Overview
It should be the goal of every transportation provider to be running an optimal maintenance program, one that is operating at the highest efficiency. No matter the size of the agency or the amount of transportation the agency offers, vehicle maintenance is the only area an agency can utilize to improve service and save money. A successful maintenance manager will be consistently looking for ways to improve their maintenance program. The following are five ways to get the most out of your maintenance program:
Be Proactive Be honest – how much of your maintenance is scheduled maintenance and how much is unscheduled? Scheduled maintenance includes repairs that are scheduled ahead of time, and not as a result of failure or breakdown. Agencies with optimum maintenance programs perform virtually all of their maintenance as scheduled maintenance.
Many agencies perform preventive maintenance inspections and change fluids and filters at their regular inspection intervals without making other checks or adjustments and make repairs only when something fails. Unfortunately, these agencies are performing “reactive maintenance.” Responding to failures, instead of anticipating them, limits the ability of the agency to plan and schedule their maintenance. This creates a continual cycle of responding to chance failures and making emergency repairs to get vehicles back in service creating an unmanageable and costly situation.