december2022 - 18

» Cordless power tools are " dependable, resilient pieces
of equipment that allow more versatility than pneumatic
tools, " emphasized FedEx Freight's Greenwood.
Ryder Systems, Inc.
» The Pelican Five Series Flashlights feature flood to spot technology,
where the flood position projects a wide beam to illuminate the work
area and the spot beam offers a long distance focused beam.
Pelican Products
a week to several times a day, he emphasized the
importance of having one handy, as it promotes
vehicle uptime " by being able to diagnose electrical
systems and circuits in an efficient manner and
locate the fault. This keeps the vehicle on the road
and prevents repeat shop visits. "
Rolsing posed another electrical service essential:
the AutoMeter Heavy Duty Truck Electrical
System Load Tester, No. BCT-460.
He said the handheld battery and electrical
system analyzing tool is used multiple times
a day, and is " easy to use, faster, and way more
user-friendly.
" [It is a] wireless, portable tablet with step-bystep
procedures and pictures, [and] information is
sent to the cloud for all to use as needed, " he added.
Cordless power tools
Eric Moore, fleet manager at Griffin Pavement
Striping in Columbus, Ohio-a business that has
been successfully operating since 1977-related
that he and his team consider cordless tools atop
their essentials for commercial vehicle repair.
More specifically, the Milwaukee Tool M18 FUEL
1/2 " High Torque
Impact
Wrench with Friction Ring,
No. 2767-20.
» The AutoMeter
Heavy Duty Truck
Electrical System
Load Tester tests both
12V and 24V starting
and charging
systems, along
with flooded,
thin plate pure
lead, and AGM
batteries.
AutoMeter Products
" Just about every job on our equipment has large
fasteners that need [to be] loosened or removed for
repairs or maintenance, " Moore explained. " Once
the problem has been identified, it is pretty much
automatic to reach for the M18 FUEL impact and
the sockets to do the job.
" There are too many repairs that call for the
High Torque Impact on our equipment, but I'd say
the most common is removing 22.5-inch wheels,
either for access to another component, or to
switch out worn tires, " he continued.
The impact is used every single day, multiple
times a day, Moore said, and the freedom from
cords or air lines helps promote efficiency. He
also said that the amount of available torque for
removal or assembly is excellent.
FedEx Freight's Greenwood further attested to
the importance of cordless power tools. She uses
a cordless 1/2 " impact to remove lug nuts and a
3/8 " impact for smaller disassembly/assembly
projects-which ends up being nearly every job,
she added.
" The batteries last for a long time on a single
charge, are compatible with a wide variety of tools,
and allow for quick repairs, " she continued. " They
are dependable, resilient pieces of equipment that
allow more versatility than pneumatic tools. "
Flashlights
Moore and the team at Griffin Pavement Striping
consider the pocket flashlight as the number one
essential for commercial vehicle repair.
" It is the tool each one of my technicians makes
sure to have at all times, " he said. " [It is used] on
every single vehicle, every single time. "
As to a specific favorite of the shop, three out of
five technicians at Griffin Pavement Striping carry
the 100-lumen Blue-Point Penlight from Snap-on.
" The pocket lights are critical for diagnosis of
leaks, " Moore continued, " because most [leaks] are
not immediately evident in an open place, [nor]
easy to get to; they are always buried under or
inside of other areas. Being able to light up the
18 Fleet Maintenance | December 2022
area in question makes quick work (usually) of
finding the leak and identifying the best way of
repairing it. "
Moore and team said the benefit of not having
to drag around corded lighting equipment to each
job means that diagnosis can take place wherever
the vehicle is located. " No wasted movement, "
Moore reinforced.
Furthermore, he said that pocket lights' compact
size and resilience are another benefit, as they are
constantly dropped or covered in fluids, and still
get the job done.
Adjustable wrenches
Moore and team also raise another essential:
adjustable wrenches.
" We have so many types of equipment and with
all the different size fasteners, it's just easiest to
grab an adjustable wrench so you won't have to
walk back to the toolbox several times just to
tighten, loosen, or adjust something on one of our
vehicles or equipment, " Moore stated. " We use the
adjustable wrench so much, we have about 12 of
them hanging right by the overhead door most
often used for entry and exit while crews are prepping
for the daily projects. "
Also used on every piece of equipment every
single day, Moore said that the ability to stay on
task instead of wasting time changing tools is a
huge benefit of the adjustable wrenches. Further,
Moore said there is value in adjustable wrenches
that feature knurled finishes on the interior
jaws as they will grip fasteners more securely and
prohibit (though, not completely prevent) rounding
of the fasteners.
Outfitting considerations
Rush's Purcell said that financial responsibility
plays a big role in determining technicians' decisions
when it comes to outfitting their toolbox.
" From a technician standpoint, you've got different
levels [of experience]: people just starting out
december2022

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