june2023 - 12

Carrano said. " You address the safety and reliability
issues first-brake issues, power trains-versus
a squeaky seat. The lesser priority issues may not
get done at that time and you'll schedule it in. "
As part of its PMs, A. Duie Pyle checks the DPF
soot level and does a forced regen to burn it off
if the soot is at a set level. " The goal is to help
alleviate drivers doing a parked regen, and it has
helped, " Carrano said.
Optimizing drivers' time is one of Carrano's top
priorities. " If you do a thorough, comprehensive
inspection and follow-up repairs, it will reduce
the number of things a driver finds during a preand
post-trip, " Carrano said. " If drivers find a lot
of defects, it affects the amount of yard time and
creates a lot of extra unproductive time. "
Failures over the road can create significant
delays for drivers and inconvenience for clients.
" The quality of your PM program is extremely
important to your profitability, your drivers' satisfaction,
and customer satisfaction, " Clark said.
Increasing communication
To truly optimize scheduling, communication
is critical among all the various departments.
PitStop's Kim said technology can ensure accurate
information is transmitted between the fleet
and the shop.
" You're counting on the fleet manager to
communicate that vehicle's needs to the shop, " she
said. " They may not be getting the exact pieces that
the fleet manager is getting from that vehicle. "
Fullbay has a customer portal that gives the end
customer direct access to all maintenance records
so they can review costs and analyze data. " There
is an expectation now. If you want a relationship
with a customer, you have to provide these analytics, "
O'Brien said.
TA has an online platform that allows fleets to
coordinate with locations directly. It also interacts
with TA's POS. " They can read service rider and
technician comments and approve and deny work
very quickly, " Richards said.
Mustafa added that increasing transparency
can help build trust. " We bring the customer into
the process so they understand what is being done
or not being done on their vehicle, " he said, adding
that technicians can even take customers into the
pit to show them the work.
Technology can also help shops manage other
risks, such as credit card disputes, which O'Brien
said are rising. " There is a lot of nefarious activity
where truckers are crossing state lines, getting
services at 3 a.m., using a credit card to pay, and
then disputing the charge, " he said. " Depending
on how that process is handled, shops can lose out.
Do signature capture and get vital information
from the trucker. "
O'Brien also recommended shops evaluate their
terms of service.
" You write something that says 'satisfaction
guaranteed,' and that can be your archnemesis, "
he said. " Make it very clear that you're providing
your services and not that satisfaction is guaranteed
or warranty is implied. "
For related content go to
FleetMaintenance.com/shop-operations
Six best practices to optimize PMs
4.
Preventive maintenance is a crucial aspect of fleet management
that helps fleets minimize downtime, improve safety,
and get the most out of their equipment. These best practices
can help fleets optimize their PM programs.
1.
Establish maintenance
intervals: Creating a
schedule ensures equipment
doesn't go too long between
services. " You need to have
a schedule, and you need to
stick to it and not just for oil
changes and filter changes but
for other things that should be
checked regularly, " said Kirk
Altrichter, executive vice president
of fleet services for Kenan
Advantage Group.
Fleets typically take either
a time- or mileage-based
approach, but Daniel Mustafa,
director of technical service for
TravelCenters of America, said
determining which is best can
turn into a " fine science, " especially
because a vehicle's application
can alter needs. " If you
drive in a dusty environment,
you're going to have to change
your air filter more often than
somebody in the Northwest,
whereas that person in the
Northwest is going to have to
change their air dryer more frequently, "
he said.
Ben Johnson, director, product
management, Mitchell
1, advised fleets to combine
OEMs' recommended maintenance
schedules with their
applications. " It is blending that
information with the actual use
of the vehicle, types of payloads
it hauls, regions it operates in,
and more, " he said.
A. Duie Pyle uses a combined
time- and maintenanceapproach
for its power units.
" Trucks on a highway application
have a higher mileage interval
versus the ones in a more
urban environment. For the
lower mileage, it acts as a safety
net, " Carrano said, adding that
trailer and converter dolly maintenance
is on time while forklifts
go by operation hours.
At Cox Automotive Mobility
Fleet Services, performance
managers help clients navigate
interval changes as new lubricants,
equipment, or applications
come into play, said Kevin
Clark, head of shop operations
for the company.
2.
12 Fleet Maintenance | June 2023
Draw on data: Onboard
technology monitors
the health of most major systems
today, including engines,
transmissions, body, exhaust
treatment, and trailers. " Incorporating
this data flow into
your preventive maintenance
program can be key to solving
issues before they become
breakdowns, " explained Dave
Walters, sales support engineer
for Trimble Transportation.
Johnson said data can reveal
patterns in vehicles equipped
with the same engine, transmission,
braking systems, etc., helping
fleets get ahead of problems
before they occur. " If a vehicle
comes in at 150,000 miles for
an oil change and brake job but,
historically, we know the engine
alternator fails about the same
time, consider if you'd rather go
ahead and replace that alternator
during a PM scheduled
maintenance event rather than
wait for an unscheduled event, "
Johnson said.
While data is valuable, shop
managers frequently oversee
multiple assets and may receive
hundreds of fault code alerts
daily. " This can easily become a
data overload if you don't have
a system in place to help manage
the volume, " Walters said.
3.
Track critical KPIs:
Tracking key performance
indicators related to maintenance
can help fleets optimize
maintenance operations, make
data-driven decisions, and maximize
performance. Mustafa
said unscheduled maintenance
is the ultimate KPI used to
determine if preventative maintenance
if effective. " You should
see your unscheduled maintenance
trending down, " he said.
Walters recommended fleets
monitor KPIs related to the
frequency of service repairs
that occur between PM service
events and PM completion
rates. Other important
KPIs include PM compliance,
employee productivity, and cost
per mile.
A. Duie Pyle also monitors
driver write-ups. " If we have a
location with a high number of
driver write ups, we'll see if we
have a problem with the PMs
or if we need to re-train techs, "
Carrano said.
Sync services: Syncing
maintenance needs with
scheduled PMs can help minimize
downtime. " Any related
work that isn't necessarily
needed can be done at the PM
as well. It isn't affecting the driver's
ability to do the job, so if
they wait for the time to do the
PM, you aren't doing extra things
in between, " Altrichter said.
Fleets often schedule DOT
inspections to coincide with a
PM. " That is what we see most
often together, " said Jason Richards,
program manager II for
TravelCenters of America.
Johnson said that as predictive
analytics becomes more prevalent,
items can be added to PMs,
so they are addressed during
scheduled maintenance events.
5.
Monitor inventory: Fluids,
filters, grease, and any
other products needed for PMs
should be on-hand to minimize
equipment downtime. " Those
items should all be captured in
the PM itself and, as a vehicle
is being scheduled, those items
should be determined to be
on-hand or ordered [and arrive]
by the time the truck arrives, "
Johnson said.
With supply chain issues still
impacting the heavy truck parts
availability, planning for and
keeping the right inventory of
PM-related parts can be challenging.
Mitchell 1 has an interface
for connected vehicles to
be able to communicate to their
preferred shop to advise when a
service is needed. " The further
'upstream' we can understand
a need at the shop, the better
they'll be able to be ready for
that vehicle with the correct
parts and talent to address the
need, " Johnson said.
6.
Test the oil: Richards recommended
taking an oil
sample at every oil change, which
can identify the presence of wear
metals and contaminants in the
oil. " Oil analysis and the KPIs,
viscosity, oxidation, and iron levels
are the driving force behind
how far to push the equipment.
They can also help get ahead of a
major failure, " he said.
Plus, by analyzing the oil over
time, maintenance providers
and fleets can identify trends
in wear and contamination
levels to help optimize maintenance
intervals.
http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/shop-operations
june2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of june2023
