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More and more haulage companies are outsourcing fleet maintenance, taking advantage of savings and often getting a more efficient, flexible service. Different approaches are more appropriate for different firms, of course, but all managers should look into the concept of outsourcing – even if in-house maintenance works for your business, you might benefit from mixing and matching. Find out more about the benefits of outsourcing. Flexibility Maintenance needs vary over time. Even with regular checkups, many firms experience long stretches of quiet along with flurries of activity. This poses problems for the aspect of in-house maintenance, because firms may have to choose between being potentially overstaffed in quiet periods and not having enough employees to handle busier ones. Independent firms, however, don’t have to face this problem. They keep enough employees to meet their needs, and rarely (if ever) take on jobs they worry they might not be able to complete. Instead of paying constantly to keep workers and parts available, outsourcing allows you to spend only when you need to. Avoid Overtime Linked to the above point about flexibility, outsourcing maintenance allows haulage companies to maximise the time their vehicles can spend on the road without incurring higher costs. It’s always best to schedule maintenance away from busier times, however this often means paying your own team overtime to cover the irregular hours. Outsourcing helps you avoid these expenses by simply paying a flat rate to get the job done whenever you need it. Expertise Similarly, dedicated firms can afford to invest in the best people for the job. If you shop smart, you can find a mechanic with the perfect skills for your particular needs. Skills and expertise don’t come cheap, however, and it’s often a big financial ask to expect haulage companies to keep enough experienced maintenance workers on to perform highly technical jobs that might arise. When you outsource you can access a much deeper pool of talent, so specialised workers can be brought in for specific jobs. Up-to-Date The same factors also mean maintenance firms can constantly improve and adapt to new techniques and technologies. In addition to worries about costs, larger haulage companies might miss important innovations whereas more flexible businesses have strong incentives to offer cutting-edge products and services. Save Money Each of the above benefits will also save your company money. Maintenance firms or workers are in competition with each other, so they always try to offer clients lower prices. Businesses who outsource don’t just save by not incurring extra costs (eg. of hiring experienced employees), but often actually get the work done cheaper. To take best advantage of these opportunities, managers should keep options open when outsourcing. Look for firms in a wide geographical range and negotiate for best prices. All in all, outsourcing has a lot of benefits. Haulage companies can offload risk to outside firms and often get cheaper, better and more flexible service to boot. Author Plate Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Haulage Exchange provides services for matching driver or haulage companies with available jobs. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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