{"id":2971,"date":"2019-06-27T16:40:52","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T14:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=2971"},"modified":"2019-06-27T16:40:52","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T14:40:52","slug":"2971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/06\/27\/2971\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtime Truism: If the Wheels Don’t Turn, You Don’t Earn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"there\u2019s<\/p>\n

there\u2019s more to vehicle downtime costs<\/a> than service, repairs, and part replacement expenses. Photo courtesy of General Motors<\/p>\n

Downtime Truism: If the Wheels Don’t Turn, You Don’t Earn<\/h2>\n
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One of the perks of my job is getting to know truck professionals from around the world. An example is Hugh Sutherland, one of the foremost fleet experts in South Africa from whom I first heard the phrase: \u201cIf the wheels don\u2019t turn, you don\u2019t earn.\u201d This pithy truism succinctly captures the essence of truck fleet management.<\/p>\n

Work trucks are earning assets. To maximize truck productivity, optimize specifications, operating procedures, replacement strategies, and, just as important, minimize unscheduled downtime. The cost of unscheduled vehicle downtime can vary, but I\u2019ve read reports that document the average per vehicle downtime costs ranging from $448 to $760 a day.<\/p>\n

Vehicle downtime is a universal phenomenon that impacts all fleets \u2014 both good and bad fleets. What is manageable is the frequency of downtime; however, there is no industry consensus on the definition of \u201cdowntime.\u201d Is downtime for all repair events or only for unscheduled events?<\/p>\n

Similarly, metrics to track downtime vary by company. Downtime metrics can be the average downtime hours per day, days of downtime per event, vehicle downtime per month, total downtime hours, or a metric specific to an operation.<\/p>\n

The two most common causes of unscheduled downtime are mechanical problems and accidents. Other causes of unscheduled downtime include:<\/p>\n