december2023 - 25

" Colby did research
and found the
best solution to
be able to keep our
trucks safe... "
Felix Vallan, sales associate,
Sukut Equipment, Parts and Rentals
each truck's make, model, mileage, and
maintenance and repair needs. " There was
nothing in use at the time, " Vallan noted.
Sukut Equipment
Colby Coleman
" The Facilitator "
Fleet Analyst | Sukut Equipment
When Colby Coleman got promoted in
2020 to his current position as truck fleet
manager for Sukut Equipment, Parts and
Rentals, he took on a lot of new responsibilities.
Foremost of these was handling
the maintenance for the company's Classes
2 through 8 work trucks, comprising 285
vehicles maintained mostly by third parties.
He kept his previous responsibilities
as operations manager as well, handling
building maintenance, security, and
upkeep at the 15-acre Bakersfield site.
Coleman, whose eclectic resume includes
managing parts for a Freightliner dealership
and working in a junkyard, also inherited two
major problems costing the company money.
First off, thieves were ripping the catalytic
converters from parked pickups and F-550s.
" We were getting hit multiple times a week,
every week, " recalled Coleman, adding
batteries were also taken by opportunists.
Replacing a catalytic converter could range
from $2,000 to $2,500 for parts and labor,
and the worker might not be able to get
their gear to the worksite. What's worse,
thieves would inadvertently pillage the diesel
trucks' aftertreatment components, too.
" Because these guys weren't the smartest,
they were cutting the DPF out of
some of the trucks thinking they were just
really big catalytic converters, " Coleman
surmised. And those DPFs were really
expensive, with some out of stock.
" Our company took a big hit when all of the
[parts] were being stolen out of fleet trucks, "
affirmed Felix Vallan, the Sukut parts sales
associate who nominated Coleman for the
Overachiever Award. " Colby did research and
found the best solution to be able to keep
our trucks safe and not have to pay the costly
price of replacing the whole converter. "
After testing several options that weren't
the right fit for the operation because of
install times and restricted access to drain
plugs, the former automotive technician
found a local father-son shop called FS
Performance Engineering (FSPE). This
small manufacturer provided robust skid
plate-style protection and easy access
for technicians to maintain the trucks. To
ensure his trucks had the best fit, Coleman
even passed along feedback from the
dealer that installed the anti-theft plates to
FSPE. The engineering shop then tweaked
the design and sells that version now.
Modernization was also on the docket.
Prior to Coleman taking the role,
maintenance was handled as needed
by the dispatch department, and preventive
maintenance was not tracked.
Vallan said Coleman went through service
and repair records from 2018 to 2020 and
created an extensive spreadsheet to track
December 2023 | FleetMaintenance.com
25
He also started tracking repeat offender
issues, such as ball joint repairs. Always on
a quest for continuous improvement-and
having previously optimized Sukut's warehouse
and shipping department spaces to
run more efficiently-Coleman has taken the
next step in modernization. The fleet is in the
process of integrating Trimble's B2W Maintain
software into its Samsara telematics solution.
" We're going to start actually having
preventive maintenance notifications,
instead of relying on our employees or
my spreadsheet, " Coleman said. " Now we
can catch things in real time instead of
following it-we're ahead of it finally. "
Moreover, Coleman also earned the appreciation
of his coworkers for setting up a
network of mobile maintenance providers
for the trucks to be maintained on site
or at the worker's home when possible,
rather than having them visit a shop.
" Even though it's a little bit more on the
upfront, [mobile maintenance] is so much
more convenient for the guys in the field, "
Coleman said. " The last thing you want to do
is pull somebody's toolbox away from them
because it needs an oil change or alignment. "
Coleman said he enjoys what he does
every day and appreciates Sukut finding
new challenges and positions for him: " I
just want to take care of the company,
because I know they'll take care of me. "
http://www.FleetMaintenance.com
december2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2023
