vehicles to technician ratio

Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be able to lift and move heavy equipment, tools, and parts without risking injury. This is where the bulk of the calculators work takes place. Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets. However, there was significant variation across agencies in regards to most variables examined. 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. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with diagnostic equipment to find the source of malfunctions. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each states websites where these data may be retrieved. EDSI Consulting prepared this report under TCRP Project E-10. Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians repair and perform scheduled maintenance on aircraft. Utilizing vehicle equivalency units means adding up how many sedans and sedan equivalencies an agency has, in order to determine how many mechanics need to be hired. The type of fleet business you are in effects this number greatly. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was distributed as follows: The largest employers of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians were as follows: Although many service technicians work indoors in repair shops, some service technicians travel to worksites to make repairs because it is often too expensive to transport heavy or mobile equipment to a shop. %%EOF Fleet managers need the flexibility to justify their staffing needs as their specific fleet requires, making proper adjustments as needed., Your email address will not be published. Recalls, in the fleet world today, are at an all-time high; cost containment is always a concern as vehicles and equipment possess far more technology than ever before. Farm equipment mechanics work varies by time of the year. 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. Save Your Own. To answer the question of vehicles to technicians ratios, I suggest that you look at previous averages, set a goal so at the end of the day you can perform like a leasing company, which is lean, not so mean, and efficient. The calculator was created by first analyzing fleet and staffing information from the 2010 National Transit Database (NTD). The report also provides an analysis of variables that influence maintenance technician staffing needs.STATUS: Completed. This question can be answered by sampling repair task times against industry labor guides (ALLDATA or Mitchell On-Demand) and/or internally established time standards. . The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings. Related: Fleet Management Lessons From the Private Sector. Automotive body and glass repairers restore, refinish, and replace vehicle bodies and frames, windshields, and window glass. If past efficiency performance is close to industry standards, a fleet manager can be confident the fleets historical labor data accurately reflects labor demand. Sometimes the tech has to drive two hours to swap drivers because he has run out of hours. Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education. SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics, Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians, Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines. Rail car repairers specialize in servicing railroad locomotives, subway cars, and other rolling stock. (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. 0 shared use or take-home vehicles). Advanced Member, Brad Barker Additional troubleshooting information here. Speed rating. . Take a look at how Geotabs data-centeric conference makes the OEM connection. Some rail car repairers should continue to be needed to service trains used for freight shipping and transportation, as well as for public transportation. Bookmarked content can then be accessed anytime on all of your logged in devices! The average Automotive Technician salary in the United States is $53,639 as of January 26, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $45,872 and $61,344. Women were 21.1% of automobile dealers and 9.0% of automotive repair and maintenance employees. The average number of labor hours each type of asset in the fleet consumes (i.e., labor demand). The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. stream While mechanics are typically paid for 2,080 hours per year, exclusive of overtime (52 weeks x 40 hours per week), they are clearly not available to work on vehicles this number of hours. Dexterity. For example, he noted that all technicians and mechanics are not equal when it comes to their experience and ability to work at a standard pace. What is the tread depth, are there recaps, what is the damage? The .gov means it's official. They ensure the performance and safety of fuel lines, brakes, and other systems. It is true that costs are going through the roof, and that there are dealership backlogs. High school courses in automotive repair, electronics, physics, and welding provide a strong foundation for a service technicians career. Generally, more experienced service technicians specialize in field service. Doing this may involve disassembling and reassembling major equipment or making adjustments through an onboard computer program. The automated truck conversation expands beyond the technology and into business reality. Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets, 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. The report also documents the research teams development of an MS Excel-based Maintenance Staffing Calculator, a tool for managers of transit agencies of any size to use in estimating the optimal number of bus maintenance staff to meet current maintenance needs. Technician A says that the CVT shifts from gear-to-gear, up and down, as needed to maintain optimal speed and torque. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. Fueling: who fuels the trucks, and who puts DEF in the trucks? Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians with similar occupations. /Contents 4 0 R>> Ideally, the calculated levels should match the actual levels. Technician A only b. Modeling the effects on staffing levels of possible changes in maintenance policy - By changing the data on routine maintenance practices, agencies can what effect these policies have on staffing. (937) 290-0529 info@crashcoursevillage.org. Tech Want to read all 59 pages? After identifying malfunctioning equipment, service technicians repair, replace, and recalibrate components such as hydraulic pumps and spark plugs. Technician B only c. Both Technicians A and B d. Neither Technician A nor B When leasing companies quote numbers, which are normally are very attractive, it does not include all the little extras technicians may be asked to do. Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians held about 223,000 jobs in 2021. 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. Technician B says the ratio is 3.86:1. The table below provides an example calculation. In these cases it might be a good idea to perform separate analyses for each location. This graphic shows the share of Automotive service technicians & mechanics employed by various industries. They usually work for railroads, public and private transit companies, and railcar manufacturers. endobj (2016). 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). At the end of the day, the ideal is the fewest techs, a simplified program with no complicated proceduresand no delays related to busy work. In addition, equipment should not be over-maintained, such technicians being taken off maintenance to do: Yard checks; snow plowing; cutting the grass; polishing my boat; washing someones car; or other non-essential tasks that take away from the maintenance jobs at hand. Related Articles Debating the merits of ethanol Why isnt a trucks appearance part of the PM process? VEUS EXAMPLES Each sedan represents 1 VEU. endobj On the demand side, outsourcing practices are probably the most important factor. /Contents 6 0 R>> The Similar Occupations tab describes occupations that share similar duties, skills, interests, education, or training with the occupation covered in the profile. $64 - $400. 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. MY IDEA HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO BE ROCKET SCIENTIEST, JUST HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE AND BE WILLING TO LEARN. Less. Senior Member, thomasvista2012 Mall, K., & Sekera, J. The projected percent change in employment from 2021 to 2031. 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. They must often disassemble major parts for repairs and be able to reassemble them. Tech b C. Both techs D. Neither C A transfer case is extremely noisy and all selections except neutral whenever the vehicle is moving. 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. wsauer3481 Buses used to be relatively simple, so a bus-to-mechanic ratio was sufficient to determine if a transit agency had enough staff to maintain its fleet. A pneumatic tool, such as an impact wrench, is a tool powered by compressed air. The historical demand for labor can be determined by reviewing the previous few years of maintenance records. Bookmark +. Fleet age is another important factor. As such, the results of the calculator should be considered to reflect broad comparisons rather than objectively correct staffing levels. Black women: 6.2%. 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 sheet compares an agencys existing staffing levels to that of peer agencies. Once the demand and supply of labor is known, mechanic staffing requirements can be calculated. The average hourly pay for an Automotive Technician is $19.19. Small engine mechanics inspect, service, and repair motorized power equipment. Because vehicle and equipment technology is increasingly sophisticated and computerized, some employers prefer to hire service technicians who have completed a training program at a postsecondary institution. The results of the existing, calculated necessary, and revised staff levels are compared side to side. The State and Area Data tab provides links to state and area occupational data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, state projections data from Projections Central, and occupational information from the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Service, repair and fault diagnostics work on all vehicles. Top Member, largebus endobj Most Likely Range. Another calculation includes maintenance and repair units, which involves comparing requirements of one vehicle group to another vehicle category. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face. The effect on labour profits is then: Labour sales. Over the past three years, OEMs have invested heavily in driver-focused equipment benefitsfrom cozy creature comforts to uptime- and productivity-boosting technology. The table below provides an example calculation. Profit Sharing. Latinas: 3.1%. The first round of interviews was extremely detailed and covered agency profiles and service data, profiles of maintenance facilities, fleet inventories, maintenance times and requirements, maintenance workforce roles, and training practices. A major issue that must be confronted at this point is if historical averages are reasonable, i.e., have mechanics been efficient in the past? QBU\~Rp4c1QHsKI:C6u+~uT*3d=9KV*LihZ/HyIX\:c5@~`%V/D@0(]'G^f7|BJ^_3M_OW Q^h;y5+jSdPA6)07HHltD3)IA33Z8W. TU3(')C%Yyi0}J o(sC%/$ =-LumbWe B3u+sapEL2)ehZ=Y8m(TJD_f>`u0%&X;ZhMKaHm,(B- lC]:@6,@$n$[`w'XQ%fxavt7IWu-gX0m5Uzbasr `?o='R#Ip; 40G3k\x1)G %]D=Mu8',GL+. Performance & security by Cloudflare. An old fleet obviously requires more labor to keep in service than a brand new one. Centuri Construction Groups fleet of more than 7,000 units tries to be predictive in nature to its maintenance and repair needs. 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. <> 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. vehicles to technician ratiodo doctors get pay for refills on prescriptions vehicles to technician ratio vehicles to technician ratio Navigation. Published as TCRP Report 184. 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. 663 0 obj <> endobj This lack of reporting has consequences for both the accuracy of historical repair records and for cost recovery when a charge-back system is in place. The average salary for a Automotive Technician is $24.11 per hour in United States. 8 "r.qEp92e,JY0gnT6Hdgq=~6E>=|hvOgoYPl QItc[ B`2=^Fa OrBvxvWfPK@ .c@(p m ?Q\ Comparing staffing levels to peer agencies - The tools main value lies in its ability to benchmark agency performance against other agencies of similar size. Methodology Although the whole idea of VEUs was first created by the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s, the idea is becoming more utilized by both the private and public sectors. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. About 23,900 openings for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. We respect your data and privacy. Many public transit buses are in service well beyond the FTA minimum requirement of 12 years, 500,000 miles. They often lift heavy parts and tools, handle greasy and dirty equipment, and stand or lie in uncomfortable positions. In the private sector a lengthy delay can mean success or failure on the job, which ultimately impacts customer relationships. This could indicate an expired SSL certificate or a certificate that does not include the requested domain name. The median annual wage for heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians was $53,770 in May 2021. 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. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code. The data is broken down into statistics like vehicles maintained per technician, FTE technicians per vehicle, and annual maintenance hours per 10,000 vehicle miles. Technician A says that the output gear will be going faster than the input gear. The Virtual Vehicle platform, which Platform Science says is designed to provide fleets with a range of benefits including productivity, flexibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness, will be integrated into Kenworth's trucks to enhance the overall performance and efficiency of the vehicles. Now you can be a part of it! Asian women: 1.7%. November 9, 2009 Water transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. This page was last edited 21:23, 15 June 2017 by. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Once the demand and supply of labor is known, mechanic staffing requirements can be calculated. Technician B says that the CVT does not shift but continuously varies the gear ratio as needed to maintain optimal speed and torque. (2016). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To investigate these discrepancies, the research team conducted two rounds of interviews with transit agencies. Here is how you know. This tab can include information on education, training, work experience, licensing and certification, and important qualities that are required or helpful for entering or working in the occupation. It contains annual hours needed for core maintenance like preventative inspections and brake relines, as well as unscheduled maintenance. Information provided by Randy Owen. /Length 4010 >> 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. Join Our List. 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. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. Technician a says that the pressure should never exceed the maximum pressure imprinted on the sidewall of the tire. Most heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians have a high school diploma or equivalent. Your IP: Technician A says that the gear ratios of both differentials are the same in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This subject of mechanic-to-fleet ratio and related issues sparks a real interest and concern. Which technician is correct? There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. Diesel service technicians and mechanics inspect, repair, and overhaul buses, trucks, or any vehicle with a diesel engine. endstream Hours Invoiced / Hours Worked = X Goal: Greater than 1. Agricultural production requires the use of increasingly complex and sophisticated software-driven farm equipment, which is expected to create demand for farm equipment mechanics and service technicians to maintain the equipment and to train customers in its use. Benchmarking fleet age is complicated because fleet composition must be considered. If someone determines that the body count is too high, you may be asked to defend your staff. The results of this research provides a resource to help maintenance managers evaluate staffing requirements to maintain an aging, high-mileage fleet or to transition into new technology hybrid or battery-powered engines. Top Certifications Salary Job openings . Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems and know how they interact with each other. This leads to unexpected failures and expensive downtime. Service technicians also use many different power and machine tools, including pneumatic wrenches, lathes, and welding equipment. New Vehicle Tech. Wafler's system, which he uses through BLIG, looks at the bay-to-technician ratio of a shop and how that can be used to find its maximum production and efficiency. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH. The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs held in the occupation and describes the workplace, the level of physical activity expected, and typical hours worked. Additional troubleshooting information here. 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. If this value is less than 1, your shop is losing money because the actual time it takes to repair a vehicle is not being invoiced properly on a regular basis. Common workplace injuries include small cuts, sprains, and bruises. Thursday, September 8, 2022. In this example, the labor demand is 10.3 mechanics (14,950 total annual demand for labor hours divided by 1,456 average labor hours available per mechanic.) Labor supply is 10. Several factors impact the calculations of labor demand and supply. Excludes "Automotive Body and Related Repairers" (49-3021), "Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists" (49-3031), and "Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles" (49-2096). With new labor-intensive engines, various fuel types, highly sophisticated electronics, and an increase in preventive maintenance frequencies, many maintenance managers realize they need to hire additional staff. Most work for governments, equipment rental and leasing shops, and large construction and mining companies. In total, more than 60 agencies of varying size were surveyed. Dayton, Ohio. Mechanical skills. Over 100 electric Blue Bird school buses have Five time-saving apps for tech-savvy fleets. What kind of outsource work couldnt be achieved by regular fleet staff ? Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians, What we used to accept as reasonable ratios no longer applies. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation. endobj If we drop the gear ratio to 3:1, however, the driveshaft only has to spin at 6150RPM. 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. Administrator, Diesel3446 Owen added that outsourcing 1020 percent should be included in calculations of staffing needs. Performs a variety of assignments such as replacement of failed parts or equipment, test, operation and maintenance of . Holidays, vacation, sick days as well as other leave time must be deducted to arrive at the number of hours a mechanic is actually at work and available for productive work. Please enable javascript to play this video. It also includes average hours spent on follow-up repairs. This technique establishes a relative measure that allows evaluating and comparing staffing needs between fleets of dissimilar composition. About the Author: Randy Owen is senior vice president of Mercury Associates Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. Kenworth and Platform Science join forces to optimize fleet operations with integrated trucks and telematics. Training sessions may focus on particular components and technologies or particular types of equipment. Required fields are marked *. The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2021 to 2031. Perhaps you would be willing to write an article about it. Farm equipment mechanics and service techs frequently work with heavy parts and tools. Then, additional hours must be deducted to account for time a mechanic is at work, but occupied with activities other than turning wrenches such as meetings, training, shop cleanup, etc. Change is coming to U.S. energy policies Tim joined Babcox Media in 1990 and spent 31. I have experienced both challenges and benefits regarding the utilization of the VEU model to justify maintenance and repair staffing needs, said Fay. The result of this calculation for all mechanics is the number of productive hours a fleet has available. hbbd``b`6 +3`c$A NqgXf dU@ #F> GM Vehicles +25.86% salary.

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