Get Your Fix Prevent a roadside emergency from sidelining your business--equip your company vehicles with the latest kits.
By Jill Amadio
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Your driver fails to deliver your product to customers due to abreakdown. You miss an important conference because you'restuck on the side of the road. Your key execs must postpone acrucial customer get-together while they wait for the tow truck.Few factors can disrupt business the way car problems can.
While cell phones, in-car roadside assistance systems andemergency roadside phones are the best way to summon help, you cansolve a few problems yourself if you're carrying the kind ofemergency equipment that can get you moving again.
Basic necessities for your business vehicle's emergency kitinclude jumper cables, a flashlight, flares, a toolkit, a tireinflator/sealant, bottles of water and first-aid items. Stockingextra oil and brake fluid, a spare fan belt and a radiator hose isa good idea, too. In foul-weather states, add an ice scraper andtraction boards.
While you can assemble these supplies yourself, there's arange of ready-made kits available that will save you time andeffort and that come in neat packages for the trunk of your companyvehicle. If you commute out to the boonies, you may need the $69.95Mountain Road Warrior Survival Kit from the Emergency PreparednessCenter www.areyouprepared.com); it includes a tow rope, awaterproof poncho, a utility knife and drinking water. At the otherend of the scale, the same site offers the economy CommuterSurvival Kit ($19.95), which includes a flashlight, a whistle, ablanket and an eight-piece first-aid kit. And somewhere in themiddle is the 19-piece Car Auto Emergency Tool Kit (regularly$49.95, on sale for $24.98) from Online Discount Mart (www.onlinediscountmart.com; click on "ToolSets"), which includes jumper cables, screwdrivers, pliers,gloves and electrical tape.
Some companies have group purchase programs ideal for fleets andsell vehicle emergency kits in bulk, with various discountsavailable. Whatever your needs, it makes sense to ensure yoursafety and that of your employees by providing emergency kits thatat least fulfill the basic necessities.
Editor and consultant Jill Amadio has been reporting on theautomotive industry for 24 years.
