Some companies under-maintain their equipment, whether it’s because they don’t have the technicians they need, they aren’t able to keep good track of maintenance schedules or they’re simply too busy completing projects to pull machines out of use. But lack of fleet maintenance can come at a price, and so does failing to conduct required inspections.

Here are some of the key benefits that preventive maintenance programs and regular inspections provide.

Safety benefits of fleet maintenance

Over time, wear and tear on heavy equipment can lead to potentially dangerous mechanical failures. Worksite accidents can be caused by worn chains and cables, broken pedals or levers and malfunctioning safety lights or audio signals. Creating and following a construction equipment maintenance plan can mitigate serious hazards that result from faulty equipment and improve the overall worksite safety.

Equipment inspections required by ANSI, OSHA and CSA are equally important. For example, aerial lifts, or MEWPs, such as boom lifts and scissor lifts require inspection by qualified mechanics or technicians every three months or every 150 hours (whichever comes first), annually (every 13 months) and every time the equipment has been out of service for more than three months.

Reminder: Only a mechanic or technician qualified to work on the specific make and model of aerial lift can perform the lift inspection. If you don’t have this expertise in-house, consider outsourcing your equipment inspections to a qualified vendor.

Productivity benefits of fleet maintenance

Poorly maintained equipment is more likely to break down just when you need it. Companies that follow a preventive maintenance schedule experience less unplanned equipment downtime and better equipment performance, resulting in greater productivity. Inspecting equipment during regular preventive maintenance service can reduce the risk of potentially crippling issues..

Financial benefits of fleet maintenance

Proper maintenance and inspection of equipment can save you money in countless ways.

Reducing downtime: When a single piece of equipment fails, the costs in terms of lost productivity and wasted wages can be monumental. Preventive maintenance and regular inspections help you reduce equipment failures.

Avoiding fines: Failure to perform MEWP inspections or inspect other heavy equipment, such as cranes and derricks, on schedule can result in fines.

Lowering repair costs: A well-executed preventive maintenance program can lower repair costs as compared to relying on reactive maintenance (waiting until a machine breaks to fix it). The simplest maintenance tasks can prevent expensive engine breakdowns.

Reducing overtime: If equipment breaks during a project with a tight schedule, you may have to pay workers overtime to hit the deadline.

Extending the useful life of equipment: Well-maintained equipment lasts longer. When you perform regular fleet maintenance, you delay the need to purchase new equipment.

The benefits of outsourcing preventive maintenance and inspections

Starting and sticking to a preventive maintenance program isn’t simple or easy, especially when equipment is moving from jobsite to jobsite. Outsourcing these tasks to a single vendor with deep experience in equipment maintenance and a large staff of skilled technicians can relieve the burden of fleet maintenance and let you focus on what you do best.

As a company that maintains its own $15.79 billion fleet, with more than 5,000 technicians trained to the highest standards and branches across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, United Rentals is uniquely positioned to provide dependable equipment service to customers coast to coast. The Customer Equipment Solutions group can even perform maintenance and inspections at your jobsite, eliminating the costly transport of equipment to the service shop.

When repairs are necessary, United Rentals can offer significant savings on parts thanks to strategic relationships with parts vendors, which eliminate the typical mark-up so you pay less for every part.

When the time comes to sell your equipment, maintenance history records from United Rentals provide proof that maintenance was performed at regular intervals, which may increase the machine’s resale value.

Visit our Customer Equipment Solutions page to learn more about outsourcing maintenance and inspections to United Rentals.