Fleet managers need the flexibility to justify their staffing needs as their specific fleet requires, making proper adjustments as needed., Your email address will not be published. To accomplish this objective, a review of fleet and staffing data from 321 transit agencies in the National Transit Database were analyzed and 2 rounds of in-depth interviews with transit agencies were conducted to identify main factors driving technician staffing levels. In Charlie Long's material he recommends a staffing level of about 13 buses for each "wrench turning" mechanic. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. Take a look at how Geotabs data-centeric conference makes the OEM connection. https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any The type of work performed, seasonal demand on resources and the consistency of labor hours forecasted for assigned tasks versus actual all play a large part in challenging any fleet department.. While a 70-percent of payroll hours (i.e., 1,456 hours per year) measure is a commonly used benchmark, each organization should calculate its actual performance based on detailed time-keeping records. One VEU is equal to 1015 labor hours, with technicians being assigned 100120 VEUs; but these calculations do not include nonroutine work, he said. In this example, the labor demand is 10.3 mechanics (14,950 total annual demand for labor hours divided by 1,456 average labor hours available per mechanic.) 669 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<7022F297AD5B9C4C894041F0D3F5BDDD><2D3A11ECA97748468C7B3A740F6C16B2>]/Index[663 17]/Info 662 0 R/Length 53/Prev 664975/Root 664 0 R/Size 680/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. endstream endobj 930 0 obj <. At the end of the day, the ideal is the fewest techs, a simplified program with no complicated proceduresand no delays related to busy work. In addition, equipment should not be over-maintained, such technicians being taken off maintenance to do: Yard checks; snow plowing; cutting the grass; polishing my boat; washing someones car; or other non-essential tasks that take away from the maintenance jobs at hand. The average hourly pay for an Automotive Technician is $19.19. In maintaining and managing a municipal fleet operation, fleet managers can take a page from the private sectors use of vehicle equivalency units to calculate the ratio of technician-to-vehicles. I always get asked, How many vehicles per technician? As a seasoned iron doctor, I should know. My question went to School Transportation News, on line. We have two full-time mechanics (one lead mechanic and one regular mechanic), and one driver who was originally hired as a mechanic but only helps out as needed now on a part-time basis. (our oldest route buses are 1995 with the spares being 1994's after our newest arrivals are put in service), I GUESS IN A PERFECT WORLD 15 TO 20 BUSES PER MECHANIC WOULD BE GREAT, HOWEVER 30 TO 35 IS CLOSER TO REALITY IN OUR DISTRICT. f cf`apa`vdbT1b`QlhsjAQCNPASF&>ffe90oQ7(8hPtes0ycoN~n7@s??o Z@@j88: ! The table below provides an example calculation. %%EOF Join Our List. Small engine mechanics inspect, service, and repair motorized power equipment. Main shaft This factor clearly must be considered when assessing how many mechanics an organization needs. Offered by vocational schools and community colleges, these programs cover the basics of diagnostic techniques, electronics, and other related subjects. Assuming recordkeeping practices are sound, the fleet manager can determine the average number of labor hours each type of vehicle and piece of equipment has historically consumed, then multiply the result by the number of assets in each class. Fleet organizations with liberal leave policies and a senior staff clearly will have a lower number of available labor hours. <> The below graph illustrates how this technique works, reflecting VEU values based on Mercury Associates experience with hundreds of fleets across North America. This question can be answered by sampling repair task times against industry labor guides (ALLDATA or Mitchell On-Demand) and/or internally established time standards. Providing Quality Fire Training to First Responders. The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The projected percent change in employment from 2021 to 2031. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. Asian women: 1.7%. Completing a vocational or other postsecondary training program in diesel technology or heavy equipment mechanics is increasingly considered the best preparation for some entry-level positions. Most heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians have a high school diploma or equivalent. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. This lack of reporting has consequences for both the accuracy of historical repair records and for cost recovery when a charge-back system is in place. The Virtual Vehicle platform, which Platform Science says is designed to provide fleets with a range of benefits including productivity, flexibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness, will be integrated into Kenworth's trucks to enhance the overall performance and efficiency of the vehicles. That formula is clearly from a time when engines were less complex, most fleets were using diesel fuel, and computers were not an essential mechanic tool. Most work for governments, equipment rental and leasing shops, and large construction and mining companies. For more information about careers and training programs, visit, National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines. Most heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians work full time, and many work evenings or weekends. It contains annual hours needed for core maintenance like preventative inspections and brake relines, as well as unscheduled maintenance. Kenworth and Platform Science join forces to optimize fleet operations with integrated trucks and telematics. hbbd``b`_ H3@ 0 'Q An official website of the United States government /Contents 6 0 R>> . Discover jobs. According to Randy Owen, senior vice president and co-founder, using VEUs allows fleet managers to justify staffing requirements through a quantitative process, rather than experience alone. Some high-performance vehicles have firmer steering than other similar vehicles. To create a link to this page, use this URL: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA), Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), TRID (A Transportation Research Database), http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3327. Several factors impact the calculations of labor demand and supply. (2016). But, Babcox Media Editor Tim Fritz passed away on Feb. 23 from a heart attack. Days off: Vacation? In addition, techs may be asked to deliver loads during peak periods or driver shortage times. When leasing companies quote numbers, which are normally are very attractive, it does not include all the little extras technicians may be asked to do. endstream They also work on smaller consumer-grade lawn and garden tractors. Profit Sharing. Women held 26.1% of jobs in the motor vehicles and motor vehicles equipment manufacturing industry. Rail car repairers specialize in servicing railroad locomotives, subway cars, and other rolling stock. Metro Magazine, Required Hours - Heavy Repair and Overhaul, http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/173927.aspx, https://www.transitwiki.org/TransitWiki/index.php?title=Bus_Maintenance_Staffing_Calculator&oldid=4266, Caltrans Division of Rail and Mass Transportation. Methodology . endobj Utilizing vehicle equivalency units means adding up how many sedans and sedan equivalencies an agency has, in order to determine how many mechanics need to be hired. (2016). By aggregating the vehicles in a fleet in terms of their vehicle equivalent units, uniform standards and benchmarks can be applied regardless of the fleets size, type or configuration. Which technician is correct? Technician A only b. OBD-II regulations require all vehicles manufacturers to use the same names and acronyms for all electric and electronic systems related to the engine and emission control systems. The Director does everything else (even training). An example would be to compare a base vehicle, such as a passenger sedan, to a fire engine, which is larger and heavier and requires more maintenance and repair than the smaller sedan does. If an agency had four or five buses per mechanic it was considered to have an excellent bus-to-mechanic ratio. Mechanics who work primarily on motorboats, motorcycles, and small all-terrain vehicles are described in the profile on small engine mechanics. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code. They must often disassemble major parts for repairs and be able to reassemble them. attacks or slurs, hate speech, demonstrably false information, excessive profanity, or that are thinly veiled promotions for a product, will not be approved. Conversely, some city and county fleet organizations perform nearly all services in-house. Then, additional hours must be deducted to account for time a mechanic is at work, but occupied with activities other than turning wrenches such as meetings, training, shop cleanup, etc. For more information, visit www.darrystuart.com or email comments or questions requests to Darry at: [emailprotected]. Non-routine work includes repair of accident damage, uplifting work before a vehicle is placed in service, decommissioning old vehicles, modifications to vehicles while they are in services, repair of vandalism damage, repair of damage caused by acts of nature and repair of damage caused by misuse of vehicles. endobj We are at about 23 buses per mechanic, and even though we have a number of A/C equipped buses we make it work because of our relatively new fleet. The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised. In the private sector a lengthy delay can mean success or failure on the job, which ultimately impacts customer relationships. There is no textbook formula for maintenance managers to determine the optimum ratio of maintenance technicians for their fleet size, as the number varies tremendously between public transit fleets. Technician B says that the CVT does not shift but continuously varies the gear ratio as needed to maintain optimal speed and torque. and current staffing ratios (i.e., vehicles maintained per technician, vehicle miles per technician, etc.). Transit Cooperative Research Program. How will todays customer focus translate to tomorrows electric trucks? Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians frequently lift heavy parts and tools, handle greasy and dirty equipment, and stand or lie in awkward positions. Our self-paced distance education Electric Vehicle (EV) Technician program is designed for adult learners seeking independent study in the rapidly emerging Electric Vehicle sector. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, also called mechanics, inspect, maintain, and repair vehicles and machinery used in construction, farming, rail transportation, and other industries. While this approach may introduce some additional variables, flexibility is key when making decisions on what gets outsourced. Performs a variety of assignments such as replacement of failed parts or equipment, test, operation and maintenance of . For more details about job openings for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, consult local heavy and mobile equipment dealers and distributors, construction contractors, and government agencies. The list goes on to include: Tires: Who does tires, internal, external? Please advise on the appropriate number of buses and vehicles per mechanic? Overtime is common. The primary objective of this research was to produce an interactive staffing tool for use in determining optimum maintenance technician staffing levels for small, medium, and large public transit bus and other revenue fleets. This means that it relies heavily on telematics to identify diagnostic codes that provide fleet personnel with the information they need to address smaller issues before they become larger ones. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face. endstream As such, the results of the calculator should be considered to reflect broad comparisons rather than objectively correct staffing levels. By clicking the submit button below, you are agreeing with Bobit Business Medias Privacy Policy and this outlined level of consent. Maintenance Staffing Calculator User Guide. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. Perhaps you would be willing to write an article about it. The projected numeric change in employment from 2021 to 2031. . However, when I fire back more questions to help me determine the answer, those who ask me the question dont understand why I dont have a set response. Senior Member, thomasvista2012 The effect on labour profits is then: Labour sales. Maintenance activities not included in the previous sheet are entered here. In addition to these data gathering efforts, the research team developed the Maintenance Staffing Calculator and MS-Excel-based tool to help transit systems of various sizes determine the optimum number of maintenance technicians required to maintain a modern public transit fleet. They work with a variety of vehicle components including engines, brakes, air-conditioning, suspension, transmission, security and sound systems. Owen added that outsourcing 1020 percent should be included in calculations of staffing needs. Astro Optics: Traffic Guard Portable Speed Bump System. Your IP: Projected employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians varies by occupation (see table). There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. Additionally, organizations that do not actively manage labor reporting tend to lose hours during the year. Technician a says the drive chain may be stretched, causing the noise as it hits the inside of the case. Physical strength. Which technician is correct? Most service technicians work full time, and many work evenings and weekends. According to Vanson Bourne, average industrial downtime costs are 250.000 USD per hour, according to field service and IT decision-makers. To answer the question of vehicles to technicians ratios, I suggest that you look at previous averages, set a goal so at the end of the day you can perform like a leasing company, which is lean, not so mean, and efficient. hb``` Truck industry content for fleet owners and managers, - Detroit introduces Detroit Connect Video Capture service, - Synop, Geotab announce EV charging integration solution, - Michelin Connected Fleet delivers new suite of fleet-management solutions, Explaining the truck operating system thats spanning makes, models, The importance of flexibility in truck maintenance, ADAS in truck winterization plans, Geotab, Cummins partner to enhance OTA connectivity, Maintenance to keep your heavy-duty truck wheels going round and round, Inside the intelligence that powers truck powertrain efficiency, Setting heavy-duty truck service benchmarks, Freightliner M2, SD Plus Series launch updates its medium-duty truck offering, Truck cruise control technology that looks at the road ahead, Four ways A.I. This tab also covers different types of occupational specialties. It also includes average hours spent on follow-up repairs. These next two worksheets present the results of the tools calculations. The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs held in the occupation and describes the workplace, the level of physical activity expected, and typical hours worked. IT IS NOT ALL THAT BAD IF YOU HAVE GOOD KEY PERSONEL IN THE RIGHT PLACES. A. Black women: 6.2%. During busy planting and harvesting seasons, for example, mechanics often work six or seven 12-hour days per week. PTO days? About the Author: Randy Owen is senior vice president of Mercury Associates Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. QBU\~Rp4c1QHsKI:C6u+~uT*3d=9KV*LihZ/HyIX\:c5@~`%V/D@0(]'G^f7|BJ^_3M_OW Q^h;y5+jSdPA6)07HHltD3)IA33Z8W. TU3(')C%Yyi0}J o(sC%/$ =-LumbWe B3u+sapEL2)ehZ=Y8m(TJD_f>`u0%&X;ZhMKaHm,(B- lC]:@6,@$n$[`w'XQ%fxavt7IWu-gX0m5Uzbasr `?o='R#Ip; 40G3k\x1)G %]D=Mu8',GL+. The origin web server does not have a valid SSL certificate. The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. For example, they may use an oscilloscope to observe the signals produced by electronic components. Labor supply is 10. I work in a system where the fleet of approx. (937) 290-0529 info@crashcoursevillage.org. The first round of interviews was extremely detailed and covered agency profiles and service data, profiles of maintenance facilities, fleet inventories, maintenance times and requirements, maintenance workforce roles, and training practices. _EY4x /hH2, Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians with similar occupations. In these cases it might be a good idea to perform separate analyses for each location. The secure and easy all-access connection to your content. 160 is locally owned, in a state where a substantial subsidy is provided by the state for the upkeep, maintenance, and fueling of local school bus fleets. Automotive body and glass repairers restore, refinish, and replace vehicle bodies and frames, windshields, and window glass. If this value is less than 1, your shop is losing money because the actual time it takes to repair a vehicle is not being invoiced properly on a regular basis. What we really need is another supervisor/dispatcher for our department. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians typically do the following: Heavy vehicles and mobile equipment are critical to many industrial activities, including construction and railroad transportation. Mercury Associates Inc. in Rockville, Md., provides comprehensive fuel and fleet management consulting services to state and local governments, federal governments and private companies. Comments are moderated and may not appear for 24 hours or more. Do not over-maintain and have all the costs related to the hours your techs spend on changing light bulbs in the office at your finger tips. National estimates for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. 6 0 obj Save Your Own. The average Automotive Technician salary in the United States is $53,639 as of January 26, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $45,872 and $61,344. Information provided by Randy Owen. %%EOF Other programs, which lead to associates degrees, generally take 2 years to complete. stream In maintaining and managing a municipal fleet operation, fleet managers can take a page from the private sector's use of vehicle equivalency units to calculate the ratio of technician-to-vehicles. Prior to co-founding Mercury, he held positions as the chief of fleet management for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and as equipment management director for the city of Charlotte, N.C. Conversely, he said, a complex and maintenance-intensive piece of equipment, such as a refuse collection truck, might require the same effort to maintain as 10 standard sedans. Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets, TCRP Report 184: Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets, identifies existing tools and practices used to determine optimum maintenance technician staffing levels and provides an analysis of variables that influence maintenance technician staffing needs. The report also documents the research teams development of an MS Excel-based Maintenance Staffing Calculator, a tool for managers of transit agencies of any size to use in estimating the optimal number of bus maintenance staff to meet current maintenance needs. TCRP Report 184 resources available online include the following:* TheMaintenance Staffing Calculator User Guide* TheMaintenance Staffing Calculator* An completedexample case showing how the Calculator works* A PowerPoint presentation providing asummary of the work done under TCRP Project E-10, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2). 1 0 obj Chad Fay, director of fleet operations at Centuri Construction Group in Phoenix, Ariz., shared pros and cons of employing VEUs, from a personal outlook. #)1Qt ehY,SpRm @@@:{7fc`g~ T!u _q Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians, Which technician is correct? High school courses in automotive repair, electronics, physics, and welding provide a strong foundation for a service technicians career. Completion of all specific company and official paperwork. Technician A says that the output gear will be going faster than the input gear. Dayton, Ohio. Water transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. Some rail car repairers should continue to be needed to service trains used for freight shipping and transportation, as well as for public transportation. hours x 44 weeks x 95% utilisation x 12 per hour = 20,064 Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) = 93,456. An agency employee very familiar with the fleet and maintenance should use the tool, because its accuracy is dependent on getting accurate, detailed information. A Vehicle Technician inspects and repairs vehicles so they run safely, efficiently and reliably. Benchmarking fleet age is complicated because fleet composition must be considered. Please contact your hosting provider to ensure that an up-to-date and valid SSL certificate issued by a Certificate Authority is configured for this domain name on the origin server. Tech a B. The State and Area Data tab provides links to state and area occupational data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, state projections data from Projections Central, and occupational information from the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. While mechanics are typically paid for 2,080 hours per year, exclusive of overtime (52 weeks x 40 hours per week), they are clearly not available to work on vehicles this number of hours. This process involves calculating the number of annual hours available to mechanics to devote to wrench-turning activities. This can lead to frustration when a fleet manager attempts to justify their staffing requirements, as it is rare in my experience that municipalities and private companies meet the national averages published by industry studies. Last Modified Date: On the supply side in addition to the available productive hours factors already discussed factors to consider include mechanic training and skill levels, maintenance management practices, work rules (dictated, for example, by collective bargaining agreements), parts provisioning practices, and shop considerations (e.g., facility location, size, layout, condition, equipment, and tooling). Latinas: 3.1%. Ideally, the calculated levels should match the actual levels. Learn about salaries, benefits, salary satisfaction and where you could earn the most. Staffing to the peaks rather than valleys in the workload demand is never a good idea. It may also be used as a predictive tool, to determine staffing needs during the vehicle procurement process. In defense of those who are asking the question, the justification of their job may come from getting maintenance managers to look closerdo a deep diveand figure out what is going on. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. Fueling: who fuels the trucks, and who puts DEF in the trucks? Neither Technician A or B Which part is splined to the clutch disc? The higher costs are probably less related to the number of technicians and more related to new emissions and warranty engagements, or that the labor rate is higher than it use to be. The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. Some manufacturers offer certification in specific repair methods or equipment. Leasing companies or maintenance providers only do the basic maintenance, basing their numbers on the formula of maintenance and not the hours such as those your own shop may schedule, although they will, when asked. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. Fleet age is another important factor. Serving Car & Truck Fleet Management Professionals, Serving EV Intenders & Professionals In Commercial & Public Fleets, Serving Corporate, Executive, & Financial Managers Of Large Commercial Fleets, Serving Leaders In Fleet Mobility & Emerging Technology, Serving Public Sector Fleet Professionals, Serving Medium & Heavy Duty Commercial Truck Professionals, Serving Transit Bus, Private Motorcoach, & Passenger Rail Professionals, Serving School & Pupil Transportation Fleet Professionals, Serving Vocational & Service Fleet Professionals. Once the labor demand is quantified, the number of productive hours available to service the fleet must be determined. Tool Maintenance. Trainees advance to more complex work as they show competence, and they usually become fully qualified after 3 to 4 years of work. endstream endobj 664 0 obj <. Or, if you have a simple standardize fleet, say all day cabs, and an established trade cycle, a ratio can be determined. The methodology is used to equate the level of effort required to maintain dissimilar types of vehicles to a passenger car, which is given a baseline VEU (sometimes called a maintenance repair unit or MRU) of 1.0. The result of this calculation for all mechanics is the number of productive hours a fleet has available. An example of challenges would be the difficulty of assigning a baseline average for the time required to complete specific tasks. There was evidence that large agencies have proportionally more staff than smaller ones (likely due in part to performing more heavy repairs in house), and that more complex fleets require more maintenance. - Technician A says that torque prevailing nuts can be reused unless damaged. <> Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. Today, significant R&D investment is going into the development of electric trucksprobing the possibilities of untested powertrains in hopes of producing a product that meets application needs. If past efficiency performance is close to industry standards, a fleet manager can be confident the fleets historical labor data accurately reflects labor demand. Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education. Because vehicle and equipment technology is increasingly sophisticated and computerized, some employers prefer to hire service technicians who have completed a formal training program at a postsecondary institution.
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