Apex Construction Runs a Successful Fleet Maintenance Program in Ocean City, MD

The owner of Apex Construction, Juan Franzetti, offers some tips for success to fleet managers interested in setting up an in - house maintenance program for their construction vehicles:

1. Be sure to create a sound preventive maintenance program that takes into account all of the systems and equipment on your residential and commercial construction fleet vehicles.  Furthermore, be consistent about its implementation.  Juan has a checklist that is used routinely to ensure comprehensive check-ups.

2. Ensure that your equipment operators are constantly trained in the most up - to - date procedures, technologies, and test equipment.  Training of your construction crew never stops.  It is your responsibility as fleet manager to provide them with the tools that they need to do their jobs.

3. "You get what you inspect, not expect," Juan says.  Create accountability in the organization from top to bottom.  Use internal audits to hold employees responsible for their use and service of the equipment.  Apex uses a time card method to help identify problems that need solutions.  Mechanical productivity reports provide information by vehicle, branch, and location.  Other reports allow for review of mileage, fuel, oil usage, and miles per gallon.  Juan's reports enable the company to track costs by current month, year-to-date, and life of the construction vehicle. "In the future, we expect to use electronic pads to record our own data processing at a central facility in mid-town Ocean City," says Juan.

4. Evaluate your employees regularly.  At Apex Construction, equipment operators are re-certified on preventive maintenance inspection quarterly.

5. Roll out your program in the areas where you have your largest concentration of construction vehicles first.

6. Respect your equipment operators as competent service technicians.

Juan emphasizes competent equipment operators.  "A good, well-trained individual will always be employed," Juan says. "The knowledge that today's operators must acquire in regard to vehicle systems, tools and testing equipment is overwhelming," says Juan.