The Fleet Disposal Checklist
Everything that needs doing before a fleet leaves your yard, in the order it needs doing. Skipping any of it costs time on the day of collection.
5 min read
1. Build the vehicle list
Registration, make, model, mileage, location and a one-line condition note per vehicle is enough to get a valuation. Nothing more elaborate is needed — an export from your fleet system is ideal.
2. Confirm ownership and finance
Identify which vehicles are owned outright, which are on finance and which are leased. Request settlement figures early; they take days, not hours, and a vehicle cannot be sold until the position is clear.
- •V5C present for each vehicle
- •Settlement figures requested for financed vehicles
- •Lease returns identified and excluded
3. Strip company data and identity
Telematics units, fuel cards, access fobs, radio equipment and any documents in the cab need to come out. Livery, client branding and beacons should be removed before sale. Record what was removed per vehicle — this is what audit and compliance teams ask for later.
4. Decide what stays fitted
Racking, cranes, tail-lifts, fridge units and workshop conversions generally stay: they raise the price. Remove only equipment you are transferring to a replacement vehicle, and say so at appraisal so the valuation reflects it.
5. Gather the paperwork
Service history, invoices for major work, fridge unit service records, battery health reports for EVs and MOT certificates. This is the cheapest value you will add to the disposal.
6. Agree the schedule
Confirm collection dates against site access, handover deadlines and driver availability, and agree how results will be reported back. For anything over ten vehicles, agree the staging plan so identical vehicles are not sold on the same day.
- •Collection windows per site
- •Hard deadlines flagged in advance
- •Reporting format agreed — per registration is standard