Changing tires in the fleet

The seasonal change from summer to winter tires is upon us. A tiresome topic for most vehicle owners. The time involved is a particular thorn in the side of many. What already requires a high degree of organization in the private sector regularly confronts fleet operators with the question of efficient fleet management solutions. After all, getting a large fleet of cars ready for winter in the shortest possible time is a logistical challenge. After all, the vehicles have to be transported from the parking lot or customer to the tire change location and back again. Depending on the size of the fleet, this can be a complex undertaking. In this article, you can find out how fleet managers can reduce the effort thanks to intelligent transfer solutions.

According to the O-to-O rule - Easter to October - you should change your summer tires at the beginning of April and your winter tires at the beginning of October. However, this is a rule of thumb. Depending on the region in which you drive, it may make sense to change your tires earlier. Take the weather as a guide. If the weather is already significantly worse in September, for example, you should not delay changing your tires unnecessarily.

Whether it's a private car or a fleet vehicle, changing tires seasonally is not an option, it's a must. Here are the most important reasons:

Fleet operators must ensure that their employees and customers are always safe on the road. Incorrect or inadequate tires can quickly put both drivers and other road users in trouble. If you still send your fleet out on the road with summer tires in icy and wet conditions, you risk accidents.

Tire tests show that the braking distancedoubleswith summer tires in winter temperatures.

This not only endangers the driver, but also the vehicle itself. To avoid material damage and thus downtime and loss of earnings, you should therefore change to the right tires in good time.

The right tires at the right time of year have a positive effect on wear. Winter tires have a softer rubber compound than summer tires for better grip on snow and slippery roads. The latter cannot withstand colder temperatures, become stiffer and lose grip. The risk of damage increases.

Worn tires need more fuel. More fuel means a higher financial outlay. Depending on the size of the fleet, this can have a significant impact on the total cost of ownership.

In Germany, situational winter tires have been mandatory since 2010. This means that in winter road conditions (black ice, slippery snow, slush, etc.), only winter tires may be used. Of course, this also applies to company cars, subscription cars and rental vehicles.

Anyone caught driving on summer tires in snow and slippery conditions will be fined 60 euros. The point in Flensburg is a gift on top. The amount increases in the event of danger. In addition, accident damage caused by incorrect tires may have consequences for insurance cover.

Although the legal responsibility lies with the driver and not the rental company, companies that want to score points with good service should always have enough vehicles with the right tires available for their customers.

It's not just car transfers to the tire change location that need to be well planned. Mobility is changing. Today's customers expect the right vehicle at the right place at all times. Without long waits. This also applies to tires.

A subscription customer who orders a car in the winter season naturally also expects a safe vehicle - whether in Berlin, Munich or Detmold. Fleet managers must ensure that there are always enough seasonal cars available at each location. To guarantee this, fast transfer processes are required.

The item "tires" represents a significant cost factor for fleet operators. Whether purchasing, maintaining or replacing - according to the tire company Goodyear, expenditure on tires in the fleet is around three percent of total operating costs. If factors such as administrative costs are included, the figure rises immensely. Nevertheless, the right choice of tires at the right time is essential for the mobility and profitability of a fleet.

Keeping a fleet mobile is a task that can hardly be accomplished with traditional, internal solutions. If you only look at seasonal tire changes, it becomes clear why many fleet operators handle this area via marketplace solutions such as ONLOGIST. After all, the vehicle transfers to the tire change location not only have to be carried out, but also planned, managed, scheduled and invoiced. Assigning your own employees to this task in addition to their core tasks takes time and nerves away from your employees.

And searching for suitable, available service providers every six months is not efficient and is also very expensive.

In short: If you take tire management into your own hands, you are shifting important capacities to an area that has nothing to do with your actual core business. These capacities may then be lacking when it comes to maintaining and expanding the main business.

To get to the point: Changing from summer to winter tires is annoying but unavoidable. Fleet managers who react in good time and handle vehicle transfers to the workshop digitally save time and money.

Cloud-based solutions such as ONLOGIST offer fleet managers access to a pool of qualified driving service providers who can take your vehicles from A to B and back again flexibly and transparently.

In addition to cost and time savings for the responsible employees, customer satisfaction also increases. This is because transfer orders that can be planned at short notice ensure that your rental, subscription and car-sharing customers are always reliably supplied with safe vehicles - regardless of location.

Are you looking for new solutions for your transfer processes? Get in touch with us. We will be happy to advise you and offer you the opportunity to test our platform.