Last month in the Fleet e-news we wrote about the importance of a common language in fleet management and we looked at the IPWEA Fleet Asset Classification system.

A common basis for communication is fundamental in all professions. So why not fleet management? Common terminology provides a consistent way of expressing our business. If we want to be able to efficiently and effectively benchmark between fleets, specify requirements, record data and analyse performance, we need to use consistent terminology.

Beyond asset classification, we also need to use a common language to describe our maintenance activity. We need to describe:

• Why the maintenance activity is required
• The type of maintenance undertaken (e.g. scheduled or unscheduled)
• The defective area of the asset
• Remediation undertaken
• The cause of the problem

If the capture of this data is not codified and structured, then the data recorded will be variable and will depend on the skill and diligence of the person recording it. By capturing fault and repair information in a structured, concise and consistent way we can analyse the data and better understand the cost drivers and failure points of our fleet.

Did you know?

IPWEA FLEET has a Fleet Maintenance Classification system. This is available, at no charge, from the Fleet Resources page on our website for all IPWEA FLEET subscribers. The Fleet Maintenance classification system provides a broad range of standard terms to describe maintenance cause, type and remediation. By picking a standard term from a series of lists, a precise and searchable description of the maintenance and its completion or remediation is recorded.

The Fleet Maintenance Classification System can be a useful resource when implementing a new Fleet Management Information System or when tidying up current data. By applying these classifications you’ll implement a system for the consistent recording of data and be able to compare apples-for-apples with other fleets.