BACKGROUND

State departments of transportation (DOTs) routinely employ fleet maintenance technicians with a variety of technical backgrounds and skill levels to perform maintenance and repairs on agency fleets. State DOTs use a combination of in-house technicians, out-sourced repair shops, and equipment operators to perform specific functions. Allocations of staff assignments typically use formulas that consider common factors such as financial constraints, fleet age and condition, fleet equipment class mix, and the availability of adequately trained and credentialed technicians to complete the work. 

As highway maintenance equipment fleet technology evolves, the tools and methods used to assign maintenance technician staffing must also evolve. Rapidly aging fleets are creating new repair and maintenance challenges, and state DOTs are having difficulty hiring and retaining qualified fleet technicians. Vehicle fleets operated by state DOTs have become more complex and require specific technical expertise to maintain. As a result, previous methods to reach an optimal ratio of maintenance staff to fleet size are no longer effective. Research is needed to identify effective methods for optimizing the assignment of technicians to efficiently maintain state DOT fleets that reflect the evolution of the vehicle fleet technology and the skills required to keep the fleets in a good state of repair.  

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop an interactive tool that projects technician labor needs and assigns the technicians required to efficiently maintain vehicle fleets. To the extent practicable, the tool should address technician needs for repairs and maintenance activities using a standardized ratio, methodology, or formula that will guide the quantity, type, and source of staff assignments for specific fleet maintenance needs.

The tool should be applicable to any state DOT, regardless of the specific needs and conditions of the local context. A manual providing instruction on the application of the tool in decision-making should be developed to enable application and adaptation as vehicle fleet technologies and maintenance techniques evolve.

The final deliverables, at a minimum will include:

• A final report that documents the conduct of research;
• An interactive tool with a manual to guide agencies in the allocation of staff to fleet maintenance; and
• A stand-alone technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products".

STATUS: Project contract underway as of September 3, 2024.