From Bay to Boardroom
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The job of a fleet maintenance manager comes with many day-to-day challenges. These roles are in charge of a department that accounts for a major segment of a trucking company’s total operating costs. There are several hats to wear while keeping tabs on a team of technicians and the status of various pieces of equipment in the shop.
“The operational costs of trucking, repairs, maintenance, power, fuel and equipment costs make up 51% of the total marginal operating cost,” said Amanda Schuier, strategic maintenance director for Jetco Delivery. “So, when we talk to our C-suite leaders, they want to know all about this 51%. This 51% accounts for huge portions of how the trucking company spends [its] money.”
Handling this efficiently is a skill set of its own, but the practice of communicating these processes to top-level executives can be another battle altogether.
“There’s more people coming into the maintenance manager role that are still technically new in the managerial role,” said Robert Ford, director of maintenance for . “So, with that comes a new skill set, and it can present variables for that maintenance manager who communicates to procedure-level management and executives.”
Venture Logistics' Robert Ford says new maintenance managers bring new skill sets to the position, which can present variables for that manager who communicates processes and procedures to upper-level management. (Venture Logistics)
Maintenance leaders are technically savvy and typically well-versed in shop talk, but sometimes less so in the language of business management, especially when communicating complex topics to a nontechnical audience.
Every Strategy Is Different
“It’s important to know your audience,” said Shane Barnes, vice president of maintenance at PAM Transport, which ranks No. 62 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. “I think every strategy might have a different communication style, depending on what you’re writing and what you’re discussing.”
Greg Hodgen of Groendyke Transport says understanding what the maintenance team is telling him and what methods are available are crucial to open communication. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
Greg Hodgen, CEO of bulk carrier noted that building trust and credibility through transparent communication helps both parties demonstrate accountability and deliver on promises.
“Being able to understand what a maintenance team is telling me is important, and understanding the kind of methods that are available to you,” he said. “Learning what they can do for you is really critical.”
Curiosity Is a Good Thing
Hodgen added that curiosity plays a critical role.
“I’m a curious person, and I want to hear people in response say, ‘How do we keep getting better at what we do? How can we innovate?’ ” he said.
However, in those conversations, there is still a need to tailor communication styles and presentations to the intended audience, providing high-level summaries first before delving into technical details, said , vice president of finance at trucking firm TransLand.
“You have to be able to adapt to the audience as well as the topic,” he said. “There are going to be some topics that you have to communicate very differently.”
TransLand's Greg Sutton ” Sutton considers truck-to-technician ratios and other metrics to see if there is an increase in outside maintenance costs. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
Sutton explained that it’s much more than a “just give me the numbers” type of conversation.
“I encourage people keep the topic up front, summarize the story, then build how much depth is needed based upon the conversation and communication that’s going on,” he said, adding that one of the biggest challenges in fleet maintenance occurs when the conversations are geared toward technician development and investment.
Know What the Numbers Mean
“One of the good things that I’ve been trying to do up front when we’re talking about expanding staff at a position or a location is looking at how much we spend outside,” Sutton explained, noting that he considers truck-to-technician ratios and other metrics to see if there’s an increase in outside maintenance costs. From there, he said, it’s time to ask more questions.
“Are we outsourcing jobs that we’re not capable of doing in-house because we haven’t done the training we should do?” Sutton asked. “Are we outsourcing those in front of a manpower shortage?”
Another aspect to the manager- executive dynamic is presenting new ideas and concepts, said Joe Phillips, vice president of fleet maintenance and equipment for .
Managing expectations can be part of the communication process. "First, you have to come in prepared to have a plan that is going to be turned down," says Eagle Transport's Joe Phillips. (Eagle Transport Corp.)
“First, you have to come in prepared to have a plan that is going to be turned down,” he said about managing expectations. “Maybe it’s because of expenses or they are going in a different direction.”
Although a maintenance manager may have a good plan, it often comes down to the delivery, Phillips said.
“You know it’s not going to turn out to be a bad idea, but you didn’t present it properly,” he said. “It just doesn’t fit the priorities or maybe the cost of it is going to be ridiculous.”
Proper Presentation Pays Off
To overcome that situation, executives and managers must effectively communicate the return on investment associated with any endeavor and get everyone involved on board with the suggested processes, Phillips said.
Sutton urged maintenance leaders to have an intended purpose when interacting with the C-suite.
“You have to be careful how to word your strategies,” he said. “Don’t assume that your plan will receive an automatic ‘yes.’ ”
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In efforts to improve and support decision-making, some fleets have leveraged data and metrics by exploring the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to enhance analysis and benchmarking.
Hodgen said he personally is using AI to learn more about what it can do for Groendyke Transport.
“I’m thinking of AI automating tasks and coordinating information. I’m thinking of something simple like data around uptime or contract information,” he said. “AI can help us pull that together and then pull the data through.”
Maintenance managers serve as an important bridge between the shop floor and C-suite, Hodgen said. This means they must effectively communicate challenges, ideas and the impact of decisions.
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“Don’t go to the C-suite to want something,” he warned. “Find a way to tell them how important your team and issue is … as they see it.”
Phillips said it is important for maintenance managers and top executives to have a clear understanding of each other’s roles as well as their intentions for the business.
“As I think of communication, I remember something my dad told me a hundred years ago. It feels like it could be used now,” he said. “The guy who knows how will always have a job. … The guy who knows why will always be the boss. This is very important, and it is a way to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
