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I o achieve the most
<br />accurate insight into the
<br />wear -and -tear on a vehi-
<br />cle, fleet managers need
<br />to review all performance
<br />measurements.
<br />BY LAUREN FLETCHER
<br />ensuring medium -duty ruckpi
<br />marechelps fleets eKectivelyman-
<br />age vehicle replacement strategies,
<br />establish optimal preventive main-
<br />tenance schedules, identifyvehide
<br />ublvation. and calculate a fleet's to-
<br />tal cos, ofownership. However, many (right-
<br />ly) contend that mileage is not a true indica-
<br />f orof ecmal vehicle wear -and -tear.
<br />"There are several ways to measure per
<br />tornsaite..blileage continues to be popular,
<br />bit, because ofthe variety always trucks are
<br />used, fleets and owners may w ant in consider
<br />other effntive means ofperformance mea-
<br />surement, such as hours ofengine opera -
<br />from or the gallons offuel cou sumed; said
<br />Joe Korn, senior analyst for ARI.
<br />Tracking engine hours se. miles drive,
<br />is not a rew concept. We all know the ben-
<br />efit of using mileage as a performance met-
<br />ric Slam fleets operate under a specific year
<br />of mileage replacement policy. So, are hours
<br />an hnpm ant meh'ic for measuring medium
<br />-
<br />duty truck performance?
<br />Measuring Performance
<br />"As an engine idles, the wear to consume
<br />Both mileage calculations and hours are
<br />important to get a complete view of a
<br />trucks wear -and -tear
<br />. Hours are utemled to monitor engine
<br />maintenance scheduling.
<br />. Mlles as typically best for chassis.
<br />suspension. and driveline components,
<br />iniMedium-Drty
<br />Many bucks Verner, a Inrger amount of work a
<br />idle, or at lower spinus, .owing the benefit e
<br />e,ing hours a. a Patlnrmai a measurementh
<br />one gallon of fuel is equal to driving up to 30
<br />nr➢es. In these situations, it is more effective
<br />to schedule future vehicle replacements or
<br />measure lifecycle costs based on the hours
<br />of engine operation or the amount of fuel
<br />burned over period of time," (Corn said.
<br />The main benefit of measuring certain
<br />factors by hour is using an alternative meth-
<br />od to analyze the fleet. "Eiren for delivery
<br />fleets, the miles will vary greatly across dif-
<br />ferent regions, and, in many cases, the high-
<br />est cents -per -mile (CPM) locations are often
<br />New Yorl-City, explained Collin Reid truck
<br />strategic consulh,d for GE Capital Fleet S a -
<br />vices. "Cast per Lour gives fleet analysts an
<br />understanding of the locations and trucks
<br />I net are costing more than the benchmark"
<br />Ruu Kooken, director of business devel-
<br />opment and an account executive for PHH
<br />n, val. agreed ,'Measuring certain factors by
<br />Sours seems miles reebiea a fleet manager
<br />G, get a more accurate insight into the wear -
<br />and -tear on avehicle and plan PM accord-
<br />ingly, he said. "For example, certain medi-
<br />um -duty bucks have special applications
<br />that may require thevehide to be running —
<br />suih as those equipped with PTO. These re-
<br />quire e,nstant charging of the battery to op-
<br />erate and accrue more time idling that won't
<br />show up as mileage or utilization."
<br />The installation of telematics devices on
<br />company vehicles began tracking hours vs.
<br />actual miles driven. This was a key Writing
<br />point in the hours versus miles debate, as it
<br />provided fleets an easier way to track hours,
<br />rather than simply trusting adriver's log.
<br />Idlii,g- whichcainetitheforefront
<br />thanks to telematics —is one of the main f ri
<br />tors that canbe analyzed byhoursys. miles.
<br />"Mary medium elm , ick application,
<br />perform a larger all our fb,eft .,,rka
<br />idle, mlower speeds, thmr•ither pa'sengs
<br />vehides ,rover -the -road rucks, and then
<br />fore will typically have low miles, but high-
<br />er-thanmorniahoursi,., mil:",snlair i
<br />Brian Tsi it, c,Ws eflnadreling Jnr Isuzu
<br />Cornmercia[T-1,1k.fMu wei, jC
<br />Idling in a modern -dory h :eP'ehi� . .,
<br />use up to , half-;- 4nn ut had her hour.•,.
<br />cordingr,u ww�,,^si, ro, n..z,,
<br />`Idling is one of -he-, lin reasons i fleet
<br />manager would want to eradchours u t,,J
<br />a callai e; said Kooken of PHH Arval" rake
<br />an electric company track, for example. Thai
<br />vehicle idles for hours each day while th
<br />vane is up. Mileage isti t being recorded dur
<br />Ing this time, but one hmr ofidlfng is equal
<br />to 25-30 miles of driving. That usage needy
<br />to be properly accounted."
<br />Idling and PTO operation amnotIdeal mm
<br />ditions for some vehicle systems. 'The die
<br />sel oxidation catalyst is less likely to achieve
<br />temperatures high enough to perform opti-
<br />mal regenerations. More manual regener-
<br />ation is required when the operating tent
<br />-
<br />perature is lower than a typical duty cycle;
<br />32 WORKTRUCK I JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 Altachmentrurnta n
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