december2022 - 42

GUE ST EDITORIA L
fying potential maintenance problems during
pre- or post-trip inspections. Electronic driver
vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) sync to a
fleet's backend and alert managers to any and
all problems in real time. This ensures minor
issues are caught and fixed before they turn
into far more significant problems. One safety
executive shared during a recent webinar that
ISAAC's customizable Smart DVIR has resulted
in a more than 50% increase in notifications
from drivers of possible equipment issues.
Drivers are able to transmit photos directly to
the home office with the ISAAC tablet to show
the maintenance team exactly what is going on.
The team can immediately begin to diagnose
the severity of the problem, and management
can decide whether to tell the driver to pull into
the nearest truck stop or complete the delivery
and then return to a terminal for a closer look.
ISAAC Instruments
How telematics is
changing maintenance
The benefits are unlimited, but devices need service, too.
There are many technology investments out
there to improve fleet uptime, but dollar for
dollar, none can transform your operation
from reactive to proactive as much as the right
telematics solution. And a proactive approach
is absolutely critical right now, as effectively
managing and anticipating vehicle maintenance
needs avoids unnecessary equipment
failures and costly emergency repairs.
Without telematics, fleets are usually reacting
in triage mode after a vehicle has already
broken down. Paperwork is often handled
manually, preventing fleet managers from
focusing on monitoring operations and analyzing
data in real time. The result is a maintenance
program that is highly unpredictable,
extremely costly, and imposes a safety risk to
its drivers.
Conversely, properly leveraging telematics
can help ensure vehicles are operating at their
peak performance. That translates into less
downtime, higher fuel economy, and generally
more efficient performance fleetwide. This also
leads to better safety ratings, lower insurance
costs, and more on-time deliveries.
Reactive vs. predictive
maintenance
Looking into the future, the goal of telematics
is to identify the tractor-trailers that will need
replacement parts or maintenance work before
any actual problem materializes. Advances
in predictive maintenance are slowly being
accomplished through artificial intelligence
(AI) and the better analysis of existing data.
At ISAAC Instruments, there is a team focused
on the enhancement of artificial intelligence
capabilities, including predictive maintenance.
But it would be a mistake to wait until some
future date to invest in maintenance technology.
Every truck on the road today generates
large amounts of data and diagnostic codes.
Telematics solutions
immediately notify
maintenance managers to problems and help
prioritize fault codes to minimize downtime.
Besides more rapidly uncovering emerging
vehicle problems, leveraging telematics can
help fleets make data-driven decisions when
it comes to scheduling maintenance. You can
target the vehicles most in need of service,
which minimizes unplanned maintenance
events and catastrophic failures.
Telematics can also help create maintenance
Melanie Simard
DIRECTOR OF COMPLIANCE, CLIENT SERVICE &
TECHNICAL SUPPORT, ISAAC INSTRUMENTS
Melanie Simard is director of compliance, client service &
technical support at ISAAC Instruments. She brings these
groups together to ensure ISAAC clients receive best-inclass
service and support, and to demystify all questions
relating to regulatory compliance. She has over 20 years in
the trucking industry, including stints as a driver, dispatcher,
and compliance manager.
schedules for your fleet based on the utilization
of vehicles. These solutions help prevent the
over-maintenance of lightly used vehicles.
Utilizing a Smart DVIR
While the maintenance staff may be responsible
for keeping equipment in optimal condition,
drivers also have a critical role to play in identi42
Fleet Maintenance | December 2022
Savings over the long term
Research from the Technology & Maintenance
Council and FleetNet America show that fleets
with best-in-class maintenance practices have
lower costs than competitors. By performing
regular maintenance-and catching small
problems before they grow larger-they are
able to cut the frequency of emergency repairs
and prolong the life of vehicles.
This is of growing importance to the many
fleets holding their equipment longer, which
a recent Fleet Advantage study attributed
to lingering supply shortages related to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Maintenance costs tend
to increase during a vehicle's lifetime as parts
begin to break down more frequently. But vehicles
that receive consistent and high-quality
maintenance, guided by telematics, are sure
to have a lower total cost of ownership.
Even telematics devices
need maintenance
Even the best maintained equipment will inevitably
break down or sustain damage. That
includes not only tractor-trailers but electronic
logging devices, too. When choosing a provider,
fleets should consider hardware maintenance
as well and how they will perform long term in
harsh environments. How well that provider
supplies replacement parts is also vital, as ELDs
are federally mandated and a broken one will
keep a truck off the road. ISAAC Instruments
ensures 95% of spare parts orders or replacements
reach their destination the next day
after shipping. To minimize downtime, fleets
should also keep several spare tablets, additional
cables, antennas, power supplies, and
other accessories such as tie wraps at their
most critical locations. That way, they are
better prepared for any unexpected problems.
No matter how safety-conscious a truck driver
or fleet is, it is impossible to avoid equipment
maintenance and repair issues. However, with
advanced planning and the aid of technology,
fleets can limit the impact these inevitable
problems have on their bottom lines.
december2022

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