Focus on Brake System Maintenance
When Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently discovered a striking decline in fleet truck maintenance, the most troubling finding was that braking systems are most neglected. Addressing this concern is critical to achieving more efficient and safer fleet operation.
Time is money, they say, and for business-minded drivers, the main priority is to reduce downtime. To a driver with tight deadlines, preventive maintenance feels like unnecessary downtime.
If a truck’s braking system fails at a critical moment and results in a collision, that truck could be out of commission for a long time—not to mention its driver. If another driver or bystander is injured due to your fleet’s faulty brake system, downtime suddenly becomes the least of your company’s concerns.
Liability costs can ruin a company, not just financially but also from a PR standpoint. Once customers and drivers see your fleet as unsafe, it can be a long, painful road to recovery. Things like a reduced CSA status, poor business retention, increased insurance premiums, time-consuming audits and expensive legal repercussions are sure to keep your company in downtime mode for a very long time.
Establishing a preventive maintenance strategy is the easy part. Implementing and enforcing it is the real challenge. While some drivers will take a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) seriously, others will not, and it will be up to fleet personnel to regularly spot check trucks to ensure drivers are adequately performing their DVIRs. The benefit of a maintenance safety program is not only having safer trucks on the road—it’s also having a safer team of vehicle operators behind the wheel.
Outsourcing is an effective way to maximize the fleet’s maintenance operation and provide the same superior quality expected from an internal operation. It requires choosing the right partner who can help you plan and budget accordingly and be able to provide clear visibility or repair status and completion.
Download “Well-Maintained Brakes & Safety – A Winning Combination” to learn more.
ABOUT MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA
Dedicated to delivering improved savings and operational efficiencies to fleets and owner-operators throughout North America, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company has earned a long-standing reputation for building innovative premium tires. In addition to tires, Michelin is a pioneer in wide base single tire technology and the industry leader in retread technologies. Michelin services and programs help fleets across the continent maximize uptime. For additional information, visit Business.MichelinMan.com
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