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i <br /> h <br /> MAINTENANCE FOR PROFIT <br /> y think you need a shop full of mas- "That And if a technician is fumbling <br /> ter technicians," he says. "You gives the foreman the opportunity he's not getting drat n-uck back out <br /> need good basic mechanics. to do real-time training, instead of on the road where it's making <br /> "The best training in the world letting the guy fumble for t<vo money. Good training, bode formal <br /> N gets dissolved from lack of use," hours before he figures out he has and everyday, can help get that <br /> he says: Everybody wants.engine no clue what he's doing." <br /> b truck back on the road faster. ~ <br /> training, he says, but in reality, <br /> because of warranty issues, at <br /> most fleets, the majority of engine <br /> work is done at the dealership ~ <br /> <br /> ti ~ <br /> level. So train on what technicians - { ~ ~ <br /> face in your shop. ~ ~ ~ 6 <br /> Stuart says in his experience, a <br /> 1 <br /> good place to start your training <br /> program is with preventive main- <br /> i <br /> tenance, electrical~electronics, and I ~ ~ ' _ ; <br /> air conditioning and refrigeration. <br /> "Electricity will kill ' ~ ' ~ <br /> the truck the <br /> easiest - it won't start, or won't _ <br /> charge, or there's a problem with <br /> I I a ~ I ~ ~ <br /> the electronics in the engine. But <br /> • n ~ I , ~ ~ <br /> the average technician is afraid of ° ~ ~ ~ ~ I <br /> I . I , ~ I . <br /> electricity, so the skill level is I ` <br /> „ h' I' i t l i 'z'~ ~ - <br /> lower. <br /> i h' i I <br /> Day-To-Day Training ~ ' ' ' ~ ' ~ ~ ~ <br /> No matter what kind of formal ' " ' ' ' ' ' h' ~ <br /> I <br /> training you choose to provide <br /> your technicians, keep in mind 1 • , , ~ • , , , . <br /> that while it is important, training , , ; , , ~ <br /> is not a panacea. "You can go III , ~ _ <br /> broke training if you don't do it ~ ~ <br /> right," Stuart says. <br /> ' I I i <br /> In addition to formal training, yy s <br /> ' I ~ y , <br /> it s important to make learning a . , a { )IS ' <br /> part of the day-to-day job. Stuart , i I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ <br /> e*' <br /> says the first line of training is I r , ; i~ ~ 1` <br /> ~ ~ ' <br /> P ~ <br /> sit erv' <br /> tsion. <br /> P <br /> A supervisor, he says, should ' t I ~ ~ ~ r~ <br /> spend at least 40 minutes of any 3 r <br /> ` <br /> w <br /> hour MBWA - Management By ~ u <br /> Wandering Around. "If he's eon- ~ <br /> scantly spending his time in the <br /> shop observing, and he's got a <br /> 1 I'II <br /> junior guy that's having trouble, <br /> he cant go help him. A good fore- „ , ~ ~ <br /> man can tell just by the look on his ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ °~~~~r~~ ~ ~ ~ <br /> face." ' <br /> 4 <br /> Stuart promotes what he calls ~ • <br /> the "five-minuterule." If a techni- <br /> cian can't figure out within five <br /> minutes the direction he needs to ~ ~ <br /> go on a repair, he should come I I I I I <br /> back to the supervisor for help. Circle 141 on Reader Action Card <br /> 1. <br /> HFavv nUTI TRllru r II,nF 7(109 67 i <br /> i. <br /> <br />