Why operators choose a contract
Running vehicles is hard enough without chasing service dates, booking inspections and finding someone to come out at two in the morning. A maintenance contract hands all of that to one team. Vehicles are serviced and inspected on schedule, defects are fixed before they become breakdowns, and when something does go wrong on the road you ring the people who already know the vehicle.
If you are weighing it up, our article on fleet maintenance contracts versus pay-as-you-go repairs sets out the trade-offs honestly.
What a contract covers
Every fleet is different, so we agree the scope with you. Most contracts bring together:
- servicing and planned maintenance to the manufacturer's schedule
- PMI safety inspections at the intervals on your operator licence, with brake performance checked every time
- MOT preparation before each annual test
- 24/7 emergency breakdown and recovery
- mobile repairs at your depot for faults found on walkaround checks
The same team, day and night
The technicians who service your fleet are the ones who come out when a vehicle stops. They know its history, so they aren't meeting it for the first time on the hard shoulder, and faults that keep coming back get spotted and dealt with properly rather than patched each time.
Compliance you can show
DVSA expects operators to keep proper maintenance records and to stick to their inspection intervals. On a contract, inspections are planned in advance, defects are recorded with what was done about them, and the paperwork is ready when you need it. That protects your OCRS score and your operator licence.
Mixed fleets welcome
Contracts aren't only for HGV fleets. We look after trailers, coaches, minibuses, vans and light commercials, and specialist vehicles including emergency-service vehicles, so a mixed fleet can sit under one agreement. See coach and minibus repairs.
How it works day to day
Once the contract is set up, the routine is simple:
- We plan the calendar. Services and inspections for every vehicle are scheduled in advance, at the right intervals.
- Vehicles come in, or we come to you. Planned work happens at our workshop in Melbourne or at your depot, whichever keeps vehicles earning.
- Defects are fixed and recorded. Faults found at inspections or on walkaround checks are repaired and written up.
- Breakdowns go to the same team. When a vehicle stops, you ring 01332 916028 and speak to people who know your fleet.
- You see what was done. Every visit is recorded for your maintenance files, so the paperwork is there when you need it.
Switching from your current arrangement
Moving to a new maintenance provider doesn't have to mean disruption. Tell us when your vehicles are next due for inspections and services, and we will pick up the schedule from there, so nothing is missed in the handover. Bring us your recent inspection records if you have them and we will get to know the fleet quickly.
Who contracts suit
Contracts work well for operators who would rather run their vehicles than manage their maintenance: hauliers with a handful of trucks, coach and minibus operators, businesses with a mixed fleet of vans and HGVs, and anyone who has been caught out by a missed inspection or a breakdown that a service would have caught.
Talk to us about your fleet
Ring 01332 916028 or use the form below. Tell us how many vehicles you run, what they are, where they are based and what you do now, and we will put together a plan that fits the way you operate. Fleet customers are set up on account.
Where we cover
We work across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire from our base at Melbourne, just south of Derby, close to the M1, A50, A38 and A42. That puts Derby, Burton upon Trent, Castle Donington and the logistics parks around junctions 23a and 24 of the M1, Loughborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Swadlincote, Long Eaton, Nottingham and Leicester on our doorstep, with Mansfield, Chesterfield and Sheffield further up the M1.
