Tracking Fleet Inspections and Registrations

Why fleets fall behind

Vehicles and equipment are spread across job sites and drivers, and the people who track dates are often not the people who know where each vehicle is. Where an inspection must happen before a registration can be renewed, one late inspection delays everything behind it. Ed Bell Construction, a Texas contractor with a fleet of 500+ vehicles, found pieces of its fleet on the road unregistered or uninspected before it automated tracking. Read how Ed Bell fixed it.

Step 1: List every asset

Create one record for each vehicle and piece of equipment, with:

• Unit number, description, make and model
• VIN or serial number and plate number
• Where it's based and who is responsible for it
• Inspection due date and registration due date
• Any other dates: permits, insurance cards, maintenance agreements
• Where the current documents are saved

Step 2: Link inspections to registrations

If your registrations depend on a passed inspection, set the inspection's reminders earlier than the registration's, so the inspection is done before the registration window opens. Check your state's rules for how inspection and registration are linked.

Step 3: Remind the people who control the vehicle

Send reminders to the foreman, superintendent or fleet manager who can schedule the vehicle, as well as the office that files the paperwork. Remind early enough to plan around jobs: Ed Bell uses 60-day alerts so inspections are done before registration is due.

Step 4: Close the loop

When an inspection or registration is complete, save the new document, update the dates and confirm the next reminders are set. When a vehicle is sold or retired, close its records so reminders stop.

Step 5: Review the whole fleet regularly

Once a month, look at everything due in the next 90 days by location, and check with each site that the vehicles are scheduled.

Doing this in RenewalTracker

RenewalTracker tracks inspections, registrations and permits for every vehicle and piece of equipment, organized by site, region or division. Automatic reminders go to the office and the field, and notification-only users let supervisors receive reminders without changing anything. See RenewalTracker for construction.