Examining the benefits of on-board computing systems for proactive fleet maintenance.
Martin Demers
Fleet maintenance costs are a major concern for waste fleet managers. Reactive repairs can be expensive, and preventive maintenance programs are not always easy to implement. Sometimes even the notion of comprehensive fleet maintenance management can be intimidating. Fortunately technology can support and facilitate the fleet maintenance process and can help save an estimated $2,000+ a year per truck on maintenance. Onboard computing systems (OBCs) with fleet maintenance capabilities can link your asset management and tracking, work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, inventory and purchasing functions together for quick and easy viewing and decision-making. Today’s cutting edge OBCs collect all of your vehicles diagnostics. They are connected to various feeds within the truck and integrated with other systems to track diagnostics and driver behavior for complete remote visibility into what is happening with your vehicles in real time.
Consider the Following Benefits
Real-Time Data
You can reduce maintenance and repair costs through more proactive management of potential maintenance issues with real-time fault alerts and other actionable vehicle data. Many OBCs feature a management dashboard that provides a single-view interface into your fleet operations and performance. You can easily track key performance indicators (KPIs) and flag any potential problem areas. For example, with a dashboard and real-time data reports, you can check on fleet activity and trends at a glance. You can view everything from weekly or monthly high-level trends, or track detailed and individual vehicle performance data.
Reduce Breakdowns
You can receive real-time alerts that reduce the occurrence of on-the-route breakdowns which can be time-consuming and costly. OBC’s are typically connected to the truck’s ECM to record engine issues, emissions, total mileage and thousands of various data points that are being continuously read from the truck’s engine. Real-time alerts for any issues allow managers to identify issues quickly and remove trucks from duty for maintenance or repair.
Identify Potential Problems
Fleet managers can proactively track and identify potential problems to improve vehicle uptime. An OBC’s fleet reporting capabilities allow you to evaluate overall operational efficiency for fleet performance. Vehicle reports allow you to monitor vehicle usage for accidents, alarms, fuel tax and vehicle usage.
Providing New Insight
With continuing pressures to reduce costs and improve fleet productivity, implementing a pro-active fleet maintenance program is becoming increasingly important to your business’s bottom-line health. OBC’s that collect fleet statistics can provide a new level of insight into your fleet’s operational efficiency and assist in quickly identifying vehicular issues for prompt attention. When it comes to fleet maintenance—knowledge is power.
Martin Demers is CEO of FleetMind. A long-time technology industry executive. Under his leadership, FleetMind has grown into the leading onboard computing (OBC) solutions provider for waste and recycling fleets. Mr. Demers has often been published in industry publications including FleetOwner Magazine, Trucking Info Magazine and RFID Journal. He is a frequent speaker at technology and waste management events.
He can be reached at [email protected].
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A Case Study
An Indiana-based provider of garbage collection, recycling and solid waste disposal solutions for homes, businesses and government entities realized that fleet maintenance was essential to overall fleet management. They determined that their processes for preventive and repair maintenance were inefficient and inconsistent, and that they would need to dedicate more effort toward maintaining their fleet in a peak operational state.
Management decided to implement an OBC with real-time diagnostic capabilities and reporting, and further dedicated a repair technician to work closely with the vehicles and OBC manufacturer’s technicians to ensure familiarity with all aspects of fleet maintenance and be able to rapidly diagnose any issues. Additionally, the operations group implemented a post-route reporting system so that the maintenance department would have detailed and real-time visibility into the status of every truck. A dedicated computer monitor tracks each vehicle’s current status for repairs and operational readiness. As routes are activated for current day operations, a quick glance indicates which will have to be re-routed to a different vehicle. This allows routes to be deployed on active vehicles to ensure most efficient routing management. As a result, the municipal waste organization now has an OBC system reliability of approximately 98 percent for fleet maintenance, and a fleet that is always at optimal readiness for daily operations.