Dunbar Armored’s Doug White relies on organization and planning to keep his trucks mobile
A breakdown on the road is an inconvenience for most fleet managers and drivers, but it can have far more serious consequences when the truck is an armored car. The safety of the vehicle’s occupants and security for its contents drive the need for excellent organization and aggressive preventive maintenance. Douglas R. White, director of fleet maintenance for Dunbar Armored Inc., relies on keeping his shops well-organized and having enough parts on hand in order to prevent trouble on the road. It’s a big task, considering he is responsible for a fleet of 1,400 straight-truck armored vehicles, Class 6 through 8, and a few tractor-trailers. Dunbar Armored’s business is providing transportation to the federal government, financial institutions and retailers throughout the United States.
White says he is “fortunate to have a good team of supervisors,” which he calls his “eyes and ears” to help oversee 71 technicians spread among 64 service locations. Each technician is responsible for 12 to 18 trucks, usually, and most work as a one-person operation fixing trucks, handling paperwork and organizing parts.
Dunbar’s technicians have to be self-motivated, and able to handle responsibility. To help them do their jobs effectively, White has become very particular about how well the shops are organized, down to having tools assigned to tool boards and parts organized in bins by VMRS codes. He recommends it as a “best practice” that any fleet maintainer can adopt. A well-organized shop keeps techs from walking around looking for tools. And if a part isn’t in its assigned bin, there’s no use wasting time looking anywhere else –– it’s not in inventory.
With so many shop locations and only eight supervisors for the whole country, the shops’ organization also serves as an auditing tool. “It enables a supervisor to walk into a shop and get a very quick snap-shot of what’s going on,” says White. “Are we in control or aren’t we?” If the place is a mess and the tools are all missing, it lets the supervisor know immediately there is a problem. “By keeping organized, it absolutely saves us time,” says White.
One of White’s biggest challenges is keeping his trucks readily available. Because of the specialized nature of his vehicles, if one isn’t available, “I can’t run down the street and rent an armored car,” White notes. Therefore it’s crucial to keep enough parts in inventory. “We run tight on vehicles, just as every smart transportation company does,” White explains, “so we sometimes have more parts in inventory to make sure that when we need the part we have it on the shelf to get the truck on the street.”
Another way White keeps Dunbar’s trucks available is by having what he describes as “a very detailed preventative maintenance program.” There are 97 different items in the checklist, and his technicians will service a truck every 5,000 miles. “That’s fairly aggressive,” he admits, but the interval is not dictated by oil changes. Stop-and-go driving in city environments takes a toll on brakes, and so does idling all day long to keep the air-conditioning running (armored car windows don’t open). Those factors are more important in pushing the maintenance schedule.
When asked for his perspective on finding, keeping and retaining technicians, White said he didn’t believe there was a huge shortage of technicians overall. “I think there are quality technicians out there,” he says, “but you’ve got to be willing to pay quality money to get them.” White is convinced if you pay technicians the right rate, pay them what they’re worth, you’ll get the right people and will be able to keep them. “It works,” he says.
His technicians know that a problem can put people at risk, and that lives may depend on their doing a good job. But White also depends on his supervisors to help him audit technicians’ work. He believes any fleet can use this approach to make sure work is done correctly and PMs are done completely. The techs understand that a supervisor will be checking their work. “By signing the PM sheet,” White says, “a tech has put it in writing that the quality of my work puts our drivers out on the street every day in a safe, reliable vehicle and I understand my work can impact their safety.” Encouraging that culture, that many people depend on you, is important. “We talk to our people every day, thank them, and remind them their work is critical,” White says. “And,” he adds, “I am proud to say they do a wonderful job.”