ATS Euromaster has urged fleets to ensure vehicles are fully operational before drivers return to work amid lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

The company said that forward-planning is essential to ensure optimum fleet uptime when business starts returning post-lockdown.

The tyre replacement and service centre warned that amid the lifting of lockdown restrictions, there will be increased pressure on maintenance and bodyshop bays.

ATS Euromaster performed more than 500,000 digital vehicle health checks since it launched the service in 2019.

Mark Holland, operations director at ATS Euromaster, said: “It’s important to remember that the usual service centres that fleets use will also have been under pressure from COVID-19, with reduced staff cover due to coronavirus or through staff furlough. Therefore, this will increase demand on the maintenance bays and potentially impact vehicle uptime.

“While we have kept the vast majority of our ATS Euromaster centres open during lockdown and continue to ensure our emergency blue light contracts are fully serviced and prioritised, we have still been impacted by the pandemic and staff sickness, with resultant extension of waiting times.

“We would suggest that fleets start preparing to restart as soon as safely possible while most fleets are in downtime, to ensure the fleet is ready to go when lockdown does eventually end.”

ATS Euromaster suggestions for fleets are:

• For vehicles that have been laid up or little used for the past year, consider a free Duty of Care service inspection to ensure drivers can return to work safely and securely
• Consider booking any tyre replacement early - stocks of some tyres will be low and may require a few weeks for order, delivery, and fitment
• Check tyre wear, damage and quality on vehicles that have been sitting for the past few months
• Ensure vehicle servicing that may have been delayed during lockdown is now booked in to ensure full vehicle maintenance
• Check the MOT status of vehicles and check vehicles to ensure that they are roadworthy
• Some parts and items will require ordering and lead times for replacement parts are extended by weeks
• Address minor accident damage on vehicles sustained during the recent cold snap

Holland said: “Ensuring fleet uptime is a critical part of fleet management, so planning and preparation now is essential to ensure a fleet returns to operational status successfully when required.

“Failure to plan properly could result in unwanted vehicle downtime, which could impact business return to profitability.”