Transit agency automates maintenance program

Many experts predict that in the not-too-distant future, most cities and counties in the nation will conduct their entire fleet management, maintenance, inventory, job orders, billing and other fleet-related transactions online. For the Jacksonville (Fla.) Transportation Authority (JTA), which has 185 buses, an electric skyway commuter train and various cars, trucks and construction equipment in its fleet, the future is now.

About three years ago, JTA went live with its high-tech fleet maintenance operation, which for the first time automated all maintenance functions and linked them by computer with the finance department.

Today, JTA has online access to detailed equipment maintenance history (including parts, labor and commercial repairs), equipment fuel usage history (including monthly, yearly and life-to-date elapsed meter and quantity used), equipment cost and quantity history and up-to-the-minute inventory data.

Practically every aspect of the authority’s maintenance, purchasing and inventory was manual before the system was installed. A 24-hour maintenance operation handling 40 to 60 vehicles per day made for reams of paperwork.

Staff used volumes of materials requisition forms to keep track of parts and labor. The forms were then forwarded to the finance department, where an operator had to key in the data.

Then, if the maintenance department wanted a particular report, it had to submit another form to the finance department. Depending on whether a standard or customized report was needed, it could take up to three weeks to fulfill the request.

Now, the speed and accuracy of the new system have made JTA much more efficient in its operations. For example, the scheduled maintenance feature automatically slates equipment for repairs and maintenance according to a preset elapsed meter reading. This removes from supervisors the burden of tracking which buses need to be pulled from service for routine maintenance. Supervisors can also use the system to track other types of repairs and information, such as time spent by mechanics.

JTA’s inventory job order program is also online, providing reports that would be practically impossible to create without a computer. Old vehicle parts such as alternators are often restored or rebuilt so that they may be used again. Rebuilding expenses are recorded so JTA can compare them with the cost of purchasing new parts.