Train Good Maintenance Habits to Keep Equipment Running All Season

Take advantage of snow-day downtime this month to train personnel to take care of equipment for its best performance all year long. You may have some big repairs scheduled for your mechanics to tackle this winter, but consider your equipment operators. Do any of them need a refresher course on basic daily and weekly maintenance for the machines they’re responsible for?

It’s no secret that daily inspection and “mini-maintenance” of equipment keeps it in its safest and most optimum working condition. We cover those specifics in detail in the online training course Asphalt Paving 101, looking at the most important machines for the paving train in depth. But don’t forget auxiliary equipment needs attention, too.

Train personnel to look at the “extra” equipment in the work zone, such as the broom or the skid steer. Who has taken responsibility for the auxiliary pieces around the work zone? It’s easier to maintain a clean environment if you start with a clean environment, so the broom, the skid steer, the fuel truck and so on, may all need to be added to the fleet of machines getting the most severe wash-down, inspection and special maintenance this winter.

Beyond training personnel to assess the extra equipment, make sure everyone on the crew understands how to report equipment issues to the mechanics who will make the repairs.

In his recent training article “Talk to Your Mechanic,” John Ball explains the importance of communicating to the right person what’s going wrong (when it starts going wrong) to ensure equipment is repaired in a timely manner. This is especially important at the end of the season when equipment is sent to the mechanic for winter maintenance. Give your mechanic a note explaining what’s going on so he can give you your best shot at a smooth season startup.

Do you have a training director who should’ve received this tip? Go ahead and forward it to him or her now and if more folks in your team need to sign up for these tips, the link for that is here.