Preventive maintenance inspections (PMIs) are pretty basic procedures, yet they provide a wealth of information that can have ramifications far beyond whether the truck is fit to be sent back on the road.
Leveraging the data from PMIs and PM service can help with the following:
- Asset life cycle determination: Each fleet has a designated replacement cycle for its trucks and trailers. However, market or economic conditions can change which means these cycles may need to be tweaked. The information from PMs will be helpful in determining which assets can still be cost effective if you extend their operating life and which it makes more sense to let go. If you are seeing a truck between PMs or finding issues during a PMI, you might want to replace that asset according to your existing schedule or even unload it early if its TCO is totally out of whack with the rest of the fleet.
- Future vehicle specification improvement: If you are systematically collecting maintenance and repair data, you will have great insight into how various components you have spec’d on a vehicle are performing. You can use this information to refine your specs on future orders.
- Compare product performance by manufacturer: If you are using multiple brands of the same product, your PM data will let you know which ones are best suited for your specific application in terms of reliability and durability. You can consolidate replacement part purchases into those manufacturers that best mesh with your duty cycles.
- Compare service providers: You can evaluate your own shops as well as those of any outside service providers. Looking at comebacks and failures between PMs is a great way to determine which shops are best suited to handle your maintenance and repair. For in-house repairs, the data will show you where you may need to do some additional training.
While PM inspections and service help keep your truck in top operating condition, don’t overlook the additional value of the data you collect during those events to help you make other decisions about your vehicles.
