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.

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.

TASKS

Task 1.  Conduct a literature review and synthesis of completed and active research and industry documentation establishing core equipment technician requirements, technician requirements and skill bases, and technician assignment methodologies. 

Task 2.  Conduct outreach to managers and leadership from state DOTs and other public and private entities with fleet management responsibilities to determine factors, constraints, and data that influence staffing decisions. Collect examples of tools, methods, and processes in use today by these organizations, obtain information on the strengths and weaknesses of these methods, and identify remaining needs or challenges that could be addressed by this research.

Task 3. Complete an analysis of the data collected in Tasks 1 and 2 to document the state-of-practice within state DOT and related industries. This document should be written to explain what gaps in knowledge and specific technical challenges remain that could be addressed by the products of this research. It should also provide examples of and discuss successful methods used by DOTs and other organizations to assign technicians to specific fleet repair and maintenance tasks.

Task 4. Building on the data collected and lessons learned in previous tasks, develop a proposed methodology for assigning maintenance staffing in consideration of the factors, constraints, and other needs identified in previous tasks. Document this methodology in a technical memorandum that clearly defines the factors and assumptions within the methodology.

Task 5. Prepare an interim report of the process used and information collected in Tasks 1-4. The interim report shall include a description and prototype of the interactive tool anticipated as the primary product of this research project. A plan for the development and testing of the tool in Task 6 shall be submitted with the interim report and discussed during the interim meeting.

Task 6.  Develop an interactive tool (using Microsoft Excel or another widely available software) that will inform technician staffing levels for different vehicle fleets. The tool should be submitted at least 6 months prior to the end of the contract and tested or otherwise evaluated for its effectiveness in a variety of applications.

Task 7. Develop the final deliverables, at a minimum to 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: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP.  The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.