If cash is king for your operation right now, you’ve probably cut back on (or cut out) capital expenditures, and you may be picking and choosing where to spend your dollars on the operating side as well. Good news: There are a number of things you can do right now that cost little or no money but can pay off in a big way in the years to come.

1. Stay diligent with maintenance.

When was the last time you took a look at the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) manuals that came with your Cat® equipment? That’s where you’ll find everything you need to know about maintenance and service intervals: what to check, what to change, when and how. (If you’ve misplaced yours, order replacements here.) Performing preventive maintenance on schedule and using recommended products like Cat oil filters and fuel filters is the single best way to extend the life of your equipment, lower repair costs and reduce downtime.

2. Follow proper preservation and storage techniques.

If you’ve taken some equipment off the job, don’t just set it and forget it. Properly storing and preserving your engines, transmissions and pumps reduces the risk of costly corrosion, contamination and component damage and improves start-up performance. These simple tips will help ensure your equipment is ready to go again when market conditions change or new projects get underway. Also, remember to perform a fresh preventive maintenance cycle — fresh oil, new filters, all the checks outlined in your O&M manual — before bringing your trailers back online.

3. Ask your dealer about open service letters.

Similar to a service bulletin you might get for your car or truck, service letters detail product improvements or fixes — like a software upgrade that prevents a known failure — that are available at no cost to you. Making sure all service letters for your equipment are up to date before your trailers go back to work will help you avoid costly unscheduled downtime later.

4. Think about adding a Customer Value Agreement (CVA).

A formal arrangement between you and your dealer, a CVA is a custom combination of services that results in hassle-free ownership, more uptime, lower maintenance costs and a safer work environment for you. A CVA focuses on planned, predictive maintenance to reduce your risk of unplanned failure, gives you access to dedicated dealer resources when you need them and helps ensure your assets are in shape to work productively and efficiently when the upturn comes.

5. Take advantage of your data.

Your equipment generates a lot of data. Are you taking advantage of what it’s telling you? Subscribing to a remote monitoring system like Cat Remote Fleet Vision lets you set up alerts to catch performance issues or identify assets working under capacity, so you can take action to prevent failures or boost production. And with a comprehensive view of all equipment in one place, you can pinpoint precisely where issues lie (engine, transmission or pump) and send technicians exactly where they’re needed with the right parts for the job — no wasted time or manpower.

6.Consider money-saving upgrades.

Do you operate 3512C or 3512E engines? Ask your dealer about switching to the new deep oil pan option before you bring your trailers back online. It holds 70 gallons of oil compared to 40 and extends your oil change interval from 250 to 750 hours. Under normal operating conditions, that should allow you to go a couple of months between oil changes — reducing your downtime, costs and the chance of contamination.

Now’s also a good time to make the move to Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) engines — a proven way to run more on gas and less on diesel, lowering your operating costs. Your dealer can walk you through what DGB engines and upgrade kits are available.

2020 is shaping up to be a year like no other, but the silver lining is that it’s giving us all a chance to be proactive for the future. Put one or more of these steps into action now, and you’ll be putting your operation in a good position for 2021 and the years to follow.