The Importance Of Preventative Maintenance
Trucks and equipment are used to accomplish tough jobs, so their owners expect them to be tough, stay tough, and never take a day off. Unfortunately that mind set could be a huge mistake that results in equipment downtime and hefty repair bills. The most recent edition of Lift and Access includes an article backing up this very idea; “Preventive Maintenance Saves Dollars”.
Today’s economy has caused budgets to shrink for fleets and owner-operators alike, therefore some routine maintenance may not make the cut. These seemingly insignificant routine checkups allow any mechanical problems to be recognized before they can no longer be ignored, meaning something is seriously wrong. Following the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines can help keep costs low, and the machine running as efficiently as possible.
Preservation is not the responsibility only of the technicians but also the operators who work with the equipment everyday and have an understanding of how things should be running, allowing them to better detect when something is wrong. It is in everyone’s best interest to make sure daily maintenance and inspections are completely ensuring the safety of the operating crew and the well being of the truck or equipment. Another important responsibility is to keep your technician informed of any behaviors that are out of the norm, as well as the conditions in which the truck is being operated.
Concerned about machine downtime? Brian Chandler is the Electrical Superintendent for the city of Troy, AL developed the city’s service programs. “Our service programs enable us to plan out our fleet’s maintenance needs for the entire year, giving us the opportunity to better plan for downtime and to allocate costs against our equipment budget.” Chandler says the regular scheduled maintenance has been beneficial not only from a preventive maintenance standpoint, but also in cost savings.”
Whether you have a service team within your business, or your company chooses to outsource your servicing, having a preventative maintenance program has proven to maximize the life of trucks and equipment, and lead to long-term benefits.