BACKGROUND: State highway agency equipment fleet assets are vital to the delivery of agency programs, projects, and services. These fleets represent a significant capital investment and require recurring maintenance, operational expenditures, and timely replacement to achieve the desired level of performance, reliability, and economy. A variety of practices have been used by highway agencies for deciding on the replacement cycles of highway operation equipment. However, there is no widely accepted process for determining optimal replacement cycles. There is a need to identify current practices, review relevant information, and develop rational processes that will provide a realistic means for determining optimal replacement cycles. A Guide for Optimal Replacement Cycles of Highway Operations Equipment can then be prepared to facilitate use of these processes. Such a guide will help highway equipment managers and administrators with the task of equipment replacement.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a Guide for Optimal Replacement Cycles of Highway Operations Equipment. The guide shall include processes and tools for consideration in making decisions regarding the optimal replacement cycles of on- and off-road highway operations equipment used by state highway agencies.
