25Feb

Fleet Technician Training

Fleet Technician TrainingIt’s not hard to believe that larger corporations such as Pepsi or Target have the resources available to properly train their technicians when it comes to fleet operations, but they also have the right mindset. Much of their thinking can easily be adopted by smaller fleet companies:

Realize that trained fleet technicians are key drivers when it comes to controlling maintenance costs and reducing downtime. What’s important about this is that at the end of the day, there will be less road failures because of the quality of those repairs using your own people. Any time that people can be properly trained, it will cut down operating expenses in the long-term.

Know that educated mechanics make good decisions. This means that they effectively use shop diagnostic equipment and only use the parts required when making repairs. Untrained mechanics, however, will throw parts at a problem which results in high parts costs and repetitive downtime.

Make it consistent. Larger fleets can get several hundred new models in a short time, some involving a new brand, so it’s hard to stay complacent. Education has to come slowly and consistently as to not overwhelm the technician or maintenance.

Keep the training promises. Morale and manager credibility drops heavily when training is promised and never happens or it is less than expected. If your team is told they will be getting training, it’s important to stick to those words and promises.

Explore in-house talents. Everyone on your team has something that they can bring to the plate. One person may be great with breaks; one person may work well with electrical systems. It could be someone who has thirty years of experience or someone who has been on the job for five years. Know what they know.

Listen to your team. Your fleet technicians will tell you what they need. It would be wise to seek out a continuing education platform that works best for your organization. You have to keep in mind that there is no ‘one-sized-fits-all’ program out there.

Your fleet technicians are crucial to your business. They are critical to your fleet’s ability to build a profit. If your trucks aren’t moving, you won’t be making money.

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