Australia’s fleet vehicles operate in some of the world’s harshest environments. These arenas present unique challenges that most vehicles aren’t equipped to handle, which is why transmissions, drivetrains, and underbody components receive significant upgrades. Although owning and maintaining a fleet of upgraded vehicles is a major expense for any company, these cars, trucks, and 4WDs are ultimately responsible for keeping the country moving.
Operating a fleet comes with many challenges, especially in terms of maintaining vehicles and meeting service requirements. In tough outback conditions, these requirements are much higher than those for normal road use, and many companies find themselves investing in major preventive maintenance items. While rebuilding components and transmission upgrades isn’t trivial, it’s critical to the success of a fleet, and it offers four major benefits that we’ll explore in the article below.
1. Reduced Downtime
Keeping fleet vehicles moving is a top priority in every industry. When vehicle downtime is costing you time and money, it’s important to keep on top of maintenance requirements. While most fleet operators have no trouble executing regular servicing appointments, major services like transmission rebuilds can be harder to justify. It can take multiple days to rebuild and reinstall a transmission. While the rebuilt transmission can provide years of reliable service, some operators struggle to justify the downtime.
Despite this, investments in drivetrain and transmission rebuilds are some of the most effective productivity boosters. In most cases, transmissions, driveshafts, and transfer cases will continue to run even as they wear out. This gives fleet operators ample time to schedule major service and rebuild appointments. Treating transmission rebuilds as a preventive maintenance procedure allows your service department to order parts and prepare in advance. Factoring these major service requirements into your maintenance schedule reduces downtime and prevents even greater losses when vehicles break down while in use.
2. Cost-Efficiency
Fleet operators are often charged with managing hundreds of vehicles. This represents a major cost to any organization, particularly in Australia where companies favor expensive marques like the Toyota Land Cruiser. Reducing fleet expenses is typically achieved by optimizing deployments, providing driver training, and managing maintenance requirements. Of these programs, meeting the servicing, repair, and maintenance needs of vehicles is the most challenging, but it’s also the biggest opportunity for cost savings.
Investing in transmission components and rebuilds is a major expense you don’t want to keep incurring. However, transmissions are a critical component, and a rebuilt transmission can breathe new life into old vehicles that are still serviceable. When vehicles like the LandCruiser are known for their ability to cover millions of kilometers in the world’s harshest conditions, a transmission rebuild is a cost-effective way to keep fleets on the road longer.
3. Enhanced Safety
One of the biggest challenges facing fleet operators is the safety of drivers and other personnel. Modern, well-maintained vehicles protect drivers from harm and reduce the likelihood of accidents that can cause serious injury. These accidents not only have the potential to harm or kill operators, but they also result in downtime, and operators typically end up having to replace the vehicle to remain compliant.
While it’s uncommon for transmissions to fail without warning, a gearbox that is worn out or on its last legs represents a serious hazard. Faulty gearboxes put drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users at risk of accidents and breakdowns. And, when a vehicle is being operated in remote locations – like mine sites – these minor issues can prove fatal. Maintaining, repairing, and rebuilding gearboxes on time means drivers can trust their equipment in critical moments, and it allows fleet operators to protect their employees from unnecessary risk.
4. Improved Fuel Efficiency
A vehicle’s transmission is responsible for transferring power from the engine to the wheels. That means the transmission plays a large role in how efficiently a vehicle runs. Transmissions that are damaged, worn, or poorly maintained can dramatically reduce fuel efficiency. While this drop in efficiency may not be noticeable on a single vehicle, it represents a major expense for fleet operators. This is especially true in industries such as mining and power generation, which rely on inefficient 4WDs driven in demanding off-road conditions.
Regular transmission maintenance and fluid changes can go a long way toward improving fuel efficiency and reducing operating costs. However, all transmission components have a finite lifespan and will eventually need to be repaired or replaced. Simply replacing old bearings and worn gear sets can dramatically improve fuel efficiency. While rebuilding a transmission also represents a major cost to fleet operators, the long-term benefits far outweigh the expense.
