Minimising van down time

The more regular your fleet preventive maintenance schedules, the less likely your fleet vehicles are to need unforeseen maintenance or repairs. An SMR contract with your fleet operator can help to maintain your vehicles’ performance and efficiency and reduce downtime through regular servicing. Especially if, like Volkswagen Financial Services | Fleet, your leasing partner directs you towards franchised dealer servicing and genuine parts, paints and glass for all makes, as standard.

The faster a problem is solved, the less time your van spends off the road. Driverline 24/7 concierge service quickly takes care of almost all vehicle issues, including:

• Tyre and glass replacement
• Same-day booking for servicing, vehicle repairs and MOTs, all in one call
• Accident and vandalism reporting.

Electric vehicles are less expensive to maintain, with simpler drive trains and fewer wear and tear items. Our Electric car and van maintenance guide shows you the kinds of savings you can make compared with an internal combustion-powered fleet.

Buying or leasing new vehicles enables you to operate them with minimum wear and tear, for longer. With a choice of vans of every make and model, and a range of cost-effective funding options, leasing with Volkswagen Financial Services | Fleet can bring new vans within the scope of any budget.

Reducing average driving speed can have a noticeable effect in reducing vehicle down time. Vehicles routinely driven at their limit are more likely to need more maintenance and repair. Also accidents and fuel consumption are both increased by excessive speed. Driver education, speed limiters or telematics can be effective to monitor and encourage drivers to reduce their speed.

When you need to cover gaps in your fleet due to breakdowns or repairs, short- or medium-term van hire will help to keep your business moving. Through our trusted rental partner, Volkswagen Fleet Services | Finance can provide a rental van for hours, days, or even on through our Flexi-Rent long-term rental solution for 28 days or longer.

Safer driving protects drivers, vehicles and productivity, through traffic accident prevention. Also, as an employer, your business has a duty of care to its drivers and other road users, and driver training can help you to meet it. We offer the Safe Driving Plus training course as part of our support for you and your drivers.

Complete visibility into every aspect of your fleet – from mileage and maintenance to motor insurance and tax – will help you make better-informed, proactive decisions to minimise LCV vehicle down time.  The Fleet Management Dashboard from Volkswagen Financial Services | Fleet provides an instant, comprehensive overview, plus customised reports and action alerts.