Fleet Maintenance - 46

For example, a delivery truck running out of fuel
is catastrophic. A fleet can put policies and procedures in place to help prevent this from happening.
"In other instances, a fleet might want to invest
some money and install an extra-large saddle
tank," Levitt says. "That is an RCM approach. RCM
opens the door to many possible solutions that go
beyond just preventive maintenance and the other
routine things a fleet often does."
Another example has to do with tires. As Levitt
points out, every fleet has some degree of tire
issues. When doing urban pickup and delivery,
wear and tear on sidewalls is common.
"A tire with stronger sidewalls might eliminate
50 percent of this problem," Levitt says, adding
that it doesn't require hundreds of hours of analysis to figure that out. "Just think about the problems your fleet typically runs into."
"Questions need to be run through a logic
process in order to steer the fleet toward a logical
answer," adds Leverette of Andromeda Systems. "If
you know something is a problem, run it through
the logic process. For example, if you have a part
that is failing a lot, an RCM-based solution could
be that the part needs to be inspected more
frequently, or maybe you need to change to a
different, better part."
The RCM process can help fleets make those
determinations. Depending on the size of the
organization, Leverette says the process could
involve anyone whose primary concern is asset
maintenance and reliability.
When first looking to implement RCM, a fleet
manager should have a discussion with management to get approval. Then, it's important to talk
with the rest of the team - including technicians,
external service partners, and vendors - to explain
what the fleet is trying to accomplish and what
the benefits are.

VehicleServicePros.com/10094365

46 Fleet Maintenance | October 2019

» (Above) A good CMMS can provide
lifecycle reports to help fleets
determine when a vehicle may need
to be replaced. Shown here is a Unit
Replacement report from Dossier
Systems that flags (in red) vehicles
with costs exceeding the average.
Photo courtesy of Dossier Systems

» (Right) A good CMMS can help
fleets track how they are keeping
up with preventive maintenance,
which is a key component of RCM.
Photo courtesy of Dossier Systems

Involving drivers in the RCM process is generally considered optional but might prove to be a
good idea.
"With today's driver shortage, good trucks,
and maintenance practices ... listening to drivers
can go a long way," Dossier Systems' Davis says.
"Drivers want to know that their employer cares
about them and will listen to what they have to say.
If a driver feels unappreciated, the chance of them
going somewhere else increases. Furthermore,
drivers will stop reporting potential issues when
they see them. That is not good for reliability."
"One of the most important things about RCM
is that it helps build a 'learning maintenance
operation,'" says Ric Bedard, founder of Cetaris, a
provider of CMMS software. "A good RCM process
leads to continuous improvement."

Where preventive and
predictive intersect
As pointed out, preventive maintenance is a
cornerstone of an overall RCM strategy. The
predictive maintenance component is what can
help take reliability to another level.
For example, preventive maintenance inspections might detect that the alternator on a truck
isn't generating enough amperage. Drivers have
also reported squealing sounds. In looking at
other trucks across the fleet, the fleet manager
identifies several alternator failures around a
certain number of miles. The truck in question
is approaching that same number of miles. Steps
can be taken to replace the alternator before a
failure occurs.

VehicleServicePros.com/10122188

http://www.noregon.com/jpro/FM http://www.oileater.com http://tiny.cc/v6g42y http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/10094365 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/10122188

Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance