Viking's Control of Maintenance Cuts Costs

Preventive maintenance practices and good communication skills are keys to a successful truck maintenance shop.

	Kevin Knudson/Viking Freight
	Repairs are made to an exhaust stack on a Viking truck to ensure the vehicle remains in compliance with California emission standards.

“You don’t need a grease monkey anymore, you need someone with good listening and speaking skills,” said Pete Kennon, vice president of line operations and maintenance for Viking Freight in San Jose, Calif.

Viking, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., employs about 200 maintenance people who perform scheduled maintenance and complex engine rebuilds in-house. Engine manufacturers provide training to the company’s maintenance force, ensuring that quality work is performed.

In a telephone interview, Kennon said the company’s overall maintenance programs have been successful because of a preventive maintenance philosophy and a maintenance control management system. The MCMS is a repair tracking and communication tool the company acquired and customized. CSI-Maximus of Wayne, Pa., supplies the system, said Kathy Keller, corporate communications manager at Viking.

Viking services its line and local tractors every 12,000 miles or 90 days, whichever comes first. Trailers and converter gear get worked on every 90 days. Other equipment gets replaced sooner.

For the full story, see the July 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.