Is your fleet vehicle ready for the winter?

Summer is coming to an end in the UK and it’s best to start preparing ourselves and our fleet vehicles for the cold months ahead. With this in mind, Insure Fleet would like to give you some tips and advice on how to make sure your vehicle is ready for the winter.

Winter Tyres

You will need to check the conditions of your tyres before the winter months starts. Rain, snow, sleet
and icy roads can all have a detrimental effect on tyres and increase the chances of an accident. You will want to avoid skidding so make sure you check that your tyres meet the legal requirements as a minimum.  Special winter tyres can also be purchased for those who are particularly concerned and are useful for those travelling frequently on county lanes that are not always gritted.

Tyre Pressure

The big change in temperature during the winter months can cause a substantial loss in tyre pressure. However, avoid increasing your tyre pressure too much as this will also cause your vehicle to lose grip and can equally cause an accident. As a Fleet Manager, it is your responsibility to make sure drivers check their tyre pressure several times a month during the winter.

Lights and Wipers

Fleet Managers need to make sure that each vehicle is fitted with wipers that will be able to get through the snow fall and the build-up of ice. You will also need to frequently check that all fleet vehicle lights are working correctly. This is to help avoid collisions caused by poor vision.

Fuel

In the winter, water vapour collects at the bottom of fuel tanks which can be drawn up into the fuel lines and freeze. This will prevent your engine from working. However there is a number of ways of avoiding this. You can avoid your fuel tank from being less than ½ full and use fuel-line anti-freeze.

Battery

The battery of your car is something that you think less about. If your battery is more than five years old then it may struggle in the cold months. Therefore you should get it checked and replaced if necessary to avoid any inconvenience.

In conclusion, we don’t know how bad this winter is going to be so it’s best to be prepared for the next few months. Even if there isn’t any snow or icy road conditions, it’s still best to make sure that your fleet car is in its best condition.

For more information about fleet insurance, call our friendly team today on 0333 202 3173.