Peak planning 54 November 2026 ǁǁǁ͘ ĂŌ ĞƌŵĂƌŬĞƚŽŶůŝŶĞ͘ ŶĞƚ As the busy autumn MOT period gives way to increased demand for winter checks and weather-related repairs, garages face the challenge of keeping on top of an already busy workshop while finding time for unexpected jobs. Three garage management system providers share their thoughts on how garages can use the information they already have to plan ahead, manage capacity and make the most of the winter workload. The September and October MOT rush might be coming to an end, but for many garages there’s little time to catch up before winter brings its own demands. Colder weather means more battery failures, starting problems and other unexpected repairs, often arriving on top of the usual servicing and MOT work. While garages can’t predict every cold snap, they can make a reasonable assessment of what’s likely to be coming through the door. And much of the information they need to do that is already sitting in their garage management system (GMS). Looking beyond the booking diary Historic bookings and MOT due dates are good starting points when predicting demand, but the number of vehicles booked in only tells part of the story. Greg Johns, Chief Revenue Officer at TechMan, explained: “Understanding job types, average labour hours, technician utilisation and previously advised work gives a much clearer picture of what demand is likely to look like. “A diary showing 20 bookings doesn’t necessarily mean a productive day. It’s the type of work, the hours available and the profitability of those jobs that really matter.” Rhys Hill, Technical Manager at Garage Hive, makes a similar point about the type of work being booked. “Ten fast-fit winter checks require an entirely different operational footprint to three complex cold-start diagnostic jobs or seized suspension overhauls on older vehicles.” Garage Hive recommends looking at forthcoming MOT dates, previous job types and the age and types of vehicles coming into the workshop. Analysing previous winters can help garages identify patterns in routine servicing and weather-related repairs, while MOT histories can indicate how much additional repair work might follow testing. Garage Hive also reports that, according to its Garage Industry Trends data, vehicles aged eight to twelve years account for a disproportionate amount of unscheduled recovery work during colder weather. Customer and vehicle histories can also help identify recurring patterns, according to Klipboard. “Looking at what happened during the same period in previous years can help garages identify recurring patterns and anticipate the type of work they may see again.” Making room for the unexpected Predicting demand is only useful if the workshop has the capacity to deal with it. Garage Hive recommends planning capacity four to six weeks ahead and reviewing it weekly. However, Rhys warns against assuming every hour a technician is at work is an hour available to sell. Holidays, training, sickness and time spent on non-productive tasks all need to be considered. For example, Garage Hive suggests that a technician attending for 40 hours but achieving an overall recovery rate of 85% would struggle to complete 40 hours of booked work without creating delays. TechMan recommends planning available workshop hours at least a month ahead, but also keeping a close eye on the diary as work progresses. Greg explained: “Workshop capacity should be reviewed daily to account for changing workloads, unexpected jobs and new booking opportunities, ensuring the diary remains both productive and manageable.” Getting ready for the winter rush
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