Owning a business car is one thing, but it’s another to have another vehicle used strictly for deliveries. We know: owning two vehicles sounds too frivolous at this point. Isn’t keeping costs low the entire point of a business?
Before you fret, hear us out. Running a retail store can be challenging, and having a dedicated delivery vehicle makes your job easier. For starters, you get to make deliveries directly to consumers. Retail businesses have to find ways to one-up the competition, and you can make speed your primary differentiator.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not without extra costs, though. Whether it’s a motorcycle or a truck, owning a delivery vehicle requires regular repairs and maintenance if you want to keep your business running smoothly. Many entrepreneurs have taken advantage of a used car business opportunity, and you can buy from them to keep costs low.
Deliveries and supply runs depend on your vehicles. If one of your vehicles is out of commission for even a day, it can mess up your delivery rotation and might even jeopardize your business’ reputation. You’ll be surprised at how upset people can be if their packages come even a day later.
We’ve come up with three effective ways to manage delivery vehicle costs, so you won’t have to stress out too much about finding ways to do so from so many complicated sources on and offline. Read on.
1. Plan your trips with digital tools
Delivery vehicles need proper planning around factors like cargo weight distribution and efficient routes. You also have to think about rush hours and spots in the city where congestion is, the weather, and incidents on the road. Technology can help you strategize your trips and help you save a lot more money on gas.
Many apps offer a dashboard of important things to check before driving, and getting them installed is easy and affordable. This will be an investment that will save you so much in the long run. Stress and extra spending are easily avoidable if you plan smarter and do not leave things up to what the traffic reports and gut feelings on routes say.
2. Plan for repairs and replacements
When it comes to delivery vehicle maintenance, it helps to leave a little wiggle room in the budget for emergencies. Emergency repairs and replacements can blow a hole in your wallet if you haven’t prepared for it. Prepare a budget for fuel, repairs, and accessories if you feel like you might need an upgrade down the road.
Pay attention to vehicle warranty and auto insurance, as well. These documents often have a lot of information that tends to get overlooked until it’s too late. When it comes to vehicles, it’s wise to stay as informed as possible. If you don’t want to be shocked by a repair bill you didn’t expect to have, set something aside.
3. Plan to optimize your routes and deliveries
Optimizing means finding a way to get the maximum benefit out of any situation. Applying this to keeping costs down means finding ways to make the most of what you already have. Calculate routes if you have regular deliveries to save on gas — instead of going in weird loops around the city, check which deliveries are near each other and hit them all in a single trip. You can also print out traffic guides if you have drivers working the vehicle.
Factor in idle time, as well. If you have drivers doing the deliveries, allow them to run personal errands and get food between bringing packages to their respective homes. That way, they won’t have to come back to the garage and back out again, wasting precious time and fuel. That way, you can also encourage your drivers that it’s okay to make the most of a trip.
A final word
Everybody who owns a business runs it differently from the next person. Getting a delivery vehicle may seem like another purchase, and it can be easy to see it as currently unnecessary, but getting one for your brand is an investment.
Using your personal car can make your work life bleed into your home life, and you might end up mixing personal documents that belong in your car with work papers. Keeping costs down for a delivery vehicle does not have to be difficult; one needs to learn how to plan things for the future.
