Tag: Vehicles

5 Things To Consider If You Need Vehicles For Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Some businesses require the use of vehicles. If vehicles are a major expense in your business, they come with a specific of considerations. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Things To Consider If You Need Vehicles For Your Business.

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Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

If you’re looking to buy a new vehicle for your business and you don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re buying a vehicle that will be used by only you or you’re buying a commercial vehicle for everyone to use, you need to be sure you’re choosing something that is suitable. Although it may be difficult at first, there are lots of questions you can ask yourself to ensure you’re buying the right vehicle. From setting yourself an overall budget to deciding how often you’re going to be using it, the more you think about it the better. With that in mind, here are 5 things to consider if you to buy a vehicle for your business:

-What Is Your Overall Budget?

One of the first things you need to consider when it comes to buying vehicles for your business is your budget, as this will ensure you’re not spending more than you can afford. Whether you’re buying one vehicle or you’re looking at fleet management, you need to ensure you know exactly how much it is you’re able to spend. If it helps, you may want to consider thinking about all of the additional costs that are associated with purchasing a vehicle. From insurance to the cost of gas, you need to be sure you’re thinking of everything.

For a guide to budgeting for vehicles as a business, you can visit this site here.

-What Type Of Vehicle Do You Want To Buy?

Another important thing to consider is the type of vehicle you want to buy. If you’re just using it to make a few small trips each week, chances are you’re not going to need anything too expensive. For those that are looking to transport stock or travel to sales demonstrations, however, you may need to consider buying something that you know is going to be highly functional. From being able to store products and equipment to allowing for long journeys, the more reliable the vehicle the better. For tips and tricks when it comes to choosing the right vehicle for you, you can visit this site here.

-Where Do You Want To Buy It From?

Once you know what type of car you want to buy, you need to think about where you’re going to buy it from. Whether you’re getting it from a local garage or travelling a little further, deciding this in advance is important.

-Are You Buying Brand New Or Second Hand?

Another important thing to consider is whether or not you’re going to be buying something brand new, or whether you’re going to go for something second hand. Although buying something second hand will save you money, you may want to consider whether or not it’s going to be a high enough quality. The best thing to do, of course, is to test drive it in advance.

-Is It Safe?

Finally, you need to be sure you’re buying a vehicle that is going to be safe for all of your staff members to drive. This means buying something that has been checked over recently.

Do you have to buy vehicles for your business? What do you need to consider to ensure you’re buying the right vehicles at a good price? Did we miss anything? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

What the Heck is Upfitting?

A key focus of my blog is Technology. Something we see everyday but are relatively unfamiliar with is the concept of “Upfitting”. Automotive vehicles are are upfitted for varying reasons depending on the intended purpose. The following contributed post is entitled, What the Heck is Upfitting?

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(Photo by Zhen Hu on Unsplash)

Ever considered going into the ambulance business?

Probably not a question you get asked very often.

Here ambulance business does not mean the brave men and women who frequently risk their lives to save and help others, but the business of equipping ambulance with the gear that keeps people alive. It’s a rather obscure concept to think about, but interesting nonetheless.

Let’s Talk About Upfitting

Now, what the heck is upfitting?

It’s outfitting a vehicle with specialized equipment that enables the vehicle for emergency use. Upfitting can also mean custom interior and exterior design that makes a non-emergency vehicle simply look cooler. Essentially, it is vehicle customization and upgrading with equipment that was not initially added by the manufacturer.

Most of the time, it’s emergency vehicles that get upfitted. They will need to routinely change their equipment so that it’s always up-to-date and abiding by state or federal regulations. Upfitting these kinds of emergency vehicles increase their efficiency for peak performance. It can also make the vehicle and job for technicians easier and safer. No wonder upfitting is such a crucial process in maintaining emergency vehicles.

Upfitting usually starts with painting and servicing the chassis. Think of the chassis as the “bed” of the vehicle; it holds the wheels and body of the car.

Here is a chassis, FYI (Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay)

Planning could be the most crucial aspect of upfitting. Involving the technicians who will be using the vehicle can create a more thorough, safety-oriented upfitting. You will achieve the best results if you have a thorough understanding of the vehicle’s future application. One factor to consider during the upfitting process includes the end-users and how they will utilize the vehicle. Keeping the end goal and people in mind throughout the process can help upfitters better understand what kind of experience they want the users to have. Another critical factor to consider is whether the vehicle is going to serve a single purpose or multiple purposes. The upfitting process will look a lot different for the upfitting of single-purpose vehicles versus multiple-purpose vehicles.

The devil is in the details when it comes to upfitting, and that’s why it’s so important to have all concerned parties involved in the process from start to finish. Of course, it’s essential to be realistic with your clients about time constraints and any budgeting problems that may arise during the process. Otherwise, your customers could be left disappointed, and that is undoubtedly a place in which no business owner wants to be.

If you happen to be considering upfitting an emergency vehicle, check out https://tcsupfitting.com/. Not only do they deliver top-quality upfitting service for emergency vehicles in the Wichita, Kansas area, but their team is knowledgeable, efficient, and personable. Any emergency vehicle upfitted by TCS Upfitting is a faster, safer, and better-equipped vehicle to help those who need responsive care. Call today for more information or to discuss how you can get started upfitting the emergency vehicle of your dreams.

5 Ways To Make A Fleet of Vehicles More Affordable

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. For those who get into it, the trucking industry can be very lucrative if run the correctly. A major component is managing your fleet so that it runs as efficiently as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Ways To Make A Fleet of Vehicles More Affordable.

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Image Source. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Owning and maintaining a fleet of vehicles can be very expensive. If you’re looking to trim costs for your company, here are five ways in which you can make owning a fleet more affordable.

Weigh up the costs of leasing vs buying

There are two ways to acquire a fleet of vehicles – lease them or buy them. Both options can have their financial perks which are worth considering.

Leasing involves paying a monthly fee to effectively rent out the vehicle. This saves on initial costs. Whilst maintenance is still your responsibility, leased vehicles tend to be brand new and so are generally more reliable, saving you money in repairs.

Buying vehicles could be more expensive initially, but it can be cheaper in the long run. That said, the most affordable vehicles to buy are likely to be used vehicles, which may require more frequent repairs.

In either case, always buy through an official vehicle dealer. By shopping around and negotiating you may be able to lower costs.

Shop around for fleet insurance deals

Insuring every vehicle in your fleet can also be a big cost. Fleet insurance can save you a lot of money compared to insuring each vehicle individually. Make sure to shop around thoroughly to find the best deal at comparison sites such as this one.

You should also consider some of the factors that affect fleet insurance such as the quality of your drivers, the quality of your vehicles and your claim history. Adding surveillance cameras to all your vehicles could also save you huge amounts (this provides insurers with footage of any accident that occurs and can make drivers take more care behind the wheel).

Track your vehicle’s running costs

It could also be a good idea to track the running costs of each vehicle. When it comes to fuel, consider getting your drivers to log their fuel or to use a card as found at this website. This could help to ensure that drivers aren’t spending too much on fuel.

As for vehicle maintenance, keep a record of this too so that you know how much you’re spending in repairs on each vehicle. Try to shop around to beat repair quotes (just make sure to read reviews of repair centres so that you know you’re likely to get good quality service).

Tracking these expenses could be useful simply for tax purposes as they’re likely to be tax deductible. Make sure that you’re deducting all the expenses that you’re entitled to.

Prioritise energy efficiency

Encouraging energy-efficiency is important for saving you money on fuel. This should start by choosing the right type of vehicle – ideally you want something with a high MPG. Modern vehicles tend to be greener than older ones, so factor this in when choosing a vehicle.

Taking steps to encourage energy-efficient driving can also make an impact too. This could include rewarding drivers that drive more smoothly and conserve more fuel. This guide offers just a few incentives that could help you to encourage drivers to watch their fuel consumption. You may also be able to recommend routes to save time and fuel. Be careful however of laying down too many rules regarding how to drive and this may negatively affect the morale of your drivers.

Know when to replace vehicles to save costs

It’s important to know when to replace vehicles too so that you can save costs. Many companies overextend the life cycle of their vehicles to the point that parts start deteriorating. This results in more frequent repairs and more costs.

By keeping a record of repair expenses for each vehicle you can tell when a vehicle is starting to cost too much in maintenance – at this stage it’s best to cut your losses and buy a new vehicle.