When Should a Business Move From Employee Vehicles to Company-Owned Work Vehicles?

Adding a new work truck or commercial vehicle to your fleet is only the beginning. The first few months of actual use can tell you whether the vehicle is performing the job you purchased it to do. Instead of waiting until the end of the year to evaluate a new vehicle, use its first 90 days to establish a baseline. Mileage, fuel use, maintenance needs, utilization, and feedback from the employees using the vehicle can all provide useful information for future fleet decisions. Start With a Clear Vehicle Record Before the vehicle enters regular service, document the basics. Record the VIN, vehicle configuration, assigned driver or crew if applicable, in-service date, initial mileage, and any accessories or upfits installed on the vehicle. Keep relevant warranty, maintenance, and vehicle documentation accessible as well. Starting with accurate records gives you something to reference later when reviewing operating history or comparing vehicles within the fleet. Track How Much the Vehicle Is Actually Used One of the simplest things to measure is utilization. Depending on the type of work vehicle, useful measurements can include: Miles driven Days in use Number of trips Engine hours, when relevant Type of work or routes the vehicle regularly handles After 90 days, compare actual use with what you expected when the vehicle was purchased. A truck intended for daily field work may be operating differently than anticipated, and that information can be useful when deciding what the next vehicle should look like. Establish a Fuel-Use Baseline Record fuel purchases and mileage consistently from the beginning. The goal isn't necessarily to decide whether a vehicle is “good” or “bad” based on its first few tanks. Fuel consumption can be affected by driving conditions, load, routes, idling, weather, and how the vehicle is used. Instead, the first 90 days can provide an initial operating baseline that can be compared with the vehicle's performance over time or with similar vehicles performing similar work. Fuel consumption and mileage are commonly tracked together as part of fleet performance monitoring. Get Feedback From the People Using It Numbers don't tell you everything. Ask the employees who regularly use the vehicle whether it fits the work. Are they frequently carrying passengers? Is the vehicle being used for the jobs you expected? Are there features or equipment they use constantly? Is something about the configuration making routine work unnecessarily difficult? This doesn't mean every preference requires a change. The goal is to identify patterns that could inform the next vehicle purchase or upfit. Review the Vehicle at 30, 60, and 90 Days You don't need a complicated reporting system to learn from a new fleet vehicle. A simple review at roughly 30, 60, and 90 days can help answer: Is the vehicle being used as expected? Look at mileage, trips, routes, assignments, and the work it's performing. Is the configuration working? Talk with the employees using it and note recurring issues or needs. What is it costing to operate so far? Review fuel and any maintenance or other vehicle-specific operating expenses you've chosen to track. At 90 days, you should have a clearer picture of how the vehicle fits into the business than you had on the day you bought it. Use What You Learn on the Next Purchase The greatest value of tracking a new vehicle may come when it's time to buy another one. If a particular configuration works well, you have real-world experience supporting that decision. If the vehicle is consistently being used differently than expected, that information can help you reconsider the next purchase. Over time, keeping consistent records across multiple vehicles can give a business its own operating history rather than relying entirely on assumptions when making fleet decisions. Fleet utilization data is commonly used to inform acquisition, allocation, and replacement planning. Adding or replacing a commercial vehicle? Connect with the Jet Chevrolet team at (253) 336-4216 to discuss your business and fleet needs. Do More. Save More. Experience MORE. Final Thoughts The first 90 days with a new fleet vehicle are an opportunity to learn whether the vehicle fits the job it was purchased to perform. Track how it's used, what it costs to operate, how employees work with it, and whether the original configuration still makes sense after real-world use. Those early observations can help turn one vehicle purchase into better information for the next fleet decision.

As a business grows, knowing when to add another work vehicle isn’t always obvious. A contractor may have enough trucks most days but run short when multiple crews need to be in different places. Another business may have vehicles sitting often enough that adding another one doesn’t make sense yet. That’s where fleet sizing comes in. Fleet sizing is about matching the number and types of commercial vehicles you operate to the work your business actually performs. Start With How Your Vehicles Are Actually Used Mileage alone doesn’t tell you whether your fleet is the right size. A local service van may accumulate relatively few miles while still being needed every day. Instead, look at how frequently each vehicle is needed. Are most working every day? Are certain trucks constantly requested by multiple employees? Are others regularly sitting unused? The goal is to understand whether your current fleet has enough capacity to support the work your crews are ready to perform. Watch for Vehicle Scheduling Conflicts One of the clearest signs that a business may be outgrowing its fleet is when vehicle availability starts affecting scheduling. Watch for situations like: Two crews regularly needing the same vehicle Employees waiting for a vehicle before leaving for a job Jobs being scheduled around vehicle availability Frequent vehicle reassignment between crews A specialized truck being unavailable when needed An occasional conflict is normal. When it becomes routine, vehicle availability may be creating a bottleneck. Think in Crews, Not Just Employees Ten employees don’t necessarily require ten vehicles. A service business with technicians traveling independently may need more vehicles than a contractor whose employees travel together in crews. A better question is: How many crews need to operate independently at the same time? Then consider what each crew needs to carry, tow or access throughout the day. Plan for Growth Your current workload isn't the only factor. If you're hiring technicians, adding another crew, expanding your service territory or taking on more work, your vehicle needs may grow along with the business. Ideally, vehicle planning happens alongside hiring and expansion, not after a new employee is ready to work and there isn't an appropriate vehicle available. Make Sure You Have the Right Mix of Vehicles Fleet sizing isn't only about how many vehicles you have. It's also about what those vehicles can do. Service vans, pickups, towing vehicles and specialized work trucks may serve completely different roles. A business can have enough vehicles overall and still experience shortages if too few are equipped for a particular job. Also consider what happens when a key vehicle is unavailable for maintenance or repairs. If losing one truck immediately disrupts the schedule, that may be worth factoring into future fleet planning. When Does Adding Another Vehicle Make Sense? Before expanding your fleet, consider: Are vehicle conflicts happening regularly? Are you adding another independently operating crew? Is the business expanding into a larger service area? Do you need capabilities your existing vehicles don't provide? Would another vehicle allow your team to complete additional work? Is the need consistent rather than just seasonal? If there’s a clear answer, it may be time to evaluate additional fleet capacity. Why Western Washington Businesses Work With Jet Chevrolet Located in Federal Way along the I-5 corridor, Jet Chevrolet works with commercial customers throughout Western Washington, including Federal Way, Tacoma, Kent, Auburn, Puyallup, Olympia, Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, Everett and Lynnwood. As part of Dinsmore Auto Group, Jet Chevrolet is locally owned and family operated. Our commercial team works with businesses to evaluate vehicle options based on their work and fleet requirements. Do More. Save More. Experience MORE. As your business adds employees, crews, customers or service areas, your commercial vehicle needs may change with it. Planning to add another work truck or commercial vehicle? Connect with the Jet Chevrolet team at (253) 336-4216 to discuss your fleet needs. Final Thoughts There isn't one vehicle-to-employee ratio that works for every business. The right fleet size depends on how your crews operate, what your vehicles need to accomplish and where your business is headed. When vehicle availability starts limiting the work your team is ready to perform, it may be time to consider adding capacity.

When choosing a heavy-duty work truck, one of the biggest decisions is whether to go with a gasoline or diesel engine. Neither is automatically better. The right choice depends on what the truck will actually be asked to do. For fleet buyers, the best place to start is with the job rather than the engine. Start With How the Truck Will Be Used Before choosing gas or diesel, consider: How frequently the truck will tow The trailers it needs to handle Typical cargo and passenger loads Daily driving conditions How the vehicle will be used throughout the workweek A truck primarily carrying crews and equipment between job sites may have different requirements than one regularly towing substantial trailers. When a Gas Work Truck May Make Sense A gas-powered truck can be a practical choice when its capabilities match the work the business needs to perform. Businesses using trucks for job-site travel, carrying crews and equipment, or towing within the vehicle's rated capabilities shouldn't assume diesel is necessary simply because the vehicle is used commercially. The important question is whether the specific truck and configuration can safely handle the work required of it. When Diesel May Make Sense Diesel deserves consideration when a business has more demanding towing requirements. Diesel engines offered in many heavy-duty pickups can provide greater torque than comparable gasoline engine options, which can make them worth considering for more demanding towing applications. That doesn't mean every business that tows needs diesel. The actual trailer, frequency of towing, vehicle configuration, and operating requirements should guide the decision. Look Beyond the Engine The engine isn't the only factor that determines what truck fits a certain job. Cab and bed configuration, drivetrain, equipment, passengers, cargo, trailer type, and installed accessories can all affect a vehicle's capabilities. Fuel costs, purchase price, maintenance requirements, expected ownership period, and utilization can also affect the financial side of the decision. Rather than assuming gas or diesel will always cost less, businesses should evaluate those factors based on their own expected use. Check the Specific Vehicle Published maximum towing figures shouldn't automatically be treated as the capability of every truck in a model line. Before purchasing a work truck for towing or hauling, review the ratings and documentation for the specific vehicle and configuration being considered. Comparing gas and diesel work trucks for your business? Connect with the Jet Chevrolet team at (253) 336-4216 to discuss your commercial vehicle needs. Do More. Save More. Experience MORE. Final Thoughts Gas versus diesel isn't about which engine is universally better. A gas work truck may provide everything one business needs, while a diesel may be better suited to another operation with more demanding towing requirements. Start with the work the truck needs to perform, then compare the specifications and ratings of the specific vehicles you're considering.