Multiple Parts Shortages Increasing Fleet Downtime
The biggest impact has been caused by the microchip shortage.
Automotive Fleet's former editor, Mike Antich, shared his opinions and ideas on the overall commercial fleet industry and draws interesting comments from fleet managers and other industry professionals from across the country. Mike was inducted in the Fleet Hall of Fame in 2010.
The biggest impact has been caused by the microchip shortage.
Multinational corporations are changing the way they source and manage their vocational fleets to better identify true costs and to leverage opportunities to reduce spend and to maximize the operating efficiency of these specialized vehicles.
As OEMs design and manufacture their next-gen connected vehicles, there are concerns about disruptions to connectivity that potentially could prevent access to the cloud with the possibility of impacting some vehicle functions.
The key to reducing asset variability is to involve user groups early on and to gain their buy-in by framing the asset simplification discussion as ways to enhance user productivity and safety, and creating cost efficiencies that contribute to P&L objectives.
Extended replacement cycles for short-term capital expenditure savings often have the unintended consequence of resulting in greater long-term expenses.
Managers of individual P&L (profit & losses) centers within an organization continue to have a tremendous influence over the way fleet policy is executed within their area of control. Fleet managers must partner with these stakeholders and give them latitude to influence fleet decisions to maximize the opportunity to achieve P&L objectives.
The best way to spec more ergonomic vehicles is by proactively identifying existing and potential issues and rectify them before they impact morale, or, in worst-case situations, result in injuries.
One of the largest vocational fleet segments between the late 1940s and early 1960s was milk home-delivery fleets. It took 15 years for the milk home-delivery fleet segment to cycle from its peak to its near demise.
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing fleet safety protocols as revealed in my recent survey of commercial fleet managers that identified the top safety challenges currently facing their fleets.
A tech’s pay is determined by the type of job and whether they can complete the repair in less time than specified by the flat-rate, which will allow them to increase their work volume.
The cornerstone to spec’ing a productive and safe upfit is for the fleet manager to fully understand the application. This involves talking with the end-users who will actually be using the equipment These are the people who know the equipment needed to perform their jobs safely, effectively, and efficiently.
The pandemic exposed fleet policies to be woefully inadequate in addressing the needs of a health crisis. Fleets were forced to improvise policies and procedures to minimize the risk of contagion.
Many fleet vehicles have been idled or parked in storage areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. One consequence has been an uptick in part thefts from these parked vocational vehicles.
Each fleet has a DNA of sorts, which is comprised of the procedures and regulations that are codified in its corporate fleet policy. It is these policies that determine the type of fleet that is operated and its characteristics.
Although we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, a glimpse of its impact on fleet management in a post-COVID-19 world is emerging.
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