Each vehicle is on a preventive maintenance schedule, outsourced to garages that run second and third shifts to minimize downtime. To monitor the fleet’s life cycle and maintenance needs, Tremmel is piloting a secure, Internet-based management system. Two years in development, the system catalogs each vehicle’s specs and maintenance intervals, with alerts to schedule service. Tremmel is notified if a scheduled maintenance is missed. The system eliminates duplicate or incorrect maintenance, he says, and dramatically reduces paperwork.
Removing the administrative burden to scheduled maintenance has freed Bradco up to develop additional fleet-friendly services. For example, a monthly “air up” program ensures proper tire inflation, extending tire life. Tremmel also is rolling out a GPS system for the drivers. Dispatchers can see each driver’s location, give them turn-by-turn directions if they’re lost, or tell customers estimated delivery times. The system also measures speed and excessive downtimes.
“Things are going to break on trucks. It comes down to having newer equipment, having it well maintained, meeting the original manufacturer guidelines, and having a vendor network to support us,” he says. “That gives us the ability to have trucks ready when they’re needed.”
