breakdown cover.