Breakdowns are not random — they are usually the visible part of a maintenance plan that was never built. A simple, disciplined preventive maintenance programme will cut downtime, extend vehicle life, and protect resale value.
The three types of maintenance
1. Preventive maintenance (PM)
Scheduled service based on time, mileage, or engine hours — done before anything breaks. This is where 80% of your effort should sit.
2. Predictive maintenance
Using data — fault codes, engine hours, vibration sensors — to service components only when they show signs of wear. Powerful for larger fleets.
3. Corrective maintenance
Repairs after a failure. Expensive, disruptive, and often avoidable. The goal is to keep this category as small as possible.
A starter PM schedule
| Service item | Light vehicles | Heavy trucks | |--------------|----------------|--------------| | Oil change | 5,000–7,500 km | 15,000–25,000 km | | Tyre rotation | 10,000 km | 20,000 km | | Brake inspection | 20,000 km | 50,000 km | | Transmission fluid | 50,000 km | 50,000 km | | Coolant flush | 50,000 km | 50,000 km |
Adjust these numbers for Tanzanian operating conditions — dust, gravel sections, and stop-go urban traffic all shorten service intervals.
Daily driver checks
Drivers are your first line of defence. Build a 60-second pre-trip habit:
- Tyre condition and pressure
- Engine oil and coolant levels
- Lights, indicators, and brake lights
- Brakes and steering response
- Mirrors and wipers
A simple daily checklist on a clipboard or in a mobile app catches 90% of small problems before they become roadside breakdowns.
How GPS data helps
- Mileage-based reminders triggered by actual kilometres driven
- Engine-hours tracking for equipment that idles more than it drives
- Diagnostic codes read live and pushed to your dashboard
- Per-vehicle cost history for accurate total-cost-of-ownership tracking
What good looks like
A well-run PM programme typically delivers:
- 50–70% fewer unscheduled breakdowns
- 20–30% longer vehicle life
- 10–15% lower per-kilometre operating cost
- Materially better resale value at end of life
The classic rule of thumb: every TZS 1 spent on preventive maintenance saves roughly TZS 4–5 in repair and downtime costs.
Want to digitise your service schedule? Request a demo and we will show you how Trakora's maintenance reminders, fault-code alerts, and per-vehicle history work in practice.
