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Get involved

To truly understand your industry, active participation
with relevant groups can help provide additional insight
and perspective on how you operate your business.

By Erica
Schueller
Editorial
Director

@FM_Editor

Everything in our daily lives is somehow impacted
and influenced by everything else. You'd do well to
collect information and gain insight from any resources available in order to do your job or run your business most effectively. You don't know what you're doing
wrong, or could be doing better, if you don't talk to and
learn from others.
This insight from industry peers can provide valuable
information that is relatable or applicable to your own
business or maintenance operations.
When it comes to learning about what's happening
in the industry, there are a number of organizations
that can help facilitate connections and educate you
on improving business practices.
The American Trucking Association's Technology &
Maintenance Council (TMC) has continued to provide
members access to information on best practices for
commercial vehicle maintenance providers to run their
service and maintenance departments more efficiently
and effectively.
TMC is a member-focused organization, so it relies
on industry members to participate and share their
experiences to help others. The organization operates
numerous study groups with focused topics such as
tire and wheel, electrical, shop management, etc. These
study groups form different committees, or task forces,
to explore new trends or to revisit existing practices and
procedures that may need to be updated. The task forces
and study groups provide members a platform to share
their own insights through already acquired knowledge.
Participants can also attend study sessions and join task
forces to learn more about topics from other industry
representatives and experts.
Another organization focused on service and repair,
the HD Repair Forum has worked to share valuable
knowledge addressing the unique needs of the commercial vehicle body shop and collision repair industry. The
organization helps bring together a variety of representatives interested in sharing experiences and learning
about industry challenges and trends. This includes
service and repair providers, insurance representatives,
suppliers, and various other groups.
While the HD Repair Forum has only been around for
a few years, the organization has taken steps to build
on the success of the annual two-day event. Earlier this
year, ahead of its annual event, the HD Repair Forum
announced the formation of four separate committees
which will provide additional insight on specific topics:
education, technology, parts, and OEM repair standards.
"The key to the success of these committees will be
their ability to work with all of the various industry
stakeholders," says Brian Nessen, HD Repair Forum
president and co-founder. "The committees have a
diverse group of representation. The diversity will
provide a clearer view of the issues and facilitate

8 Fleet Maintenance | March 2020

discussion that results in a solution that the industry
is more likely to embrace."
Nessen also says that involvement with the committee
leaders demonstrates their commitment to the industry. The involvement isn't just about helping to educate
themselves and others.
"Their involvement goes far beyond doing what is best
for their business," Nessen adds. "They give their time,
talent, and energy because they are passionate about
the industry."
This passion demonstrates a
commitment to participate during
more than just the event itself -
which is the case for both TMC and
the HD Repair Forum. Committee
members have a drive that keeps
them on task to keep the discussion
top of mind throughout the year.
"Measuring the success of the
committees will be best defined by
progress and their ability to positively influence change in the industry,"
Nessen says. "The challenge will be
pinpointing their progress. In some
instances their efforts will positively
influence companies to make changes, though it may be difficult to attribute it to their efforts."
These industry events aren't limited to those servicing
vehicles or running a maintenance operation. As those
reporting on the maintenance and service industry, it is
also critical that our editorial staff participate in these
events. There's no better way to get a first-hand look
at industry challenges, ask questions to gain a better
understanding of industry trends, and to make connections. Hope to see you at the next one.

»»TMC study groups form
different committees to
explore new trends or to
revisit existing practices
and procedures that may
need to be updated.
Photo courtesy of TMC

You don't know
what you're doing
wrong, or could be
doing better, if you
don't talk to and
learn from others.

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Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance