Over the course of the last 3-6 months, Fleet Service GB has seen a notable increase in both lead times and workshop capacity, particularly within the dealer network, and is being felt across the sector.
This is mainly down to a chronic lack of availability of parts, a lack of competent dealerships and cover – particularly in the Northern Regions and Scotland. It is evident that certain manufacturers are suffering more than others (e.g., Peugeot) with unacceptable lead times, and in some cases complete refusal of the booking due to a lack of commercial ramps, this is leading us to look further and further afield for availability. Commercial vehicles are suffering most, this is likely due to the sheer amounts of major component failures, and there being fewer commercial ramps and workshops available.
Fleet Service GB understand vehicle downtime is critical to any fleet operation and our objective is to minimise the impact wherever possible. The Fleet Service GB team continue to work with the supply chain in gaining the highest level of support possible across all manufacturers. All capacity locally is assessed by the Support team and issues escalated to the Manufacturer for support, however despite best efforts we cannot always minimise the impact to overall downtime as a result of the challenges faced by the manufacturers.
In order to be minimise any impact on unplanned maintenance, the team at Fleet Service GB recommend a proactive approach with regular vehicle checks using the Fleet Service GB Driver App and ensuring planned, routine maintenance is booked well in advance.