Fleets have started to take service, maintenance and repair (SMR) management back inhouse, reversing the outsourcing trend that’s been underway for decades.

FleetCheck says it’s seen growing interest among operators to bring SMR management back inhouse

FleetCheck said it had seen growing interest among operators in using its software to bring SMR management back inhouse, as fleets relearn skills that have been outsourced to third parties for decades, such as identifying the best suppliers and interrogating workshop bills.

And it added that some fleets were making “considerable savings” compared to the third-party costs they were paying previously.

Peter Golding, managing director, explained the move was being prompted by both electrification and the general ageing of the fleet vehicle parc that was currently underway.

He elaborated: “There’s a growing perception among fleets that what they are being charged for SMR by third parties, especially leasing company maintenance packages, is overinflated and outweighs any expertise that third parties bring when it comes to SMR buying.

“To an extent, it’s easy to see why this is happening. Some SMR providers who have limited experience of maintaining electric vehicles, and older cars and vans, have perhaps been pricing well on the side of caution, and some fleets have noticed where this is the case.”

Complexity of maintenance needs varies massively – and dictates the solutions adopted by such fleets, alongside other factors such as the type of vehicles they’re operating and their geographical footprint.

“If you operate a relatively straightforward fleet on a more local basis, then it can simply be an issue of creating relationships with a handful of nearby workshops, especially if you use fleet software to provide a managerial infrastructure,” Golding continued.

“Conversely, if you have many different types of cars and vans, and your vehicles are used on a national basis, then there are extensive networks of SMR providers that you can plug into, and we have existing arrangements in place that our users can easily adopt.”