How do you avoid downtime and unnecessary additional costs?
Projects come and go. One minute you need three extra mechanics on site, the next quarter another team is working overtime for a rush job. But your fleet? It’s sitting idle or costing you money every month on cars you don’t really need.
Recognizable? Then you’re not the only one. Many companies struggle with the balance between sufficient mobility and cost control for varying projects. Too few cars means rejecting orders or using expensive cabs. Too many cars means vacancy and capital tied up in metal that sits gathering dust in the parking lot.
The solution is closer than you think: short lease specifically designed for project work. In this article, you will read how to prevent downtime, control costs and perfectly align your mobility with your project planning. Not theory, but practical insights from hundreds of projects we have supported over the years.
What do you need with a changing project?
Let’s face it: a traditional 48-month lease doesn’t fit a 4-month project. Yet we still see companies struggling with rigid contracts while their project calendar is completely flexible. Temporary projects require flexibility. Think of seasonal peaks, new customers, locations outside the region or temporary workers. Then short lease is ideal: you are not tied to anything for a long time, but you can have a car at your disposal within 24 hours.
Flexible term without hassle
Project work is all about timing. You know when a project will start, but not always exactly when it will be finished. Delays due to weather, permits or client changes? Happens more often than you’d like.
What you need:
- Short minimum term – Start at 1 month, extend as needed
- Termination flexibility – Project finished earlier? No penalty clauses or red tape
- Renewal options – Running longer? Same car, same price, no hassle
- Cars readily available – from our own fleet of vehicles
At Drive, we keep it simple. One phone call is all it takes. Project overrun by six weeks? Fine, we’ll adjust the end date and your employee just drives on. No new application, no extra paperwork. Done is done.
This flexibility also means that you are never stuck with a contract that no longer fits. We know stories of companies that paid thousands of dollars in penalties because they wanted to terminate a lease contract early. Or worse: companies that continue to drive cars they no longer need, purely because termination is too expensive. These are exactly the costs you want to get rid of.
How do you control costs?
“Short lease is expensive, right?” We often hear. And yes, per month you pay more than with private lease. But calculate what vacancy costs. Or what happens if you have to turn down a job because you don’t have a car available.
Mileage bundles that fit your projects
Not every project requires the same mobility. A construction site around the corner? Then five hundred kilometers per month will be more than sufficient. But if your mechanics are doing installations across the country, you quickly need 2,500 kilometers per month or more.
At Drive, we work with you to choose a mileage bundle that fits the project. No standard packages that you poke through or fall far short of. We look at what you realistically need and charge a competitive rate for it. And if you do need more kilometers than expected? Then we know in advance what the additional cost per kilometer will be. No surprises at the final bill.
We recently had a customer who historically always assumed 1,500 kilometers per month. That seemed logical, since that was the average for their previous fleet. But when we went through their project schedule together, we found that some projects required hardly any mileage, while others meant a lot of driving. By setting up those bundles per project instead of using a general average, this company saved almost 15 percent on their mobility costs.
How we approach this:
- Customized mileage bundles – From 500 to 5,000 km/month
- No surprises – Extra kilometers? Clear rate agreed in advance
- Customized reporting – Want insight by project or by employee? We can arrange that
How does the application process work? Settled within 24 hours
Quick start = essential on temporary projects. Drive ensures you have a car at your employee’s location within 24 hours. The process is simple and scalable:
- Request (phone or online): desired term, type of vehicle, location
- Proposal & agreement: within a few hours
- Car delivery: pick up at our place or delivery on location
- End of project? → change, renew or discontinue free of charge
So you can plan today and drive tomorrow without the interference of leasing companies with long waiting periods or inflexible contracts.
Frequently asked questions about short lease for projects
We get a lot of questions from companies considering using short leasing for projects. This makes sense, as it is still relatively uncharted territory for many business owners. Let’s run through the most important questions.
Can I short lease more than one car at a time?
Absolutely. We have clients who structurally short-lease five to 10 cars for varying projects. The advantage of multiple cars at once is that you can use them flexibly as needed. Project A is finished but project B is ongoing? Then we simply transfer a car to the new project. You don’t have to make new requests or contracts every time. That saves time and red tape.
In fact, the more cars you short lease, the easier it is for us to think along in smart solutions. We see patterns in your usage and can make suggestions for more efficient use or other types of cars that better suit what you do.
Can I change cars halfway through the project?
Yes, you can. If the project changes, we think with you. From passenger car to van? Can. From budget model to something more representative because customer visits are added? No problem either. We’ll calculate the difference in monthly price and adjust the agreement accordingly. But no fines or red tape, just pragmatic switching.
Do you also deliver to project sites within the Randstad?
Yes, we deliver throughout the Netherlands. It doesn’t matter if it’s a construction site in Groningen, an event site in Limburg, or a business park in Zeeland. If you need the car there, we’ll take it there.
Delivery fees do depend on distance and number of cars. For longer contracts of three months or more, or multiple cars at once, delivery charges are often included in the deal. For shorter trips or single cars, we charge a reasonable rate. But we are always transparent about those costs; you know exactly where you stand in advance.
What about maintenance and MOT during my short lease?
This is all included in your monthly price. Even if you short lease for six months and the car happens to need an MOT inspection or major service: we take care of it, you pay nothing extra. That’s the advantage of all-in short lease.
Of course, we do ask for normal routine maintenance. Keeping tires at the right pressure, topping up wiper fluid, treating the car nicely. That makes sense. But major overhauls, MOT inspections, brakes, A/C checks, light replacements, all these things are our responsibility. You don’t have to look after it.
What happens if my project stops unexpectedly?
Then just stop the short lease. We usually require a notice period of one week to one month, depending on the term agreed upon. But no long penalty clauses like traditional leases where you have to keep paying for months. That’s what short lease should be: mobility that moves with your business, not the other way around.
Ready to make mobility smarter?
Short leasing for projects is all about three things: flexibility, speed and cost control. If your current approach is struggling in any of these areas, you’re missing out on money. Sometimes literally thousands of dollars a year due to inefficient deployment, vacancy, or contracts that no longer fit.
Wondering which cars we have readily available for your project? Check out our current offer and see what’s ready to go. From compact commercial vehicles to spacious passenger cars and everything in between. All cars are available within 24 hours.
Would you prefer personal advice? Perhaps you’re in doubt about which type of car is the best fit, or want to know how pool cars can fit your project schedule. Feel free to give us a call. We like to think along without obligations. Just a clear conversation about what is smartest for your situation.
Call 085-0471461 and arrange the car for your next project today.