vehicles to technician ratio

The average number of labor hours each type of asset in the fleet consumes (i.e., labor demand). Dayton, Ohio. . The site is secure. As a former cop who spent a number of years managing, and is now doing driving / training for the past year and a half in my retirement, I've relished the opportunity to work in and learn about this great service industry. 5 0 obj 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. Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles. Then there are the questions involving required operational shop hours, accidents, damages, internal damages and, to some degree, the specifications of the vehicles, the number of DVIRS, type of electronic equipment. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. I work in a system where the fleet of approx. 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. 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. I asked that question about a month ago and did not receive a replay. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. I always get asked, How many vehicles per technician? As a seasoned iron doctor, I should know. Introduced three years ago, the American Petroleum Institute (API)s CK-4 and FA-4 oil categories were billed as the next generation of oil, improving on the engine protection and fuel economy benefits offered by previous engine oil categories. 7 0 obj It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. The secure and easy all-access connection to your content. 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. Technician A says that the power steering pump . This factor clearly must be considered when assessing how many mechanics an organization needs. Most work for governments, equipment rental and leasing shops, and large construction and mining companies. Most heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians work full time, and many work evenings or weekends. 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. The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians. 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. Previewing 48 of 59 pages. Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices! (180 degrees) on a vehicle equipped with a steering gear with a 20:1 gear ratio. Ideally, the calculated levels should match the actual levels. endobj Women held 26.1% of jobs in the motor vehicles and motor vehicles equipment manufacturing industry. 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. endstream endobj startxref The subsity is limited however, to vehicles 10 . 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. Responsibilities for vehicle technician. Centuri Construction Groups fleet of more than 7,000 units tries to be predictive in nature to its maintenance and repair needs. 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. These next two worksheets present the results of the tools calculations. Tech Want to read all 59 pages? It depends on various factors, example; Is it a fleet cars or pickups or busses or trucks or a mix? IT IS NOT ALL THAT BAD IF YOU HAVE GOOD KEY PERSONEL IN THE RIGHT PLACES. 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. One of the best way to do it is to project the costs, divide the total dollars by two, (labor and parts average 50% each) then divide the 50% labor dollars by a fully burdened labor rate average, the calculation determines the hoursthen back into the hours of operational required. 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. 2016 Bus Maintenance Survey: Shops Still Dealing with Electrical Learning Curve. After all, talk is cheap and the trust me days of fleet management ended many years ago. As such, the results of the calculator should be considered to reflect broad comparisons rather than objectively correct staffing levels. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with diagnostic equipment to find the source of malfunctions. The Director does everything else (even training). 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. Service, repair and fault diagnostics work on all vehicles. Input cells are clearly labeled and color-coded. In addition, techs may be asked to deliver loads during peak periods or driver shortage times. 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. 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. . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Automotive body and glass repairers restore, refinish, and replace vehicle bodies and frames, windshields, and window glass. https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any hours x 44 weeks x 95% utilisation x 12 per hour = 20,064 Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) = 93,456. Completion of all specific company and official paperwork. The final worksheet provides a summary of data for all peer groups. (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. The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. 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. Related: Fleet Management Lessons From the Private Sector. Overall employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians is projected to grow 8 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. The report also documents the research team's development of an MS Excel-based Maintenance Staffing . It is important that the staff listed here directly match the vehicles included in the first sheet. This sheet compares an agencys existing staffing levels to that of peer agencies. The projected percent change in employment from 2021 to 2031. The table below provides an example calculation. Although not required, certification can demonstrate a service technicians competence and usually commands higher pay. Who is correct? Rope Rescue. Automotive service technicians and mechanics inspect, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks. For example, they may use an oscilloscope to observe the signals produced by electronic components. endstream endobj startxref Last Modified Date: Job Outlook Overall employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians is projected to grow 8 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. By Randy Owen By clicking the submit button below, you are agreeing with Bobit Business Medias Privacy Policy and this outlined level of consent. Top Member, largebus In total, more than 60 agencies of varying size were surveyed. 929 0 obj <> endobj 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. 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. Mechanical skills. Days off: Vacation? This will generally be heavy repairs like body work, brake machining, and small component rebuilds. Less. In extreme cases, these values can be significantly lower (such as with a brand new fleet) or materially higher (due to fleet age, high use, or challenging operating conditions). 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. 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. Technician A The driving gear has 15 teeth and the driven gear has 29 teeth. We get by with what we have, but our staff is always busy. (2016). Training sessions may focus on particular components and technologies or particular types of equipment. An old fleet obviously requires more labor to keep in service than a brand new one. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics repair and maintain construction and surface mining equipment, such as bulldozers, cranes, graders, and excavators. What is the actual industry standard ratio for trucks:technicians? 17 Main shaft 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. But today, with the proliferation of digital technology, new fuel systems, and accelerated maintenance schedules, its more difficult to determine how many employees will be required to take care of a fleet. If we drop the gear ratio to 3:1, however, the driveshaft only has to spin at 6150RPM. Maintenance activities not included in the previous sheet are entered here. Details about the fleet and fleet maintenance practices that can fundamentally impact the data analysis and calculations. 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. The table below provides an example calculation. . In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each states websites where these data may be retrieved. What Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians Do, How to Become a Heavy Vehicle or Mobile Equipment Service Technician, Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers, Employment projections data for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, 2021-31, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Top Picks, One Screen, Multi-Screen, and Maps, Industry Finder from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. 8 "r.qEp92e,JY0gnT6Hdgq=~6E>=|hvOgoYPl QItc[ B`2=^Fa OrBvxvWfPK@ .c@(p m ?Q\ Tech b C. Both techs D. Neither C A transfer case is extremely noisy and all selections except neutral whenever the vehicle is moving. This is usually a question that comes from a finance person talking to another finance person or a guaranteed maintenance provider quoting seeding answers in a way to obtain a new client, or a leasing company trying to take over the shops, or determining a lease for new equipment. Water transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. It may also be used as a predictive tool, to determine staffing needs during the vehicle procurement process. Overtime is common. 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. 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. Service technicians usually work indoors in noisy repair shops. So you want to write for Fleet Equipment? Performance & security by Cloudflare. The calculator was created by first analyzing fleet and staffing information from the 2010 National Transit Database (NTD). 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. Service technicians also use many different power and machine tools, including pneumatic wrenches, lathes, and welding equipment. Published as TCRP Report 184. The Maintenance Staffing Calculator is an Excel tool consisting of seven worksheets. This tab also covers different types of occupational specialties. The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2021 to 2031. Thursday, September 8, 2022. 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. The companys top priority is to ensure safety and support the operational teams by sustaining a very high percentage of asset uptime and availability. endobj As a consequence, fleet managers have difficulty defending themselves against a newly elected administration who suggest shop staffing is bloated and should be downsized. 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. <> make sure you're on a federal government site. Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation. Service technicians also use many different hand tools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches, to work on small parts and in hard-to-reach areas. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); HTML tags allowed in your comment:

, The Premier Product & Equipment Magazine for America's Municipalities, Predicting repair staffing, maintenance needs with VEUs. Labor supply is 10. 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. To calculate mechanic staffing requirements, the following data and information are needed: When fleet managers talk to their boss, elected officials, budget and finance directors, or city managers about mechanic staffing requirements for their shops, it is much better to be armed with calculations resulting from a coherent quantitative methodology than relying on anecdotes and stories. How to reasonably assess mechanic staffing in a public sector garage is an often-posed question among government agency fleet managers. Offered by vocational schools and community colleges, these programs cover the basics of diagnostic techniques, electronics, and other related subjects. (T/F) True Higher compression ratios tend to speed up combustion. 0 A fleet of one hundred patrol cars, rated at 2.5 VEUs each, constitutes a fleet of 250 VEUs. Please advise on the appropriate number of buses and vehicles per mechanic? Common workplace injuries include small cuts, sprains, and bruises. 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. GM Vehicles +25.86% salary. Vehicle Technicians can work with different vehicles, such as cars, lorries, vans, buses and motorcycles. hb``` 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. Transmission Ratio RPM Calculator Determine your engine's RPM based on the transmission gear ratio, tire height, MPH, and the ratio of your ring gear and pinion gear. Mall, K., & Sekera, J. A . 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. 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. f cf`apa`vdbT1b`QlhsjAQCNPASF&>ffe90oQ7(8hPtes0ycoN~n7@s??o Z@@j88: ! This is where the bulk of the calculators work takes place. Mechanics who work primarily on large trucks and buses are described in the profile on diesel service technicians and mechanics. endstream Physical strength. Staffing to the peaks rather than valleys in the workload demand is never a good idea. stream Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians held about 223,000 jobs in 2021. Chad Fay, director of fleet operations at Centuri Construction Group in Phoenix, Ariz., shared pros and cons of employing VEUs, from a personal outlook. 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. Another method of determining labor demand is using a technique known as Vehicle Equivalent Unit (VEU) Analysis. What we really need is another supervisor/dispatcher for our department. This could indicate an expired SSL certificate or a certificate that does not include the requested domain name. 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. 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. Comments are moderated and may not appear for 24 hours or more. stream Tool Maintenance. 3 0 obj Small engine mechanics inspect, service, and repair motorized power equipment. 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. Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets. . This leads to unexpected failures and expensive downtime. But, Babcox Media Editor Tim Fritz passed away on Feb. 23 from a heart attack. While this approach may introduce some additional variables, flexibility is key when making decisions on what gets outsourced. Technician B says the ratio is 3.86:1. The detail entered here will be reflected in the detail of the tools outcomes. This process involves calculating the number of annual hours available to mechanics to devote to wrench-turning activities. 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. 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). %PDF-1.5 % In these cases it might be a good idea to perform separate analyses for each location. My question went to School Transportation News, on line. 960 0 obj <>stream Updates include the replacement of diesel fleet assets with zero-emissions alternatives. <> Other elements that impact labor demand include usage levels, operating environment, and fleet assignment practices (i.e. Sometimes the tech has to drive two hours to swap drivers because he has run out of hours. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Transit Cooperative Research Program. 4 0 obj About the Author: Randy Owen is senior vice president of Mercury Associates Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. They usually work for railroads, public and private transit companies, and railcar manufacturers. Remember that only repairs conducted by employees in the existing staff worksheet are included, so outsourced work should be left out. Overall employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians is projected to grow 8 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. Benchmarking fleet age is complicated because fleet composition must be considered. 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. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. They also work on smaller consumer-grade lawn and garden tractors. Asian women: 1.7%. It also includes average hours spent on follow-up repairs. #)1Qt ehY,SpRm @@@:{7fc`g~ T!u _q VEUS EXAMPLES Each sedan represents 1 VEU. 0 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. However, the average fleet age for a typical government fleet of mixed vehicle types should range from three to five years. Labor supply is 10. Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. Discover jobs. Transit agencies replacing buses are faced with significant leaps in technology over the past 6 to 12 years and now can purchase clean diesel and hybrid engines, and choose among various alternative fuels--all of which require highly skilled technicians. All Rights Reserved. These service technicians use diagnostic computers and equipment to identify problems and make adjustments or repairs. DSH's^Hk5 C w~^wkYje RnS9p& Put simply, using VEUs means adding up how many sedans and sedan equivalencies an agency has in order to determine how many mechanics need to be hired. Information provided by Randy Owen. Once the demand and supply of labor is known, mechanic staffing requirements can be calculated. 6 0 obj National estimates for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians repair and maintain engines, hydraulic systems, transmissions, and electrical systems of agricultural, industrial, construction, and rail equipment. - The automated truck conversation expands beyond the technology and into business reality. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. 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. They are most effective when used for a fleet that consists of one vehicle type. Ou)d}`z)UYQ(VBfbMiQ8 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.

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vehicles to technician ratio