Page 21 - Jan-Feb 2021 Vol 38 No 6

How much of Fleet Maintenance is displays on the dash of a vehicle provide safety and vehicle maintenance.
now digital (reliant on sensors, software important information for operators and With a product like Safe Fleet Vehicle
programs, etc.)? maintenance staff.? Inspections, this allows management to
?New “scan tools” can connect to a ensure the checks are being done daily as
“There is no doubt that fleet vehicle and retrieve data which can be required, because some items cannot be
maintenance has changed over the years used to better foresee issues and manage checked by the vehicle computer. They
and gets more technical than it ever has vehicles.?? need human eyes to tell the story, similar
before. The days of pulling out a timing In addition, most of the OBC to the air brake test and visual inspection
gun to check the timing with a flashing solutions today have enterprise content of the hoses, body, and tires.
light are gone,” says Kerry Somerville, management (ECM) connectivity, For example, a driver can see if
Fleet Product Manager at Safe Fleet. coupled with alarm modules whereby there is a gash in the side wall of a tire,
they can remotely monitor engines potentially causing a rupture under
Many sensors are integrated into heavy in real-time and notify the vehicle heavy loads or higher speeds. There is
duty vehicles used in the waste and maintenance department of issues from no way for a computer to know this. The
recycling industry.?These began with less afar. As mentioned above, speeding, digital pre-operation inspection should
complex sensors, which were required hard braking, excessive idling and quick allow the operator to record comments
for emissions compliance (On-Board acceleration can all be monitored and and take a picture or video evidence of
Diagnostics or OBD).??OBD and the coached to reduce emissions, fuel cost, the issue.
need for more efficient vehicles with and minimize early maintenance failures. T his is far superior to having “Pass” or
greater capabilities lead to vehicles using Are there any maintenance tasks that “Fail” check boxes, because in the event
a “network” on board, where all of the do not rely on any technology, but are the vehicle fails, maintenance workers
equipment on the vehicle can “see” and still necessary to maintain the fleet? still will not know the reason.?For
“talk” to each other as necessary.?? There are certainly some tasks that example, having visual proof of the
still do not rely on technology. We side of the tire, with the driver pointing
Current technology vehicles have very don’t have or need a computer to tell us at the damage, combined with their
advanced capabilities which can vastly when the tire is worn, or that scheduled observational notes “there is a gash, I am
improve safety, such as: maintenance needs to be done. However, not sure if this is safe”… lets maintenance
daily pre-operation inspections, collected know exactly what to look at without
Telling you when a tire’s pressure in a digital format, such entering data having to find the driver and ask, “why
is low, to knowing when there are into a tablet, are critical to both driver did you fail this tire?”??
significant engine problems, (which if
identified and repaired early provide
large cost savings.)??

The “check engine light” and other

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