A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc
Preventive maintenance programs perennially get sabotaged by seemingly the simplest of tasks: keeping accurate track of each machine's run time. Engine hours are frequently misreported, either because of off-the-mark guesses by field managers or transcription errors in reading hour meters. Data entry errors compound the problem. Even with software calculating PM schedules, machines may be under- or over-serviced if the field-reported information is wrong. Some assets may slip through the reporting cracks altogether, whether because of lost time sheets or simple oversight.
Telematics technology can remove human error from the engine hours collection equation while also providing critical integration with maintenance software to continually update service calendars. These capabilities come standard with advanced GPS-based fleet tracking systems, making it possible to optimize maintenance schedules, locate equipment in real time, improve equipment utilization and more with a single investment.
Navman Wireless' own Chet McHenry outlines five ways that telematics can improve preventive maintenance programs in a piece for the AEMP newsletter.