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Preventative Maintenance: A Critical Step To Managing Your Fleet

Preventive maintenance is the practice of scheduling regular service for a fleet, rather than waiting until a repair is necessary on a broken down and out-of-service vehicle. Regularly servicing vehicles takes the guesswork out of managing the fleet, ultimately saving time, money, and frustration.

Increase uptime and safety while avoiding unplanned costs
Breakdowns and other undesired events can put a vehicle out of service at the most inopportune time. Shippers are already tightening their delivery schedules, and fleets can’t afford to miss deadlines because of avoidable downtime. Proactive maintenance helps ensure all the vehicle’s critical systems are in good working condition, increasing uptime and getting loads where they need to be on time.

In addition to a loss of revenue from unplanned downtime, a breakdown could result in property damage, spoilage of perishable items, towing costs, the fees of transporting a new truck to the driver, and potential DOT fines. Add it all up, and these unplanned costs more than justify the cost of proactive maintenance. The price of a breakdown goes way beyond the price of the repair.

Labor is another cost to consider. The commercial vehicle industry is experiencing a shortage of technicians, so optimizing their productivity and work-life balance has never been more critical. Preventative maintenance allows shops to schedule and stagger work, averting service bottlenecks and overworked technicians. Maintenance procedures are often less complicated than repairs and are preferred by the tech and shop management. The wheel end is one of the most essential systems on a commercial vehicle, with several components critical to the safe and efficient operation of the asset. When left unserviced, a wheel end failure can lead to a catastrophic event, such as wheel offs.

Improve proactive maintenance with ConMet Aftermarket PreSet® Hub Assemblies
Service often requires rebuilding the hub by manually replacing and adjusting hub components. Alternatively, replacing the hub with a ConMet Aftermarket PreSet Hub Assembly saves time, cost, and complexity.

PreSet Hub Assemblies reduce the service complexity associated with rebuilding the hub. Operators simply slide the self-piloting, pre-assembled hub onto the spindle, and torque the retaining spindle nut to the correct value. Because ConMet’s precision bearings are pre-adjusted at the factory, and designed to maintain clamp load, there’s little opportunity for error in this process. Plus, a tech can replace four hubs in about as much time as it takes to rebuild one, so the vehicle is back in service quicker.

ConMet Aftermarket PreSet Hub Assemblies are available nationally through local stocking dealers or distributors throughout North America. They carry an industry-leading, five-year limited warranty, when using ConMet’s PreSet Plus spindle nut, so hubs can be installed with confidence, knowing they are covered down to the smallest component.

Unlock richer maintenance insights with telematics
Preventative maintenance intervals determined by mileage alone could leave gaps in a proactive maintenance plan. Especially as vehicles age and become much more likely to require service between mileage intervals. Additionally, the older a vehicle gets, the harder it can become to decipher between normal wear and tear and actual service needs. For example, hard-to-remove grime buildup can make visual pre- and post-trip inspections less effective. An abnormality could go unseen, potentially leading to failure.

In the face of these challenges, fleets can turn to new ways of viewing the health of assets. Telematics can empower fleets to make more informed maintenance decisions. Rather than relying only on mile-based maintenance, sensors can detect anomalies and provide drivers, dispatch, and fleet maintenance managers with critical information needed to take immediate corrective action. This enhanced visibility is most important for equipment and components that can cause the highest rate of roadside downtime and asset allocation. ConMet Digital’s suite of products covers a wide array of telematics, such as real-time GPS location, individual tire pressure, tire condition, airline connection and pressure, load distribution, and wheel end health.

Enjoy peace of mind
There is no question that the benefits of a preventative maintenance program justify the investment. Staying on top of the health of a vehicle saves more than time and money; it ensures the satisfaction of drivers, technicians, and customers.

Learn more about Aftermarket PreSet® Hub Assemblies and SmartHub Assemblies at ConMet Aftermarket and telematics at ConMet Digital

VANCOUVER, WA | by Brian Rieger, Vice President of North American Sales