Fleet maintenance tips from world-class technicians of the FleetTec Acadamy

By Daniel Bland - August 16, 2023

Twitter?@DanielBlandBiz?GlobalFleet.com?-?FleetLatAm.com

When it comes to properly maintaining your truck fleet, who better to talk to then the world-class technicians that keep them on the road, or to say graduates of the FleetTec Academy offered by?US-based?Cox Automotive?Mobility Fleet Services.

During my trip in early August to the 2023 TopTech finals in Indianapolis,?Terry Rivers?(pictured above) the company’s VP of Maintenance and FleetTec Acadamy Provost explained the ins and outs of the FleetTec Acadamy but who I really wanted to speak with this year were the technicians themselves, so I spoke with last year’s winners?Jeremy Piepmeier,?Harry Jordan, and?Zach Nikorak.

Preventative Maintenance (PM) is probably the biggest factor of truck downtime, meaning that not performing it on a routine schedule and not performing every aspect of PM, according to Mr. Piepmeier.?

"A lot of people focus on oil changes and greasing driveshafts, but there is a lot more to pay attention to. Heavy-duty trucks have cooling systems, transmissions, and even power take-off (PTO) systems to take care of. Moreover, it is more than paying attention to truck miles. You need to keep track of engine hours which are usually more,” he said.?

“Maintenance intervals are pretty much the same for medium-duty trucks, but one difference is that the smaller trucks are not designed to run as many miles as a larger heavy-duty one,” said Piepmeier who is the 2022 TopTech Heavy Duty Champion.

In terms of reducing downtime, your fleet needs to be properly maintained. For instance, while Department of Transportation (DOT) inspections are due every year, doing PM checks more regularly – meaning every three months or every six months – would reduce breakdowns and vehicle down time, according to Mr. Jordan. See more here...