With so much going on, trucking companies have a lot to think about. Never has there been as extraordinary times like these for truckers and those working in the transportation sector. The problem is with so much on their minds, fleet managers can easily forget about important fleet priorities, such as service, maintenance, and repair (SMR) costs.
SMR costs are important from more than just accounting’s perspective. Yes, servicing and maintenance may take up a chunk of total fleet operating costs, but not focusing on them results in even higher costs. Neglecting or waiting until the last minute to focus on SMR can cost your company even more as it leads to vehicle damage and downtime, which no one likes.
Modern trucking companies use technology to help them manage SMR costs without ruining their overall maintenance program. Remember, it is about keeping trucks on the road as much as it is about reducing costs or having a positive impact on the bottom line. You must look at it from a broader perspective.
Managing Truck Driver Behavior
Here at the QuickTSI blog, we spend a lot of time going into detail around what a big part truck driver behavior plays in increasing both sucking down more fuel and increasing the changes of an accident. The same goes for your SMR program. Do you even have an SMR program?
If your truck drivers drive badly, they will accelerate wear and tear on vehicles. That wear and tear will increase how many times a vehicle needs to go in for maintenance and increase the risk of vehicle breakdown. Smart fleet managers use technological solutions, like comprehensive telematics programs, to manage this risk.
As soon as a vehicle breaks down, the costs increase even more. The goal is to prevent the breakdown in the first place. And while we don’t want to spend a ton of time on truck driver behavior, it is important to note that harsh braking, cornering and acceleration as well as speeding will ensure that your vehicles have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance. A direct result will also be less accidents and a happier workforce.
The important thing is to consider what truck drivers both want and need. You can generally address both factors with an advanced telematics solution. Why? Because many telematics solutions offer features that will remind you that a vehicle needs to be sent in for a service.
While this calculation is generally dependent on mileage, there are other factors that any good fleet manager should consider. With sensors reading your engine and powertrain, you can catch problems before they arise. A telematics system can warn of any negative changes in the engine such as an increase in oil pressure or temperature and low battery voltage.
When armed with these types of warnings, the shop can pull a vehicle from the road to be immediately serviced to prevent that one issue causing damage to the rest of the engine or other vehicle components.
Keep a Keen Eye
It is critical that you never let a truck driver continue using their vehicle if there is currently known issue. You may think the risk is low, but you might be surprised. No matter how small that issue may seem, it could have catastrophic impacts down the line.
Ignoring an issue not only increases the chance of a breakdown, but you are also endangering the life of your truck driver and many others on the road. At the minimum, they could be at risk of being stranded and winding up with unnecessary downtime. But let’s remember, these problems can cause complete engine failure – something way more costly than simply changing a battery or switching a fuse.
There is also a data component. If you are using a fleet management or telematics system, you have a lot of data and information at your disposal, much of which comes in real-time. You can use the data you gather to increase the proficiency of your SMR program.
Also, by looking at data related to engine warnings and how frequently a vehicle was sent in for a service or repair, you can determine which vehicles require more maintenance and identify patterns of failure. If there is one way to improve your bottom line it is to uncover the issues that lead to unforced maintenance problems.
This way you can schedule maintenance before an issue arises based on the data, thereby reducing wear and tear and possible engine failure. You can also, in the future, base your choice of vehicle on these patterns as it might show some models and makes have more issues to tend to than others, which results in increased maintenance and repair costs.
Your SMR Blueprint
Okay, so we get why running a comprehensive SMR program is important, but how does a trucking company execute its implementation? You need to focus on a four-pronged effort. It requires a proactive approach towards maintenance and involves four key action items:
- Inspection
- Detection
- Correction
- Prevention
But what do these individually mean? Let’s take a closer look at how each of these concepts are critical to a successful SMR program.
Start with inspections. Why? Because inspections are a necessary part of an SMR program and form the vital first connection in your preventative maintenance toolkit. First, facility inspections ensure that equipment is safe to use. If you are focused on preventing safety incidents, you need to keep an eye on facility maintenance.
Regular inspections help prevent workplace injuries and provide a business with increased liability protection. Second, regular inspections protect both your property and your expensive equipment. Inspections ensure that equipment is functioning the way the OEM intends.
Next, make sure you utilize consistent detection methods. Operating on system where you are waiting for the next breakdown will end up costing a facility department lots of money, which is why many fleet managers choose to run using an enhanced SMR program. Preventive maintenance helps you detect problems early when issues are still relatively easy and inexpensive to fix.
When all is said and done, are you taking corrective action? Utilizing SMR encourages others within the company to take a proactive approach towards equipment care and correct issues before they occur. If an issue is detected, steps can be taken to promptly address the problem before it worsens or results in an audit and a closed-up operation.
Finally, consider the true benefits of preventative maintenance. Effective fleet managers combine inspection records and maintenance notes provided by shop technicians and truck drivers to learn from past mistakes and correct repeated problems when they arise. Prevention of asset failure reduces stress on everyone in the operation and increases productivity for shop teams. When equipment works as inspected, staff can focus on proactive maintenance tasks. Reactive maintenance is a trucking company’s death knell.
Types of SMR Programs
Fortunately, there are many ways trucking companies can utilize SMR programs. There is not just one approach. Smart trucking companies have various tools at their disposal. First, consider a time-based SMR program.
Time-based SMR programs are otherwise known as calendar-based preventative maintenance. No matter what you call it, this approach involves setting up a preventive maintenance schedule to perform regular inspections on your trucks and trailers, especially those that would have a severe impact on either production or safety should they breakdown.
Trucking companies can also consider usage based SMR programs, otherwise known as run-time maintenance. This type of SMR revolves around an approach that triggers maintenance after a certain amount of asset runtime. That runtime can be measured in many ways, from the number of kilometers or miles to hours or production cycles.
Usage-based SMR makes sure that your most important assets will continue to operate no matter the time, day, or condition. And unlike time-based maintenance, which occurs on an extremely specific schedule, usage-based maintenance occurs as often as your equipment needs it, whether it is every month or every six months. This makes for a much more flexible maintenance situation.
Your trucking company does not operate in a vacuum. All fleets face potential risks which, left unchecked, can put workers, truck drivers, and the goals of the business in serious jeopardy. Smart fleet managers and their teams are responsible for securing these risks and upholding safety in a facility. A strong SMR program can effectively reduce these types of risks. Do not take chances with your operation. Implement an effective service, maintenance, and repair program!