PM Fleet

Build a freight rate that covers the cost of actually running the load — the per-mile economics, the deadhead and detention nobody prices, and the accessorials that decide whether the lane is profitable. Use when asked to quote a freight rate, price a lane, work out cost per mile, decide whether to accept a load, or explain why a lane is losing money. Produces the fully-loaded cost per mile, the lane economics including empty miles, the accessorial schedule, the break-even and target rate, and the accept-or-decline recommendation.

Reduce driver turnover by fixing what actually makes drivers leave — the pay comparison that is real, the home-time reliability, the dispatch relationship, and the first ninety days where most departures are decided. Use when asked to improve driver retention, reduce turnover, understand why drivers are leaving, or design a driver onboarding or referral programme. Produces the turnover analysis by tenure and cause, the true cost of turnover, the exit-driver findings, the prioritised interventions, and the first-90-days plan.

Audit driver hours records for the violations that actually get cited — the falsification patterns, the edit trails, and the scheduling that makes compliance impossible — and fix the causes rather than the logs. Use when asked to audit hours of service, review driver logs, check tachograph or ELD records, prepare for an hours compliance review, or reduce hours violations. Produces the violation summary by type and severity, the falsification-pattern review, the scheduling root-cause analysis, the driver-level and systemic actions, and the audit trail. Rules and limits are jurisdiction-specific and must be verified against current regulation.

Prepare a transport operation for a regulatory audit — the records an auditor asks for in order, the findings your own file will produce, and the gaps closed before the visit rather than during it. Use when asked to prepare for a DOT or FMCSA audit, a traffic commissioner or operator licence review, a fleet compliance inspection, or to run an internal transport compliance audit. Produces the records inventory, the self-audit findings by severity, the gap-closure plan, the audit-day logistics, and the evidence pack. Requirements are jurisdiction-specific and must be verified against the current regulation and your licence conditions.

Design a preventive maintenance programme that keeps vehicles legal and out of the workshop at the wrong moment — intervals set by duty cycle, the inspection items that actually cause roadside failures, and the defect-reporting loop that closes. Use when asked to build a fleet maintenance schedule, set PM intervals, reduce breakdowns or roadside violations, or design a vehicle inspection programme. Produces the interval schedule by duty cycle, the inspection checklists by level, the defect-reporting and rectification loop, the parts and downtime planning, and the compliance record structure.

Investigate a commercial vehicle incident so the record is defensible and the cause is actually found — evidence secured in the first hours, the preventability decision made on stated criteria, and corrective action aimed at the system rather than the driver. Use when asked to investigate a vehicle accident, run a post-accident review, decide whether a collision was preventable, or write an incident report for a fleet. Produces the evidence checklist, the sequence reconstruction, the preventability determination with reasoning, the contributing-factor analysis, and the corrective actions. Not legal advice; involve your insurer and counsel early.