5 Tips For Businesses Looking To Relocate Their Fleet
- Written by NewsServices.com
The choice to move your business can be quick, but the more prep time you can put into the move the less stress your employees will suffer. Whether you're going across town, across the country, or even over water with your fleet, services, and products, prepping your new site for best results and looping in all employees will speed the process along.
Boost Security
Once you have your new business site located and leased or purchased, it's time to boost the security at and around your location. This can mean
- - fencing the lot
- - adding lights and cameras
- - hiring a security service to patrol the facility and lot
Even if you're not ready to move any of your office services, you can start transferring some tooling and getting some raw goods delivered to the new facility if your business is manufacturing.
You may need a skeleton crew on site to connect with contractors if you are doing any work inside the facility, such as creating a new showroom or setting up a retail space. To start, you may keep things simpler by setting up temporary codes on doors and security systems that you can share with the contractors. When you're ready to open for business, you can switch the code for your employees.
Of course, if your business is related to selling vehicles, you will need to communicate with your insurance agency in your new state as you prep your fleet. As a car dealership, everything from weather concerns to the holiday schedule will impact your decision. However, a well-lit, fully secured lot is critical to preparing your new location for safe storage.
Prep Your Fleet
You may have a fleet of luxury vehicles to transport executives from the airport or a fleet of work vans to haul workers and products. Whatever vehicles you're transporting, make sure they're in good shape with no leaks. If your fleet vehicles are dripping any fluids when loaded onto carriers or into transport carriers on a ship, you may face extra fees.
To that end, consider shipping your finest vehicles first. Vehicles that are showing wear should be kept at your business site and used for the duration of the preparations; if you find that an older vehicle cannot be repaired to a drip-free state, you may be better off selling it before you make the final move.
Make sure you check the weight requirements and fuel restrictions published by your car transport company. Most transport companies require that vehicles be empty and have a small amount of fuel in the tank. If you're moving a vehicle that can be started, the loading restrictions and even the loading time may be different from the rest of your fleet.
Change Your Marketing
If your business fleet carries the logo of your business, now is the time to consider a marketing change, especially if you're moving into a new state. For businesses that use a collection of delivery vans, it may be time to consider a new logo, a new paint color for the vans, or window wraps for your entire fleet displaying your new address.
Your social media manager needs to be looped in quickly. You will need a press release and a change to your website as well, but if your plan is to sell some of your oldest vehicles in the last days before your move, your social media manager can help you list many of these vehicles for quick sales.
Carefully review security in these final days. Any notice of changes to your location can be a red flag for opportunistic thieves with an eye toward making off with unguarded items. If you have kept your fleet behind a locked fence for years, make sure your security contract, monitoring program, and electricity are on until the last vehicle has been moved.
Offer First Choice to Employees Left Behind
If you have some employees who have been with you for a while who will not be relocating with the business, consider offering to sell any vehicles you will not be moving with you. For example, if you have been running a carpeting business and have a fleet of vans, an employee who isn't coming with you may be interested in starting their own flooring business. Sell them a van you're not planning to move.
You may have a fleet of high-end sedans used to transport people to special events. A good driver with some mechanical skills can keep such a vehicle running for years yet. Just because it's not an easy fix to stop the leaks doesn't mean it can't be a profitable vehicle, a single driver can start their own business with such a car if you agree on terms.
Asking employees who will be out of a job to help you move can cause some hurt feelings and lead to resistance. You can lower this resistance with the option to purchase one of the older vehicles at the end of the relocation process.
Start Looking to Increase the Size of Your Fleet
Once you have your new location, it's time to start growing the business. The vehicle transport company that will move your best vehicles to your new location can also move quality used vehicles to your new location.
You may have moved to a new location so you can expand your fleet, increase the size of your shop floor or enjoy a bigger retail space. Whether your business is all about vehicles or just has a fleet to move your own product, needing another delivery truck is a very good problem to have. Looking across the country for used commercial vehicles and shipping the best choice that suits your needs is an ideal way to keep costs low.
You may have put off adding new vehicles to your fleet because space was limited or because you knew a move was coming and you wanted to watch your cash flow. Once you have relocated your entire business, it's time to keep growing.
