A truck that is well maintained is less likely to break down, lead to out-of-service violations, and will save a fleet money in terms of cost of operation. Trucks need to be maintained to work at their best.
Due to the microchip shortage, new trucks aren’t going to be readily available until 2022. This means that fleets hoping for new trucks are going to have to make do with their older models until the new ones can be shipped to them.
So how do you get the most out of your maintenance program?
Define your goals
Set goals for your maintenance program and be specific with them. If a goal is to reduce your fleet’s roadside breakdowns, be specific on the percentage. If you’re looking to reduce your maintenance costs, by how much?
Each fleet is unique, and has specific needs, so be that specific with your goals as it pertains to your maintenance program. Record trends and use them to your advantage.
Measure the results
By recording your trends, you can use that data to measure how close you are to achieving your goals. You must get hard data for each of your goals, and it needs to be collected by each truck to be useful to you.
Analyze your data
You will want to analyze your data regularly and on schedule, be it weekly, monthly, quarterly, or all three at once. Look at the data that specifically applies to your goals, if things are going well, they don’t need to be examined. Look for what can be improved as to what you need to improve.
Use your data
Make the improvements to your fleet using the data you have analyzed. The data can tell you where your problems are and ways to fix them. Maybe you need to scale back your goals and be more realistic, or maybe your fleet needs more training in pre- or post-trip inspections. When you know what needs to be improved, you can take the steps to improve them.
Add controls
Add a step that makes it easier for you to review your entire PM process and anything you put into place once a year to make sure they are still viable, or what you may need to change to reach even more goals.
Vehicle maintenance is vital to a fleet’s success. A successful fleet is one that is on the road and making money. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, and when a fleet can’t get ahold of a new truck, maintenance is even more important.
Source: fleetowner.com
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