Everyone knows that today’s technicians need to know how to do much more than turn a wrench. With trucks turning into sophisticated equipment resembling computers on wheels, plus increasing emphasis on uptime, controlling costs, and safety and compliance, it’s an ever-more-demanding job.

But what of the upper-level managers who are responsible for making sure the company has the right technicians in place, that they’re properly trained, that they’re operating at peak efficiency, and that the shop and the trucks are operating at the highest level of efficiency and safety?

What does it take to be a successful modern maintenance manager — and to be ready for what the future brings?

For 2016, Heavy Duty Trucking will explore the topic with a series of articles that will look at different aspects of being a maintenance manager in today’s trucking industry. Installments will cover the use of data in the shop, safety and CSA compliance, and using Lean and other efficiency strategies in the shop.

In the Magazine

Part 1, February HDT:Managing Today's Technicians

Part 2, March HDT:The Connected Shop

Part 3, April HDT:Safety Matters

Part 4, May HDT: Cutting Waste in the Shop

On the Web

Big Data Can Guide Big Maintenance Decisions, Panel Says

Clean Data, Achievable Goals Keys to Avoiding Information Overload

Ryder’s Bill Dawson Wades into Modern ‘Sea of Data’