The short answer: PM compliance is the share of preventive maintenance done on time. Most large fleets can see what is overdue; the problem is getting it scheduled. To fix it, measure compliance weekly, sort the backlog by risk, give every overdue item an owner and a date, and stop relying on drivers to bring vehicles in. HoneyRuns' AI agent, Riggs, watches mileage and service intervals across the fleet, books overdue work with your shops, and follows up until it is done.
Why compliance slips in large fleets
City, county and large private fleets share the same problems:
- Overdue lists checked by hand. Someone pulls a past-due report every morning and works through it as time allows.
- Vehicles that fall off the list. Trailers, spares and rarely used units can go a year or more without service because nothing triggers a reminder.
- Drivers who ignore warning lights. A check engine light can stay on for months if the driver does not report it and nobody is watching the data.
- Many departments, one shop. Departments manage their own vehicles but depend on a central shop and cannot see where their vehicles stand.
- Defect reports that pile up. Driver inspection reports flag problems faster than anyone can act on them.
Step 1: Measure it the same way every week
PM compliance = PMs completed on time / PMs due in the period.
Report it weekly by department or location. Also track the number of vehicles with no service record in the last 12 months. Those are the ones a past-due report misses.
Step 2: Sort the backlog
Not every overdue item is equal. Sort open items into:
- Safety items: brakes, tires, steering, lights, and any active warning light. Schedule this week.
- Overdue PMs on daily-use vehicles. Schedule within two weeks.
- Everything else, including inspections on low-use units. Schedule on a rolling plan.
For inspections that recur on a fixed date, such as annual trailer or DOT inspections, put every unit on a schedule, including the ones that currently have none.
Step 3: Give every item an owner and a date
A backlog shrinks only when each item has a name and a booked date next to it. "On the list" is not a plan.
Step 4: Stop depending on drivers
Read mileage and fault codes directly from telematics instead of waiting for drivers to report them. Book the work and tell the driver where and when, rather than asking them to arrange it.
How Riggs helps
Riggs watches mileage, engine hours, fault codes and service intervals across the fleet, so overdue work and warning lights are caught without anyone running a report. It books the work with your shops, tells the driver where and when, sends estimates to the fleet manager to approve, and follows up until each item is done. It can also work through a list of open defects you give it and turn them into booked repairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do you track preventive maintenance compliance for a city fleet? A: Divide PMs completed on time by PMs due, report it weekly by department, and separately track vehicles with no service record in the past year.
Q: How do I clear a backlog of open DVIR defects? A: Sort defects by safety risk, schedule safety items first, assign an owner and a date to every item, and close each one with a record of the repair.
Q: How do I schedule annual trailer inspections across multiple sites? A: Put every trailer on a schedule, including units with none today, track due dates in one place, and book inspections in batches by site before they come due.
Q: How do I stop drivers from ignoring check engine lights? A: Do not rely on drivers to report them. Read fault codes from telematics and book the repair directly, then tell the driver where and when to bring the vehicle.
Q: Can maintenance scheduling work across many departments? A: Yes, if vehicle status is visible to each department and one system books and tracks the work. Riggs keeps a status for every vehicle and handles the booking and follow-up.
Get Started with HoneyRuns
Connect your telematics and see every overdue vehicle, including the ones your reports miss. Get started.
HoneyRuns gets fleet maintenance done. It watches mileage, intervals, and telematics, books the repair with the shops and vendors you already use, stays on the driver and the shop until the vehicle is back, and logs the completed service in the system you already run. Your team approves repair estimates before work goes ahead. Founded by fleet operators who manage 70 vehicles across three fleets today.