WInter Wonderland

WInter Wonderland
1930's Dump Truck with Plow

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Is Winter Maintenance Truck Refurbishment a Sound Fleet Management Practice?

Refurbishment of winter maintenance trucks as opposed to replacement with new models has become a “hot topic” the last few years.  I think initially, at least, there was a fear by fleet managers, and deservedly so, of the impact of the newer emission standards and engine designs on engine costs and reliability.  Refurbishing existing trucks allowed fleets to avoid the newer engine designs and potential problems, which is completely understandable.  However, with the implementation of “downstream” exhaust treatment to meet the more stringent emission standards reducing need for increased exhaust gas recirculation and other adjustments, engine performance and reliability has returned to the engines of the “good old days”.   Avoiding the newer engine designs due to fear of unreliability is no longer a justifiable decision.
I have been “accused” of having a negative opinion of winter maintenance truck refurbishment as an option when trucks are due for replacement and that is generally a fair accusation.  I think the term “refurbishment” used by fleet managers and vendors does not have a common definition.  What I notice is generally the trucks being refurbished have been allowed to deteriorate to almost a junk status.  In these instances, refurbishment becomes restoration. In this type of scenario then I am definitely in opposition. Agencies that are engaged in this type of activity generally lack any proactive preventative maintenance program which in my opinion is a very poor business practice and misuse of public funds. I prefer not to allow trucks to deteriorate to an unusable condition by adhering and practicing a sound preventative and predictive maintenance program throughout the life of the truck. 

This practice results in a couple of things:  a.) spreads out the maintenance costs over the life cycle of the truck eliminating a major expenditure in a solitary budget year, b.) reduces out of service time or at least spreads it out over the life cycle of the truck, and c.) extends the service life of the major components, i.e. engine & drive train.  If a refurbishment is forecast in the future of a well maintained winter maintenance truck the end result will be less work required resulting in less cash outlay and out of service time to bring the truck back to O.E.M. standards.  Or you have the option of selling the truck while it still has useable service life remaining and investing the proceeds of the sale in a new truck with the newest technology, driver comfort, and safety features.  If you follow this practice over time you will gain the reputation as a well maintained fleet and the trucks you sell will be in higher demand which will increase revenue from used truck sales. In my opinion, this is a far better approach.
I may be harsh, but I believe the agencies engaged in the total restoration (refurbishment by their definition) of older trucks are guilty of poor fleet management including preventative maintenance which they attempt to solve by having someone else perform all the tasks that these agencies neglected during the life of the truck.
A significant danger to refurbishment and reuse of older trucks is parts availability due to discontinuance of truck makes and models.  A good example:  while at MDOT we recycled two Ford L-8000 truck chassis from winter maintenance to herbicide application units.  Winter maintenance is a severe duty application while roadside herbicide application is light duty and can greatly extend the usable life of a truck chassis.  This worked well for us; these trucks were well maintained, they were dependable, and we saved the cost of a new truck chassis for a limited use seasonal type operation (although these were anti-ice/vegetation combination units).  However, once Ford Motor Company halted production of heavy duty trucks some of the replacement parts became scarce and very expensive. 

Cab body parts were one example but the best example I can provide is the dipstick tube for the Allison automatic transmission.  These dipstick tubes were specific to the truck make & model and so the demand for them dropped to almost zero.  We broke a dipstick tube while removing transmission pan and when we went to purchase a replacement we discovered:  a. they were almost as scarce as dinosaur teeth and b.) when we did locate  one our cost was $1,000.00 and the delivery time  was close to a month.  This is not a good situation to find yourself in and even worse if it is a winter maintenance truck during the winter season.

My advice to you;  do your homework and think this through. To learn more about sound proven fleet management practices I suggest you purchase my book:  "Blue Collar Fleet Management" available from the publisher www.lulu.com.



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