Fleet inventory: papers, mileage and where each vehicle is

Vehicles differ from other fixed assets: they do not sit in one place like a desk or a machine tool. Today one is on a delivery run, another is in the repair shop, a third is working in a different region. Plan a fleet count as "we will bring every vehicle into the yard in one day" and the job will jam. Below: what to record for each vehicle and how to spread the check over several days.

What we record for each vehicle

In the register one vehicle is one row. The minimum set:

• registration plate and the company's own inventory number;
• make, model and year of manufacture;
• chassis number: the entry in the document is compared with the one on the vehicle itself;
• who is named as the owner in the registration document;
• odometer reading and the date it was taken;
• location: at which address or with which driver;
• condition: roadworthy, in repair or not in use;
• the accountable employee or the assigned driver.

The key step is to compare the plate and chassis number with the document by eye. Often one letter or digit differs in the register, or two similar vehicles are mixed up.

Papers and the odometer

The originals of the registration papers and other documents usually sit with the driver or in the office. There is no need to gather them for the count: photograph each document so the numbers are legible and note who holds the original. Attach the photo to the vehicle's row in the register. Which documents are mandatory and how to store and process them is a question for the company's lawyer and accountant. This article does not replace them.

The odometer shows the state of the vehicle "on that day", so it is recorded afresh at every count. The method is simple: photograph the instrument panel (reading clearly visible) and enter the figure and date in the table. If the company keeps trip sheets or route records, compare the reading with the previous one. When it has gone down or the gap is striking, that is a reason to ask a question, not an accusation: the instrument may have been replaced, or the figure mistyped or entered late.

Where each vehicle is, and splitting the count across days

If vehicles are scattered, do not squeeze the count into one day. A hypothetical example: the company has 12 vehicles. Five are in the main yard, three are always out on runs, two are at a service station, one is at a branch in another region and one is with a driver. A plan could look like this:

1. Five vehicles in the yard: one day, all checked by eye.
2. Three vehicles on runs: on the day they return, or the driver sends the requested photos.
3. Two vehicles at the service station: inspected on site, recording the station's name and the acceptance date.
4. The vehicle at the branch: the branch manager sends photos to one template (plate, chassis number, odometer).
5. The vehicle with a driver: the driver brings it to an agreed place or sends photos.

Add the check date and the checker's name to every row. Later, the question "when was this data taken?" already has an answer.

The key rule here: "not seen" and "not there" are not the same thing. If a vehicle is not found on the appointed day, do not write it off at once. Put it on a separate "unconfirmed" list, note whom you asked and set a date for a repeat check.

Typical mistakes and roles

• a vehicle that was sold or handed to another organisation is still on the list;
• two vehicles share one row, or one vehicle appears in two rows;
• a vehicle at the service station is recorded as "not found";
• the driver has changed but the old name remains in the records;
• the odometer photo stayed in the phone's memory and never reached the table.

Divide the duties in advance. The fleet manager keeps the register and the photo table, the drivers put the vehicles in the agreed place and send the pictures, and the accountant checks the accounting data against the list. Shared out like this, the count takes a few days rather than a week.

Conclusion

A fleet count is not one day in the yard but a careful, dated record of every unit. When the vehicle, the document and the photo are linked by a single number, the next check is much easier. Inventory provides a service for recording, tagging and registering equipment, furniture, machinery and vehicles.