{"id":13987,"date":"2022-07-02T17:01:58","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T15:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=13987"},"modified":"2022-07-02T17:01:58","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T15:01:58","slug":"fleet-49","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2022\/07\/02\/fleet-49\/","title":{"rendered":"How task management tools can boost fleet efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leveraging task management tools can help fleets’ maintenance operations plan ahead, which is helpful amid technician and parts shortages.<\/p>\n

Efficient fleet maintenance operations today have multiple software options and methods to collect the data relevant to incoming jobs, such as vehicle identification numbers, driver complaints, and other necessary information as a vehicle enters the bay. That information is then compiled into the shop\u2019s system, where technicians and maintenance managers can search for top fault codes and delegate the right technician to perform the job.<\/p>\n

Broadly speaking, this software, known as task management tools (TMT), can be as simple as a spreadsheet\u2014with smaller shops using Quick Books or Xcel\u2014or take the form of a highly advanced platform using predictive analytics.<\/p>\n

These predictive technologies are being used to inform fleet maintenance and repair departments about multiple issues that can be addressed in one shot rather than making the vehicle return to the service center several times over a two- or three-month period. They also inform maintenance departments about likely future problems, giving fleets a chance to schedule vehicle maintenance before a catastrophic event occurs.<\/p>\n

Planning ahead<\/h3>\n

Shiva Bhardwaj, CEO of\u00a0Pitstop Connect<\/a>, a platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to predict potential truck component failures weeks before they happen, emphasized that a fleet\u2019s best bet is to use technology to plan downtime and minimize pain points related to unexpected downtime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough fleet managers know they need data to make efficient predictive maintenance decisions, they fail to mine datasets to develop insights,\u201d Bhardwaj said. \u201cAn effective fleet monitoring system leverages the power of AI, ML, cloud data storage technologies, and big data analytics to make accurate forecasts and assist technicians in identifying faults.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 See also:<\/b> The evolution of truck telematics, connectivity<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Pitstop software, for example, provides fleets with a vehicle health score, informing maintenance operations of their top 15 high-risk vehicles. \u201cThose vehicles will continue to cause downtime,\u201d Bhardwaj said, adding that the software generates reports that are automatically sent to partner service centers and drivers as needed.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Pitstop Connect<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Pitstop<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
Pitstop Connect offers fleet downtime reports via its AI platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bhardwaj added this \u201clessens manual work and calculations, leaving little room for errors. No routine inspections are required since your [predictive maintenance] software has already conducted full diagnostics and shared the real-time vehicle health report with fleet managers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trimble Transportation<\/a>\u00a0offers a TMT software solution that provides communication between the driver and maintenance operation as events happen on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy having that communication between the driver, the operation, and maintenance, we can increase our uptime, and planning and scheduling the work,\u201d explained Renaldo Adler, head of software engineering, connected maintenance, Trimble Transportation. \u201cIf you look at predictive analytics and communicate that to operations, there is a probability we can schedule the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same goes for an in-house repair, Adler said. Fleets can schedule a repair within Trimble\u2019s software to ensure the truck gets fixed quicker.<\/p>\n

\u201cOperations can schedule it through our software, which has a tool that sends the mechanic the right information available to get that truck back on the road,\u201d Adler said. He also stressed the need to know what parts and technicians are required to complete the job.<\/p>\n

Another plus is that modern software can be wireless, allowing for over-the-air updates when a truck on the road requires an update or calibration of some sort, noted Willie Reeves, Paccar Leasing\u2019s<\/a> director of franchise maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be done wirelessly instead of bringing the vehicle in or going to a customer\u2019s yard and plugging in the laptop,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t interrupt a driver coming and going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technician, parts management<\/h3>\n

Even the most organized fleet maintenance operations are struggling to get trucks up and running because of ongoing technician and parts and component shortages.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports some 28,100 openings for diesel technicians are projected each year, on average, over this decade. Inflationary pressures have also caused a spike in commercial vehicle equipment prices, with prices being passed down from suppliers to their fleet and dealer customers.<\/p>\n

But this is temporary, Pitstop\u2019s Bhardwaj said. When things smooth out a bit, he said he believes there will be a technological leap to help improve labor scheduling and maintenance management.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could probably plan 80% of the labor times more effectively,\u201d Bhardwaj said, \u201cbecause you have the data from the actual truck that\u2019s coming in. Fleets can use it as a benchmark against how other people have done service. The technology can get us there, but I think it will take some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

See also:<\/b> Suppliers set sights on enhancing tractor-trailer connectivity<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Future technician training will likely pivot as well, with less of an emphasis on training about what certain fault codes mean, and more around how to use software and when to make what decisions based on the data. The next step will be fitting the appropriate data into existing maintenance workflows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, things like ordering parts ahead of time and scheduling service with more accuracy ahead of time are the types of scenarios that get enabled once these solutions are adopted at a higher frequency,\u201d Bhardwaj explained.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it will be about feeding back vital information to the fleet and the service center so all players can stay up to date on stock inventory, recalls, and warranty trends.<\/p>\n

Trimble does something similar today through its integration with TravelCenters of America<\/a>. If there is a condition on the road, Trimble can make a request from its software directly into TA’s system to inform maintenance operations when the driver will be in with the truck as well as the parts needed to turn that vehicle around quickly, Adler said.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Trimble Transportation<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Trimble<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
Trimble Transportation offers a TMT solution that provides real-time communication between drivers and technicians.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Trimble also designed a tablet for technicians that tells them the trucks they need to work on, vehicle specs and history, and inventory needed from the parts department.<\/p>\n

Adler explained the tablet has a common user interface to eliminate training, as technicians simply scan parts and key in numbers. The tablet also serves as a time clock for workers to manage their time throughout the day, and revisit how much time is spent on specific tasks, like changing tires and fixing brakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrucks are harder to fix now,\u201d Adler said, noting technicians today need to be more tech-savvy and use more digital tools to fix a truck. \u201cThey need more electronic data. As it becomes a more technical job, hopefully it will bring more people into that field.\u201d<\/p>\n

One system PacLease is rolling out to help with the technician shortage is a voice-guided PM product to help train incoming technicians on how to perform preventive maintenance intervals. With voice-guided headsets, the system shows technicians how to start a PM and then has them follow modules online.<\/p>\n

The system aims to standardize PMs for every PacLease location. \u201cIt also eliminates and removes someone from having to show someone else how to physically do a PM,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cWith that, you gain that person working in the shop rather than as a PM trainer, and it opens that person up to do more scheduled maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of its managed maintenance program for leased customers, PacLease schedules PMs and any repairs that need to be made so fleets don\u2019t have to manage that themselves.<\/p>\n

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Photo: PacLease<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Willie<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
Willie Reeves, Paccar Leasing\u2019s director of franchise maintenance, works out issues with a PacLease technician.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe really don\u2019t see big mechanical issues happening on units,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s mostly the electronics. Those are the things we use to give us feedback on how the unit is performing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s world with parts shortages, Reeves said PacLease is trying to be more proactive with its units, as it can take anywhere from a week to a month to procure a specific part.<\/p>\n

Being proactive also means PM consistency. To keep things consistent, PacLease integrates with\u00a0Kenworth\u2019s TruckTech+<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Peterbilt\u2019s SmartLINQ<\/a>\u00a0remote diagnostics and telematics solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cInformation goes back to the fleet manager, who is managing that crucial data, and it gives them the capability to check the units in their fleet,\u201d Reeves pointed out. \u201cIf they have a fleet of 20 trucks, they can see how those 20 trucks are doing and compare the data between the trucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them the opportunity to move trucks around if they have a truck that is running high miles on their lease program,\u201d he added. \u201cThey can move other trucks to that area to keep the mileage down.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, Reeves is seeing more and more trucking companies leasing because of the rising price of commercial vehicle equipment. He added that because there are not that many trucks available in the market, companies also are holding onto their used assets versus turning them in\u2014making PMs even more important.<\/p>\n

Fleets today are also battling rising diesel and oil prices<\/a>, so managing idle time can be incredibly important for overall total cost of ownership. One of the parameters that fleet managers can view in their software is idle time, Reeves said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see how long a vehicle is idling throughout the day, and you can come up with best practices to help reduce the idle time,\u201d he said. \u201cMost of the idle time is done by percentages, so some units that are running regional might have a higher idle time than those running over the road. It gives managers the opportunity to decrease the idle time and keep the trucks from burning so much fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This\u00a0article originally appeared in its entirety<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Fleet Maintenance<\/a>, FleetOwner’s sister publication and part of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Cristina Commendatore<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source https:\/\/www.fleetowner.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Leveraging task management tools can help fleets’ maintenance operations plan ahead, which is helpful amid technician and parts shortages. Efficient fleet maintenance operations today have multiple software options and methods to collect the data relevant to incoming jobs, such as vehicle identification numbers, driver complaints, and other necessary information as a vehicle enters the bay….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[28],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13987"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13989,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13987\/revisions\/13989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}