Maintenance

Fleets try to do a good job of keeping their trucks in top operating condition, and most recognize that maintenance plays an important role in achieving that goal. Still there are some things that get overlooked by even the most seasoned fleet manager.

Phony designer handbags…fake Rolex watches…buy these without realizing it and you’ll undoubtedly overpay for inferior products. Your wallet and your ego will both take a hit, but you’ll survive. But if you purchase fake aftermarket truck parts, the results can be disastrous.

Frito-Lay’s Mike O’Connell leads a team that focuses on adapting the best leading-edge technologies for its specific needs.

When Bill Bliem became vice president of maintenance at NFI five years ago, his first priority was to get maintenance costs under control.

TMC, NASHVILLE -- Need to know how your fleet stacks up against your peers and competitors? Vehicle maintenance and service analytics provider, Decisiv, has rolled out a new concept in benchmarking it calls a "Service Scorecard."

TMC, NASHVILLE -- Focusing only on the component with the complaint often misses the actual root cause, but Noregon's whole-truck approach can find it. Noregon Systems launched a multi-brand vehicle diagnostics and repair product, First Step Service Advisor.

There’s no shortage of readers who want me to intervene on their behalf because they’ve been victimized in some way. At least that’s how they describe their plight. Maybe it’s a “lemon” of a truck, possibly a contract dispute, sometimes a fight with an idiotic bureaucracy. For reasons I don’t always understand, they think I’m a consumer watchdog of some sort. I’m not.

A tire service technician was killed when he was run over by the truck he was working on. Could more regulations have prevented the tragedy? Possibly, but so could better communication and a little more awareness of what goes on in a repair shop, says Equipment Editor Jim Park in his On the Road blog.

Meritor has long positioned itself as a provider of information and training, but has gone one step further developing two Nissan high-roof NV3500 trucks that will deliver onsite product and systems education to fleets, warehouse distributors and independent service garages in the United States and Canada.

The wrath of winter’s impact on heavy-duty diesel engines across North America has been thoroughly tested so far this year. For many of those stranded during the winter cold snap, it was decisions made about what to do (or what not to do) with their antifreeze/coolant systems that may have sealed their fate.

Polar Service Centers, a national network of tank trailer parts and service locations, has named Gary Murphy director of business development for the northern half of the United States.

Winter temps can freeze all kinds of mechanical apparatus, including tractor fifth wheels. So it’s a good time to clean, inspect and grease these important appliances, but not the only time.

Daimler Trucks North America is taking steps to meet a goal of "undisputed leadership" in the aftermarket parts and service business, including revamping inventory and parts delivery and using technology to speed diagnosis and repairs.

The right parts and service decisions can help you meet on-time delivery goals with customers, improve your cost per mile, reduce downtime, improve utilization, better your CSA scores, even help retain drivers and cut turnover.

When it comes to maintaining your dry van hardwood or composite trailer floor, fleet maintenance managers should follow the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.