One of the best ways to maximize fuel economy, yet one of the most frequently overlooked approaches, is making sure that your vehicle is well maintained.  Routine maintenance is there for a reason: to help your vehicles continue to run in tip-top shape.  This is true for all vehicles, including passenger cars, but it is especially true for fleet vehicles, which see much more wear and tear than the average personal vehicle.

There are a number of things that are frequently repaired or replaced during scheduled maintenance, such as:

• Oil and oil filter
• Antifreeze
• Transmission oil (or fluid and filter)
• Air filter
• Spark plugs
• Spark plug wires
• Distributor cap and rotor
• PCV
• Oxygen sensors
• Belts and hoses
• Batteries
• Tires

Replacing all of these things on time helps to keep your fleet vehicles running smoothly.  Skipping any of these can cost you money by leading to a decrease in fuel economy, or by leaving a driver stranded on the side of the road -- resulting in late deliveries and your driver being paid for several hours of doing nothing but waiting for a tow truck.

Keeping up on your vehicles' maintenance doesn't have to be difficult.  There are some things that are so quick and easy that your drivers can do it.  For instance, checking regularly for proper tire inflation, and fixing any underinflated tires, can lead to as much as a 3 or 4 percent increase in fuel economy.  Having your drivers change their air filters likewise can cause anywhere between a 2 to a 6 percent increase, depending on how dirty the old filter was.

As for bigger scheduled maintenance, such as oil changes and tune ups, you can easily keep track of what your vehicles have had -- and therefore, what they will need next -- by assigning each vehicle its own fuel credit card.  These cards can usually be used to pay for maintenance as well, and since most fleet cards have detailed reporting systems to aid fleet managers in record keeping and other tasks, you can use the cards to track each vehicle's maintenance history.

However you decide to keep on your vehicles' required maintenance, don't make the mistake of trying to save money by skipping scheduled repairs.  In the long run, it will never work.  By not taking care of your vehicle, you are actually likely to spend more money over the long run, because you start having to put more fuel in the truck, not to mention you risk more breakdowns and tire blowouts.  On the other hand, when you get repairs done on time, you will actually see a return on your money as your trucks continue to run reliably and get just as good fuel economy as the first day that you got them.

Nobody likes to think about dying, or the expenses that are incurred as a result. Even if you and your family members are perfectly healthy, there’s no way to foretell when a fatal accident may occur. Many people have begun looking into prepaid funerals to give their families peace of mind in the event that they pass away.

There is no question that funerals can be expensive, but alleviating your family of the stress of having to pay for all of the expenses during a time of mourning is well worth it. Imagine having to scramble for a few hundred dollars here and a few hundred dollars there right after losing a loved one. That’s definitely a situation that nobody wants to be put through. With Prepaid funerals are a great alternative to funeral insurance. the entire family can be at peace and properly mourn the death of their loved one rather than stressing about finances.

Some may think that funeral expenses can be covered by life insurance benefits.  But many times this is not the case.  There is a whole process to go through in order to receive the proceeds from a life insurance policy.  So the funds just aren’t there in time to pay for all of the funeral costs.  Therefore, these benefits should not be relied on to cover the funeral expenses.  If the funeral is prepaid, then the life insurance benefits can be used to help the family through the loss of income.

These plans not only alleviate the financial burden at a tragic time, but they also ease the pain of having to arrange the whole affair.  All the decisions are made ahead of time such as:  the coffin, the flowers, the headstone, the services, the announcements and any other miscellaneous items that make up a funeral plan.  The family can take time to be with each other and not have to worry about all those arrangements.  It’s really a gift to the people you love to free them of having to make decisions during such a difficult time.

Needless to say, these plans are a terrific investment and one of the nicest things you can do for your family.  And one of the biggest positives is that the person who passes away gets the exact funeral they he or she wanted, which is the most important thing. They can pick out their casket, flowers, headstone and everything in between. They can rest in peace with everything customized to their liking.

Sure it is difficult to pay for a funeral that you don’t want to think about for tens of years, but getting it over with, while providing the deceased with the services they desire is well worth it. Another benefit of prepaid funerals is that you don’t have to worry about inflation, or a change in the market value of the expenses that go along with funerals. Prices seem to always increase as time goes by, so why not pay for the funeral now, while it’s cheaper than it will be in the future? There is really no reason not to choose these plans.