may2022 - 12

equipment at Hub Group. " Another way to look at
it: Operating a shop can be cost-effective, because
that decision affects total cost of ownership. "
Hub Group, headquartered in Oak Brook,
Illinois, provides regional, dedicated, and intermodal
services with a fleet of 3,000 power units,
6,000 pieces of trailing equipment, and 45,000
intermodal containers. While the company operates
from 60 locations, it only has six shops, located
in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia,
including some with mobile service trucks. A large
amount of its maintenance needs are met by dealers
and independent tire and service providers.
Keeping maintenance work in-house is a costreduction
strategy and a means of improving
vehicle utilization, Mead noted. However, there
are the considerations that have to be balanced
against shop capabilities and investment needs.
For example, Mead suggested to ask if the maintenance
organization has the expertise and tools
on hand? Does it make sense to tie up people and
bays for certain types of repairs when the goal is
to keep vehicles moving through the shop? There is
also the question of technician availability, which
is increasingly difficult, and the growing need for
training and certification.
2018
» " Outsourcing takes the burden of recruiting, training, and retaining technicians off [a fleet's]
plate, " said Mike Dickinson, VP of sales for Cox Automotive Mobility Fleet Services.
Photo: Cox Automotive Mobility Fleet Services
Where is maintenance conducted?
49%
46%
43%
40%
40%
36%
33%
24%
20%
17%
18%
34%
Outsourced
In-house
2019 2020
2021
" TMC offers guidelines on how to calculate
things like the number of bays and technicians
you'd need based on equipment density, " Mead
said. " But the real test of success about outsourcing
and in-house maintenance comes from determining
the quality of your programs. Measurements
of things like the number of repairs between PMs
and repeat failures present a true scorecard you
can use to make the right choices. "
» Cox Automotive
acquired Dickinson
Fleet Services to
expand the reach of its
mobile maintenance
business.
Photo: Cox Automotive
Mobility Fleet Services
Combination
Source: NPTC 2021 Benchmarking Survey Report
Calculating in-house vs.
outsourced services
Capacity is measured by the number of in-house
technicians in relation to the size of your fleet
to ensure you have the right balance, related
Eric Woltz, garage management system liaison
at Holman, parent of vehicle fleet management
company ARI. Capability is measured as the
expertise and training to work on the entire range
of vehicles in your fleet.
" More often than not, infrastructure is the
biggest challenge for fleets, from the facility
itself to the necessary equipment, tools, parts,
and software needed to run an efficient in-house
operation, " Woltz said. " When you outsource your
maintenance to an external facility, you're able to
12 Fleet Maintenance | May 2022

may2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2022