The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. 2016 Bus Maintenance Survey: Shops Still Dealing with Electrical Learning Curve. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems. The technician to vehicle question is asked many times and there is always someone who will say it should be X vehicles per tech. But there is no real industry formula because there are too many variables, such as: Number of locations; use of outside vendors; PM intervals; detailed PM requirements; miles between PMs; domiciled or non-domiciled vehicles; age of the equipment; warranty work internal or external; tech experience and quality; and size of the shop. I think thats a great ratio if you can achieve it. . Recalls, in the fleet world today, are at an all-time high; cost containment is always a concern as vehicles and equipment possess far more technology than ever before. Each program may last 1 to 2 years and lead to a certificate of completion. Even with the responses to the surveys, the study yielded limited correlative data. Some rail car repairers should continue to be needed to service trains used for freight shipping and transportation, as well as for public transportation. And the number of additional vehicles required for maintenance activities can be minimized by scheduling most maintenance activities during non-peak vehicle periods. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems and know how they interact with each other. According to an article by Moog Parts, rack and pinion steering works by using a gear system to translate the steering wheel's circular motion into the linear motion needed to turn the wheels. What is the tread depth, are there recaps, what is the damage? Completion of all specific company and official paperwork. 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. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. 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. 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. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. The report also documents the research team's development of an MS Excel-based Maintenance Staffing . They generally purchase these tools over the course of their careers, often investing thousands of dollars in their inventory. 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. This subject of mechanic-to-fleet ratio and related issues sparks a real interest and concern. All Rights Reserved. <> The results of the existing, calculated necessary, and revised staff levels are compared side to side. The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings. The For example, a boat trailer might be given a ratio of 0.25 VEU, meaning that it would require one-quarter the effort to maintain as a standard automobile. Owen has 20 years of experience as a fleet manager and fleet management consultant under his belt. Or, if you have a simple standardize fleet, say all day cabs, and an established trade cycle, a ratio can be determined. endobj One VEU is equal to 1015 labor hours, with technicians being assigned 100120 VEUs. The projected percent change in employment from 2021 to 2031. Median annual wages for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians in May 2021 were as follows: In May 2021, the median annual wages for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: Percent change in employment, projected 2021-31, Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program. Data from hundreds of fleet organizations has demonstrated a VEU of 1.0 is normally equal to between 10 and 15 annual maintenance labor hours, depending upon a number of factors unique to each organization. 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. A fleet of one hundred patrol cars, rated at 2.5 VEUs each, constitutes a fleet of 250 VEUs. 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. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. Planning for necessary staffing levels - Agencies can add potential new vehicles to the inventory worksheet and see what effect this would have on required staffing. Technician A says that torque prevailing nuts can be reused unless damaged. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. This technique establishes a relative measure that allows evaluating and comparing staffing needs between fleets of dissimilar composition. <> In the private sector a lengthy delay can mean success or failure on the job, which ultimately impacts customer relationships. Many public transit buses are in service well beyond the FTA minimum requirement of 12 years, 500,000 miles. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Latinas: 3.1%. The number of mechanics/technicians required to maintain this sample fleet is more than a fleet of 100 sedans, but far less than a fleet of 100 dump trucks. We have 24 buses and 78 other pieces of equipment (trucks, vans, etc.). 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. stream 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. 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. DSH's^Hk5 C w~^wkYje RnS9p& - Join Our List. Organizational skills. With new labor-intensive engines, various fuel types, highly sophisticated electronics, and an increase in preventive maintenance frequencies, many maintenance managers realize they need to hire additional staff. Video transcript available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PcpkHT8xaU. Updates include the replacement of diesel fleet assets with zero-emissions alternatives. 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. We get by with what we have, but our staff is always busy. The Maintenance Staffing Calculator is an Excel tool consisting of seven worksheets. In addition, techs may be asked to deliver loads during peak periods or driver shortage times. vehicle, etc.) Senior Member. By taking an approach that is less focused on the VEU model and more concentrated on our people, their known abilities and anticipated workload, we have found more value in not utilizing the VEU model to justify staffing requirements but rather empower managers to justify staffing in relationship to the enterprises needs. endobj At one time, a simple measurement was used to determine if a transit agency had adequate maintenance technician staff using a basic bus-to-mechanic ratio. Tech Want to read all 59 pages? The number of maintenance technicians at a transit agency is based on financial constraints, fleet age, annual miles, powertrain type, how much work is outsourced, and a multitude of other key factors. Some manufacturers offer certification in specific repair methods or equipment. The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. As a consequence, fleet managers have difficulty defending themselves against a newly elected administration who suggest shop staffing is bloated and should be downsized. Staffing to the peaks rather than valleys in the workload demand is never a good idea. If an agency does all its maintenance in one location then using the tool once is sufficient. The How to Become One tab describes how to prepare for a job in the occupation. Public Works fleets with a concentration of trucks and construction equipment clearly would be higher in age, while law enforcement fleets typically would be lower. 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. The Maintenance Staffing Calculator is designed to help maintenance managers (1) breakdown staff by location or sub-fleet; (2) adjust raw employee numbers to full time equivalents and available productive hours using information on current technician staffing, other employees contributing to maintenance, breaks, vacations, and shift information;(3) calculate preventive maintenance, core maintenance, and unscheduled maintenance task hours required, by sub-fleet; (4) calculate heavy maintenance and repair hours required; (5) model effects on staffing of changes to fleet composition or usage; (6) model effects on staffing of changes to maintenance times or intervals, accounting for overtime required; and (7) compare results to a group of peer agencies. The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. Our EV Technician program is intended for students interested in improving their technical knowledge to diagnose, service and repair high voltage EVs and install . Today, significant R&D investment is going into the development of electric trucksprobing the possibilities of untested powertrains in hopes of producing a product that meets application needs. QBU\~Rp4c1QHsKI:C6u+~uT*3d=9KV*LihZ/HyIX\:c5@~`%V/D@0(]'G^f7|BJ^_3M_OW Q^h;y5+jSdPA6)07HHltD3)IA33Z8W. TU3(')C%Yyi0}J o(sC%/$ =-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+. What kind of outsource work couldnt be achieved by regular fleet staff ? $64 - $400. If an agency had four or five buses per mechanic it was considered to have an excellent bus-to-mechanic ratio. For more information, visit www.darrystuart.com or email comments or questions requests to Darry at: [emailprotected]. 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. Bonus. 1 tech x 40 att. Whats behind the slow adoption of FA-4 oil? 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. 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. Farm equipment mechanics work varies by time of the year. <> As the premiere online publication for the heavy-duty truck market, charting the latest in trucking equipment, technology, and service trends, Fleet Equipment has a knack for digging up the stories behind the stories (while having a lot of fun along the way). In these cases it might be a good idea to perform separate analyses for each location. Mechanical skills. at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heavy-vehicle-and-mobile-equipment-service-technicians.htm (visited March 03, 2023). 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. GM Vehicles +25.86% salary. Responsibilities for vehicle technician. 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. The subsity is limited however, to vehicles 10 . 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. Technician A says that the gear ratios of both differentials are the same in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. 960 0 obj <>stream 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. It also includes average hours spent on follow-up repairs. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics, Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians, Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines. %PDF-1.5 % 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. The site is secure. Administrator, Diesel3446 They are most effective when used for a fleet that consists of one vehicle type. 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.) MOT preparation and inspections work on vehicles and trailers. CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. 663 0 obj <> endobj %%EOF Learn more about heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations. Take a look at how Geotabs data-centeric conference makes the OEM connection. Rail car repairers specialize in servicing railroad locomotives, subway cars, and other rolling stock. Kenworth and Platform Science have announced a strategic partnership that will see the integration of Platform Science's Virtual Vehicle platform into Kenworth trucks using factory-installed telematics hardware. They also work on smaller consumer-grade lawn and garden tractors. The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. This factor clearly must be considered when assessing how many mechanics an organization needs. Who is correct? (T/F) True Higher compression ratios tend to speed up combustion. 679 0 obj <>stream Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with diagnostic equipment to find the source of malfunctions. Mechanics who work primarily on large trucks and buses are described in the profile on diesel service technicians and mechanics. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The ratio of height to width. Projected employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians varies by occupation (see table). So you want to write for Fleet Equipment? Overtime is common. A: There are many variables when calculating the number of technicians required per number of trucks. The projected percent change in employment from 2021 to 2031. EDSI Consulting prepared this report under TCRP Project E-10. Perhaps you would be willing to write an article about it. The .gov means it's official. 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. Hours worked = Time spent actively completing work orders Multiply each number in the ratio by the value of one part: 6 x 8.75 and 2 x 8.75. The following are examples of types of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians: Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians service and repair farm equipment, such as tractors and harvesters. 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.. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians, Maintenance Staffing Calculator User Guide. Entering basic operations information into the calculator will provide a quick snapshot of the agency's staffing needs, but it is also possible to go into much more detail. Measuring the performance of your technicians, as a whole and individually, shouldn't feel like punishment or micro-managing. Unfortunately, there is no standard formula or thumb rule to get the magic number. Most heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians have a high school diploma or equivalent. The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2021 to 2031. Published as TCRP Report 184. 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. On the demand side, outsourcing practices are probably the most important factor. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. 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. It is important that the staff listed here directly match the vehicles included in the first sheet. A. This will generally be heavy repairs like body work, brake machining, and small component rebuilds. Most work for dealer repair shops, where farmers increasingly send their equipment for maintenance. f cf`apa`vdbT1b`QlhsjAQCNPASF&>ffe90oQ7(8hPtes0ycoN~n7@s??o Z@@j88: ! Another calculation includes maintenance and repair units, which involves comparing requirements of one vehicle group to another vehicle category. The secure and easy all-access connection to your content. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2c503a8d982eeb This can be as specific as the agency wants, with vehicles broken down by broad category (35-foot buses, cutaway buses) all the way down to year, manufacturer, or other specifics. Regression analyses were performed, and results include standard deviations to help judge how closely peer agencies perform on various measures. This could indicate an expired SSL certificate or a certificate that does not include the requested domain name. Centuri Construction Groups fleet of more than 7,000 units tries to be predictive in nature to its maintenance and repair needs. An old fleet obviously requires more labor to keep in service than a brand new one. Details about the fleet and fleet maintenance practices that can fundamentally impact the data analysis and calculations. Common workplace injuries include small cuts, sprains, and bruises. This tab can include information on education, training, work experience, licensing and certification, and important qualities that are required or helpful for entering or working in the occupation. Please advise on the appropriate number of buses and vehicles per mechanic? MY IDEA HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO BE ROCKET SCIENTIEST, JUST HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE AND BE WILLING TO LEARN. However, there was significant variation across agencies in regards to most variables examined. 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. A . Second the backup vehicle ratio must be adequate to ensure minimal disruption in service. 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. 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. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must perform many tasks, such as disassembling engine parts, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, with a steady hand and good hand-eye coordination.