Depending on the industry, owning and operating a delivery fleet can be an integral part of your business. It can be crucial to the growth and further development of a company. However, determining if investing in a delivery fleet is a good idea can be somewhat difficult, particularly as it tends to be quite an expensive investment to make. The fact is that there are a variety of advantages and disadvantages of owning a delivery fleet, so it is not always easy to determine whether it is a worthwhile move to make.
To help you to decide if owning a delivery fleet could be beneficial for your business, take note of the pros and cons below.
What are the pros of owning a delivery fleet?
Flexibility. When you own a fleet of delivery vehicles, it gives you the flexibility that you need to tailor your delivery schedule to accommodate your business’s needs, as well as your customer’s requirements. For example, say a request for an urgent delivery is made, the flexibility of having your own fleet would make it more likely that the request could be fulfilled.
Free advertising. The fact is that a fleet of your own vehicles acts as a great advertisement for your company. Adding logos to the sides of your delivery vehicles will ensure that they offer free promotion of your brand.
Time constraints. For companies that work within set time constraints, having a private fleet of vehicles can be incredibly useful. This can help to ensure that all orders are delivered on time.
Adds that personal touch. Another bonus of having your own delivery fleet of vehicles is the fact that it means offering a more personalized delivery service to your customers. Having products hand delivered by a company themselves, rather than by a third-party company is appealing to many people.
What are the cons of owning one?
The cost. One of the cons of owning a delivery fleet of vehicles is the costs that come with it. The initial cost of purchasing a fleet of vehicles can be insanely high. However, you can find fleet sales to help cut the cost. Even so, the price of owning a fleet will be high.
Insurance can be expensive. There is also the cost of insurance to think about, in addition to vehicle maintenance. If vehicles aren’t properly maintained the insurance on them can be voided. Little hacks to prevent maintenance problems or to catch them before they become more serious, such as using the worlds safest wheel nut indicator to show when a wheel nut has come loose, putting the wheel at risk of coming off, can come in handy. The key to reducing the cost of owning a fleet of vehicles is preventative maintenance.
Storage. There is also the concern of finding somewhere to store your vehicles securely when they are not in use. Some companies send these vehicles home with their drivers due to a lack of storage space. However, it’s safer and more cost-effective to store them all at one facility.
There you have it, a guide to the pros and cons of owning a delivery fleet. Although it can be expensive to own a delivery fleet, the fact is that the pros seem to outweigh the cons. This means that if your business could benefit from a delivery fleet, it is an expense that is worth investing in.