Overview
Fleet tracks a vehicle from the moment it is added to the inventory through active use, maintenance, and eventual retirement. Understanding where each vehicle is in its lifecycle helps fleet managers make informed decisions about repairs versus replacement, and ensures compliance records stay current throughout ownership.
Stage 1 — Procurement
When a vehicle is acquired, add it to Fleet with full identifying details:
- Go to Fleet > Vehicles > Add Vehicle.
- Enter the VIN, make, model, year, and license plate.
- Set ownership type: Owned, Leased, or Financed.
- Enter the purchase date and purchase price. These values feed into Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculations.
- Set the initial mileage.
- Add insurance policy number and expiration date, and registration expiration date.
- Click Save.
Once saved, the vehicle is picked up by Fleet's weekly NHTSA recall refresh, which reads its make, model and year.
Stage 2 — Active Use
During active service:
- Assign a driver — link the vehicle to a primary driver so dispatch and trip logs are associated correctly. See Assignments.
- Log fuel entries — track fill-ups to calculate MPG and cost per mile.
- Run inspections — pre-trip and post-trip checks keep a safety record. See the inspection how-to in the Fleet user guide.
- Log trips — record origin, destination, purpose, and mileage for each trip.
- Update odometer — use Update Odometer on the vehicle record when mileage is confirmed (e.g., after a service appointment).
Stage 3 — Maintenance
Scheduled and unscheduled service events are tracked in Fleet's maintenance module:
- Maintenance records capture service type, cost, technician, parts used, and mileage at service.
- Interval schedules automatically flag vehicles as Due or Overdue based on miles or days since last service.
- Work orders manage multi-step repairs with parts, labor, vendor, and status tracking.
See Maintenance Schedules for setup details.
Stage 4 — Compliance Monitoring
Throughout active use, Fleet monitors:
- Insurance expiry — stored on the vehicle record and shown on the vehicle. The background expiry check reads Compliance items, not the vehicle's insurance field, so an insurance date held on the vehicle record is informational — add it as a Compliance item if you want Fleet to watch it.
- Registration expiry — stored on the vehicle record too, and likewise outside the background expiry check.
- Driver license expiry — tracked on the driver record.
- Recall status — re-check at any time from Fleet > Compliance.
See Warranty Tracking for managing expiry alerts.
Stage 5 — Retirement
When a vehicle is taken out of service:
- Open the vehicle record.
- Change the Status to Retired or Inactive.
- Remove the driver assignment if one exists.
Retired vehicles remain in the database for historical reporting. They are excluded from active inventory views and from maintenance schedule checks.
To permanently remove a vehicle from all views, use Delete from the vehicle menu. Deleted vehicles are soft-deleted and can be restored from Settings > Deleted Vehicles if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I track the total cost of owning a vehicle?
Use the TCO report under Fleet > Reports. It combines purchase price, fuel cost, maintenance cost, and other expenses across the vehicle's life.
Can I track a leased vehicle differently from an owned one?
The ownership type field (Owned / Leased / Financed) is available on every vehicle record and can be used to filter reports. Lease end dates can be tracked as a compliance item.
Where do I record the sale of a vehicle?
Record final mileage, update status to Retired, and add a note with sale price in the notes field. Formal sale/disposal tracking is handled in your accounting system.