{"id":3354,"date":"2019-08-28T16:17:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T14:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2019-08-28T16:17:48","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T14:17:48","slug":"fleets-offer-best-practices-for-preventing-winter-related-vehicle-downtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/08\/28\/fleets-offer-best-practices-for-preventing-winter-related-vehicle-downtime\/","title":{"rendered":"Fleets Offer Best Practices for Preventing Winter-Related Vehicle Downtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"North<\/p>\n

North Pole, Alaska-based\u00a0BlackHawk\u00a0Works operates a fleet of seven trucks, six F-series Ford models and a dump truck for its tree, grading, snow removal, and mobile welding services.<\/p>\n

Fleets Offer Best Practices for Preventing Winter-Related Vehicle Downtime<\/h2>\n

When Jeff Hoeksema reflects on his snow removal business during the 2018-19 winter\u00a0season, he doesn\u2019t think about how snowfall accumulation was only several inches above normal.<\/p>\n

Instead,\u00a0the production manager at\u00a0Summit Landscape Management\u00a0recalls how three-quarters of the 75-plus inches of snow that accumulated in and around Grand Rapids, Mich.,\u00a0dropped in\u00a0a\u00a0span of just 44 days. Drivers worked nearly round the clock from February to early March plowing and salting driveways, parking lots, and private roads and then hauling accumulated snow to approved dump sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all hands on-deck,\u201d says Hoeksema, who operated the company\u2019s Caterpillar\u00a0938 wheel\u00a0loader during the height of the storms.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Over the East Coast and much of the Midwest beginning in late January, this winter season was characterized by wildly unpredictable winter weather, from Winter Storm Jayden and the polar vortex to the ultra-rare \u201cbomb cyclone\u201d that struck Colorado.<\/p>\n

Extensive Inspections<\/h3>\n

Summit Landscape Management controls a fleet of more than 60 vehicles, which the company typically leases for five years. The fleet includes Ford E-150 and E-250 vans and Ford F-150, F-250, and F-350 pickup trucks.<\/p>\n

Summit also operates heavier Ford F-450, F-550,\u00a0and F-650 pickups with dump bodies. The company, which installs irrigation systems and provides lawn care mostly from spring to fall and year-round tree services, also runs a few medium-duty trucks.<\/p>\n

\"BlackHawk\u00a0Works
BlackHawk\u00a0Works uses a special machine to cut small slits in a tire\u2019s tread block.\u00a0Siping\u00a0opens the tread, giving it more gripping ability as it\u00a0makes contact with\u00a0the pavement\u00a0or snow and ice.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of BlackHawk Works. <\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To\u00a0prepare Summit\u2019s trucks, in-house mechanics start the winterization process with extensive pre-season inspections before the first snow falls, Hoeksema says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the season starts, our mechanics examine our trucks from top to bottom, paying close attention to the fluids, especially with the hydraulic systems on the snowplow\u00a0attachments, and the brakes,\u201d Hoeksema says.<\/p>\n

Before the first snowfall, Summit\u2019s snowplow drivers visit customers\u2019 locations to familiarize themselves with where they will be plowing so they don\u2019t inadvertently run into or over something during the winter. Hazards such as raised manhole covers, fire hydrants, and power and cable junction boxes are flagged.<\/p>\n

With the first snowfall, usually in late November or early December, Hoeksema repurposes\u00a0a number of\u00a0the company\u2019s trucks from landscaping and lawn-care duties to snow removal. He\u00a0says the hydraulic-powered snowplows can be quickly re-installed using a mounting system installed on several of its pickup trucks.<\/p>\n

Throughout the winter season, the company\u2019s in-house mechanics conduct routine inspections for common issues such as irregular tire wear, damage to the plow or the vehicle\u2019s undercarriage, corrosion from plow salt, and cracked or broken bolts on the snowplows, Hoeksema says. When the bolts on the plows get damaged drivers can easily overlook them, particularly when things get\u00a0really busy, he adds.<\/p>\n

Drivers and mechanics regularly check fluids and tire pressures since tires can lose 1 PSI for every 10 degree drop in temperature. They also watch for damaged\u00a0mudflaps, broken tail and running lights, and cracked or chipped windshields.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur trucks and equipment cost our company a lot of money,\u201d Hoeksema says. \u201cWe try to keep them in top shape so we can continue to run them year-round and return them to the leasing company in relatively good\u00a0shape\u00a0so we don\u2019t get dinged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Change Fluids, Equipment<\/h3>\n

Derek Broderick, owner of North Pole, Alaska-based\u00a0BlackHawk\u00a0Works takes a similar approach to preventing vehicle damage and downtime.<\/p>\n

Broderick recommends trucks carry parts that drivers can easily use for quick field repairs and emergency supplies such as extra fuel, hydraulic fluid, engine oil, blankets, flares, lights, first-aid kits,\u00a0food, water, and\u00a0tools,\u00a0including a digital tire gauge.<\/p>\n

While Broderick always prepares for cold and snowy winters, this year the weather in North Pole didn\u2019t live up to the image of the community\u2019s namesake. Much of the central and western parts of Alaska experienced well above-average temperatures and significantly below-average snow accumulations.<\/p>\n

In addition to graders and loaders,\u00a0BlackHawk\u00a0operates a fleet of seven trucks, six F-series Ford models and a dump truck for its tree, grading, snow removal, and\u00a0mobile welding services.<\/p>\n

Even with the recent warmer- and drier-than-average winters, Broderick says he has his mechanics change out the hydraulic fluids in the snowplow systems, which he keeps on his trucks year-round. Because temperatures can typically\u00a0drop well below 0 degrees\u00a0in North Pole,\u00a0BlackHawk\u2019s\u00a0mechanics switch out the hydraulic fluid for a lighter aviation grade so drivers can raise and lower their snowplows quickly in frigid temperatures.<\/p>\n

\n

Statistics Enumerate Risk of Being Unprepared for Winter<\/h3>\n

Being better prepared for winter not only makes sense from the standpoint of vehicle uptime, but also accident avoidance.<\/p>\n

According to the Federal Highway Administration, an analysis of 10-year\u00a0averages from 2007 to 2016 shows that there were about 5.9 million vehicle crashes each year. Approximately 21% of those crashes \u2014 1,235,145 \u2014 are weather-related. And of those 1.2 million weather-related crashes:<\/p>\n

18% or nearly 220,000 occur during snow or sleet conditions, resulting in 54,839 people\u00a0injured and 688 people\u00a0killed;<\/p>\n

13% or 156,000 occur on icy pavement, resulting in 41,860 people injured and 521 killed;<\/p>\n

And 16% or 186,000 occur on snowy or slushy pavement resulting in 42,036 injuries and 496 fatalities.<\/p>\n

A study by University of Georgia researchers Alan Black and Thomas Mote published in the Journal of Transport Geography in 2015 examined federal motor vehicle crash data from 1975 to 2011 and compared the crash data to meteorological data from 1996 to 2010. The comparisons helped to determine how the expected number of deaths in 13 U.S. cities involving winter precipitation compared to the actual numbers.<\/p>\n

Among their findings, Black and Mote\u00a0determined\u00a0that heavy snowfall\u00a0regions in northern California, Nevada,\u00a0and Arizona, the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, and near lakes Erie and Ontario in Upstate New York experienced higher than expected fatalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, (the study found) crash risk increases 19% during winter weather,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n

Black, who now serves as an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University\u2019s Department of Geography, says that the risk of crash is greater regardless of vehicle type or size.<\/p>\n

Through their comparison, they also determined that\u00a0the U.S. National Weather Service significantly underreports the threat posed by winter weather in its weather injuries and fatality report.<\/p>\n

Among some of their other findings, Black and Mote\u00a0note:<\/p>\n

In terms of precipitation type, 84% of crashes could be attributed to snowfall, with the remaining 16% attributed to sleet or freezing rain;<\/p>\n

January had the most fatalities and collisions and December the second-most fatalities and crashes;<\/p>\n

Only 45% of winter-related fatal accidents occur at night, which the researchers found surprisingly lower than expected since daylight hours are shortest in the winter months. By comparison, 51% of non-winter-related fatal crashes occur at night. Researchers surmised that the higher fatality rate during the day could be attributable to more adults commuting to work regardless of weather.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Because of its location in the Northern Hemisphere, North Pole remains dark nearly 24\/7 from early October until early March. To help drivers see more clearly, the company installs racks with Vision X light bars on the rear of the trucks. Cold weather grille inserts limit cold air inflow through\u00a0the truck radiator, which insulates the engine and helps accelerate warm-up\u00a0time.<\/p>\n

And rather than switch out the tires before winter, Broderick has the local tire dealer replace the OEM tires with all-season radials that are \u201csiped.\u201d Tire\u00a0siping\u00a0involves cutting small slits in\u00a0the tire\u2019s tread block.\u00a0Siping\u00a0opens the tire\u2019s tread, giving it more gripping ability as it\u00a0makes contact with\u00a0the pavement or snow and ice.<\/p>\n

Mitigating Tire Expense<\/h3>\n

Corrosion can be a big concern, particularly when road maintenance departments use magnesium chloride as road\u00a0de-icers.<\/p>\n

Greg\u00a0Katheiser, vehicle and maintenance operator for\u00a0Colorado\u2019s\u00a0Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA), says when the co-op\u2019s drivers are not out on storm duty and when the weather allows it, they regularly wash association vehicles to avoid corrosion.<\/p>\n

GCEA, a nonprofit, member-owned electric co-op, runs a fleet of 24 trucks and cars, including\u00a0Chevrolet Bolts, Chevrolet Sparks, Nissan\u00a0Leafs, Chevrolet\u00a0Silverados, diesel-powered Chevrolet 3500s,\u00a0and Dodge 5500 utility trucks.<\/p>\n

Katheiser\u00a0says all vehicles in the co-op\u2019s fleet are parked in garages overnight with plug-in heaters to help avoid problems with cold engine starts and to maximize battery life and performance in the electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

Katheiser\u00a0says during winter storms utility truck drivers will chain their truck tires to gain better traction in the deep snow and ice, particularly when roads have not yet been plowed.<\/p>\n

With many vehicles traveling predominantly on dirt and gravel roads and with snow remaining on the ground in the higher elevations well into the spring, GCEA runs mud and snow tires year-round on nearly all its cars and trucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cTires are one of the biggest maintenance\u00a0expenses that we have,\u201d\u00a0Katheiser\u00a0adds. \u201cSo, we do monthly inspections on tires \u2014 checking inflation, tread depth, and abnormal wear. We also look at the wipers, lights, and turn signals on a monthly basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

by Gregory Van Tighem<\/p>\n

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

FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/h3>\n

Fleet management is the use of a set of vehicles in order to provide services to a third-party, or to perform a task for our organization, in the most efficient and productive manner with a determined level of service and cost.<\/p>\n

Fleet management activities are shown in the following graph 1:<\/p>\n

\"fleet<\/p>\n

Graph 1: fleet management activities<\/p>\n

The proposal audit analyses and assesses all fleet management activities shown in the graph 1, and its main goals are:<\/p>\n