How to Plan a Tricycle Fleet Budget

A fleet is a small business. Before the first unit arrives, the budget should answer four questions: what each vehicle costs landed, what it costs to run per month, what it earns, and what breaks in year one. This guide builds that budget in simple steps.

Step 1: landed cost per unit

Landed cost is not the factory price. It is the factory price plus freight, insurance, import duty, clearance, inland transport and local registration. Ask the exporter for the FOB price, then add your broker’s charges to get the true per-unit number. Most fleet decisions go wrong here.

Step 2: monthly running cost

Estimate fuel or electricity, driver wages, maintenance consumables and unexpected repairs per unit per month. For combustion vehicles, fuel is usually the largest line; for electric, charging cost replaces it. Use your own route data, not a brochure figure.

Step 3: revenue per vehicle

Project trips or deliveries per day and average fare or delivery fee. Subtract the running cost to get contribution per unit. A vehicle that does not cover its running cost in the first quarter is a planning problem, not a vehicle problem.

Step 4: first-year parts and downtime

Stock a first-year parts kit and budget for downtime. A simple schedule — monthly checks, quarterly service — protects the fleet better than buying spares after a breakdown. Ask the exporter to itemize a first-year kit per five units as a starting point.

Step 5: financing and payment

Match the payment structure to cash flow: deposit to confirm, balance before loading. For larger fleets, confirm currency, bank details and milestones in writing on the proforma invoice.

The short answer

Landed cost per unit, monthly running cost, revenue per vehicle, and a parts-and-downtime line. Put those four numbers in a spreadsheet before ordering, and the fleet plan writes itself.