Here are the main points from DFS, which operates 700 mobile maintenance vehicles and has 18 facilities, fortified with some additional insights from past Fleet Maintenance<\/a><\/i> coverage:<\/p>\n COVID-19-related supply chain shocks will continue to jolt companies\u2019 ability to refresh their fleet with new inventory.<\/p>\n \u201cSome manufacturers are sold out through 2022, so that’s driving fleets to keep vehicles a lot longer,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n Classes 5-7 backlogs were at record highs in 2021 and Class 8 missed matching the record high backlog of 2018 by 7.5%, according to ACT Research data. The September 2020 backlog-to-build ratio, or the amount of time to clear that month\u2019s orders, was eight months for Classes 5-7 and 12.6 months for Class 8.<\/p>\n Dickinson advised to counter these external forces by doubling down on preventive maintenance (PM): \u201cThe backbone any maintenance program is preventive maintenance and having a very, very thorough inspection, making sure that you don’t miss those intervals, will make sure those vehicles are on the road longer, safer.\u201d<\/p>\n PMs are occurring more often, a \u201creverse trend\u201d from past years, Dickinson noted, where fleets pushed out service intervals by using synthetic oil. By conducting more routine checkups, technicians can assess truck health more frequently and discover potential breakdown issues before they impact operations.<\/p>\n For fleets who still need to push out PMs, strong communication with drivers, and getting them to accurately perform inspections, will be paramount.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don’t have a really solid and thorough driver vehicle inspection process, and have the drivers buy in, I think stretching PM cycles out is going to lead to downtime and roadside breakdowns,\u201d Dickinson offered.<\/p>\n Getting ahead of potential issues by replacing parts ahead of schedule, essentially a strategy of preemptive strikes against downtime, is crucial. While some PMs can be deferred, those involving safety should never take a backseat.<\/p>\n This is where leveraging predictive maintenance comes in.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future is going to be everchanging as vehicles become even more intelligent and start to notify the technician and notify the maintenance provider on when a service needs to be performed,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n Linking telematics, maintenance management platforms, and parts ordering software will aid in these efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cIntegrating with fleets will allow us to tap into their telematics and look at data that is coming directly from the truck and then [allow us to understand] how to translate that into best practices,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n DFS is currently doing this.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve got enough data in our system that we can provide recommendations to fleets,\u201d Dickinson said. For example, if a starter lasts between 300,000 to 400,000 miles, it\u2019s better to replace it closer to the low end when the truck is in the shop for other scheduled PMs rather than waiting for it to fail and incur that unplanned and costly downtime.<\/p>\n \u201cVehicle utilization is at an all-time high,\u201d Dickinson offered. \u201cFleets just can’t afford that vehicle downtime … We can help with some of that predictive maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n Fleets are in a tough spot as parts manufacturers have had to deal with the same supply chain issues as the OEMs, so they can\u2019t get new trucks, and it\u2019s tough to find the parts to fix their aging ones.<\/p>\n To eke out another lifecycle from older trucks, Dickinson said fleets are swapping chassis and salvaging usable parts from trucks involved in accidents.<\/p>\n The DFS executive said that while OEM parts are not always readily available, they can leverage their 25 years of \u201creally solid relationships\u201d with truck makers, along with supplementing that with aftermarket parts where feasible.<\/p>\n Experts who Fleet Maintenance<\/i> spoke with in the past year echoed that sentiment. An overarching theme is to contact vendors not just when disaster strikes, but for routine check-ins. Letting suppliers know ahead of time if carriers are getting new equipment, or switching from drum to disc brakes, will help them anticipate needs better as well.<\/p>\n Maintenance management platforms such as Fullbay are also working to offer better visibility to supplement those person-to-person relationships.<\/p>\n \u201cThe part you’re looking for may not even have in stock, it might be sitting on the shelf of a random shop across the city from you and they don\u2019t need it,\u201d Fullbay Executive Chairman Jacob Findlay explained to <\/a>Fleet Maintenance<\/a><\/i>. \u201cSo, how can you get visibility to that, and get that part, and get the truck back on the road? So, that’s something we’re definitely exploring.\u201d<\/p>\n A method to provide this transparency via Fullbay is being beta tested with FindItParts.<\/p>\n Dickinson cited the American Trucking Associations\u2019 oft-used statistics about the industry needing 200,000 diesel technicians to keep up with demand by the late 2020s.<\/p>\n The Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2019 estimated that the industry would need 24,500 new technicians every year over the next 10 years to replace its aging workforce, which stands around 281,000 strong. It appears that the market currently favors the workers, who have their pick of employment. Because of this, fleets and shops will need to be proactive to ensure the best technicians choose them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are more technicians exiting the workforce than coming in on an annual basis, so we need to do all that we can to attract the best talent, retain the best talent, and then develop the next generation of talent,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n DFS has more than 1,000 technicians total. \u201cTo attract the best talent, you’ve got to have incredible benefits, and provide great tooling,\u201d Dickinson asserted.<\/p>\n For their part, DFS is also providing great schooling as well. In 2019, DFS started up the FleeTec Academy<\/a>, described by DFS as \u201can intensive, hands-on residence training program designed to teach truck maintenance and repair skills from the ground up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe bring candidates who have mechanical aptitude, but maybe not necessarily mechanical skill set,\u201d Dickinson explained. \u201cBut they’ve got grit, determination, and they want a career.\u201d<\/p>\n Candidates who are selected are provided room and board, along with meals at the Indianapolis campus while completing an eight-week course. At the end, they will earn two ASE certification and be given a set of tools, which they will use during the subsequent two-year apprenticeship program.<\/p>\n DFS has put 200 technicians through the program since its inception, and opened a second campus in Phoenix last October. Future sites in the next few years are being considered in the Northeast and South\/Southeast of the U.S.<\/p>\n Many fleets already rely on DFS in some capacity for medium- and heavy-duty truck maintenance, which can be done by visiting their dedicated service centers, scheduling a mobile maintenance technician visit, or calling for emergency roadside service. Dickinson said that in Q1 of 2022, DFS will expand into the light-duty market. Fifty mobile service trucks will be focused solely on the Classes 1-3 segment.<\/p>\n This has been facilitated by the 2020 acquisition of DFS by Cox Automotive<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCox has put a lot of wind in our sails,\u201d Dickinson said. \u201cThey support the growth, and recognize that there’s just a massive opportunity for us to continue to build our business.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By John Hitch<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nFleets are holding onto trucks longer<\/h3>\n
Bigger reliance of predictive maintenance<\/h3>\n
Finding parts will remain a challenge<\/h3>\n
Taking care of technicians will be a path to success<\/h3>\n
DFS moving into light-duty<\/h3>\n
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