Fleet Maintenance 1220 - 50

GUEST EDITORIAL
»Going into 2021, take the opportunity to
make investments in technology, people, new
ways of working, and retaining employees.
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How fleets can finish the
year stronger than ever
Fleets have an opportunity to evaluate long-standing
practices and procedures and make the changes necessary
to set them up for a more efficient and profitable 2021.
This year has had unexpected challenges in
the fleet industry, many of them out of our
control. We are presented now with an opportunity to make choices that will set us up to be
better and stronger in the long run.
Americans have pivoted hard to meet the
challenges we faced this year. The U.S. economy is gaining steam, transport is thriving,
and the trucking industry is poised for even
greater growth in 2021. As we gladly say goodbye to 2020, it's time to lead boldly. Let's take
this opportunity to rethink the way we have
been doing things and to make investments in
technology, in people, in new ways of working,
and in retaining longstanding employees. It's
time to eliminate waste and to focus resources
on what will drive us all forward.
As an industry, we have made difficult but
necessary cuts to streamline operations, but
these tough decisions will make us better in the
coming year. We have quickly learned to adapt
as team members work from home, we have
learned to adhere to new safety guidelines, and
we have all learned to live in a new normal.
The heavy duty industry has not historically
been quick to adapt to change or to adopt new
technology, but it's resilient. Now is not the time

By Alex Parker

CMO AND EVP, REDLINE DETECTION
Alex Parker is the CMO and EVP of Redline Detection, a
manufacturer of diagnostic leak detection technology and
the 2020 SEMA Manufacturer of the Year. Redline designs
and engineers custom diagnostic solutions for top fleets
and the world's leading OEMs.

50 Fleet Maintenance | December 2020

to hunker down, now is the time to stand up
and lean into change. Putting our collective
shoulders into hard change now will drive
us through the present storm and propel our
success going forward.
As leaders, it's essential that we band together to share knowledge and strategies so we can
all run our businesses as efficiently as possible.
Our relationships and partnerships with one
another have never been more critical. While
we cannot meet in person at industry events,
our methods of sharing knowledge are shifting to the virtual realm. Online education and
collaboration has become more effective and
essential than ever, whether it's in the form of
whitepapers, webinars, virtual industry events,
or technical video demonstrations.
But, with all of the emerging technologies
and challenges in the fleet maintenance field,
it's nearly impossible for fleets to keep up with
it all. It's imperative to streamline the process of
sharing industry best practices. The American
Trucking Association's (ATA) Technology and
Maintenance Council (TMC) has taken a leadership role. The purpose of the TMC, according to
the ATA, is " to improve transport equipment, its
maintenance, and maintenance management. "
TMC is responsible for researching industry
challenges and identifying the most impactful new procedures, called Recommended
Practices (RPs), so fleets can run as efficiently
and profitably as possible. The Recommended
Practices Manual has been the leading maintenance guide for best practices in the commercial vehicle industry for more than 30 years.
The process of developing an RP involves
many months or even years of rigorous
research, vetting, and sifting through field vali-

dation data. Fleet managers and operators reference the manual with confidence that when an
RP is added to the manual, it has been tested
extensively and will positively impact their
operations and their bottom line. It's actionable
information that will make an impact.
TMC recently published RP 375 which
pinpoints the root cause of excessive aftertreatment problems, increasing uptime and
cutting aftertreatment maintenance costs.
This procedure uses high pressure diagnostic leak detection technology to solve the
industry-wide challenge of engine air leaks,
a root cause of excessive aftertreatment maintenance and repair.
Aftertreatment maintenance is one of the
largest expenses for fleet operators, directly
behind fuel and tire costs. Fleets cannot afford
to have their vehicles sitting idle with excessive
aftertreatment problems, and even minuscule
leaks can cause big aftertreatment headaches,
skyrocketing maintenance costs and expensive
downtime. The heavy duty industry has long
needed a proven preventative maintenance
procedure to solve these root causes of aftertreatment problems for fleets.
TMC has determined that RP 375 is the
recommended solution and that using diagnostic leak detection technology for periodic
preventative maintenance inspection of the
engine system to identify upstream component
leaks is essential for the health of the aftertreatment system and for cutting maintenance
costs. Diagnostic leak detection technology
has recently been adopted by leading North
American fleets to speed repairs, reduce costs,
increase mpg, and increase vehicle uptime.
Variable pressure visual vapor allows technicians to " see " upstream air leaks that otherwise
only open under boost. The technology simulates the boost of a running engine for testing
with the engine safely off. An upstream air
leak will trigger an inaccurate air fuel mixture
which causes the vehicle to burn more fuel,
increasing fuel costs, triggering more frequent
DPF cleaning, and generally causing more
aftertreatment downtime, maintenance, and
repair. The leak testing procedure in RP 375
uses visual vapor at a variable pressure of 2
to 20 psi to quickly pinpoint and repair these
air leaks, eliminating excessive aftertreatment
problems, cutting maintenance costs, increasing uptime, and improving fuel efficiency.
As 2020 comes to a close, fleets have an
opportunity to evaluate long-standing practices and procedures and make the changes
necessary to set them up for a more efficient
and profitable 2021. Leaning into change
now will make us better prepared for whatever challenges remain ahead. 2020 may
have brought unexpected challenges, but it's
no surprise that the fleet transport industry
will begin the new year more resilient and
stronger than ever.

Fleet Maintenance 1220

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance 1220