Tips to Help Company Equipment Last Longer
No matter the type of equipment you have, or the number of machines owned by your business, there are a few ways to reduce repair and service costs. From training employees to practicing good maintenance, these tips can help you reduce operating costs with your equipment.
Take on Preventive Maintenance
Regular inspections of your equipment can ensure it lasts longer, as long as you understand the things you are looking for. You can look over the owner’s manual to determine when certain types of maintenance need to be done. It’s a good idea to go by the number of hours you have used the machinery instead of the number of months between servicing. That’s because usage of the piece may vary, so you don’t want to over or under service it.
Having a strong preventative maintenance program in place is critical for proper fleet management. No matter how many semis your fleet contains, you are required by the Federal Motor Carrier safety Administration to regularly maintain your equipment. If you want to learn how to come up with a checklist of preventative measures for maintaining the fleet, you can review a guide with more information.
Train Employees on Best Practices
Just because your repair personnel have toolboxes does not mean they have the necessary skills to keep equipment in good condition. Trial and error are a very expensive way for them to learn about the right practices and procedures. Instead, it is a good idea to work with mechanics who have specific training in the areas you need to focus on. This will reduce stress and anxiety and reduce costs associated with unplanned downtime.
Operators and drivers work with your equipment on a daily basis, so they are perfectly positioned to learn how to detect problems as they come up. They can then make adjustments and repairs on an as-needed basis. The operators should be responsible for the equipment they use on a daily basis and they should understand how to perform basic checks before using the equipment each day.
You can often have equipment suppliers train your mechanics, supervisors, and drivers on how to take care of the vehicle. If you have a few supervisors attend training, they can come back and train the rest of the team. When you have experienced drivers or operators at the company, they can help newbies learn how to take care of each vehicle.
Practice Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance allows you to determine when a problem might arise. You can take samples of hydraulic oil and engine fluids and send them to a lab for testing. This can help you prevent more expensive issues. The tests are usually relatively affordable, and the lab can check for different types of metals found from damaged or worn engines. The results will determine if you need to take any action to correct the issue before it becomes worse. You can also learn if you are changing your vehicles oil the right number of times. Changing it too often can result in unnecessary expenses, and changing it too infrequently can result in damaged vehicle parts.
