Tag: fleet management: Page 11

Business

3 rules for calculating and managing skid steer Owning & Operating costs

People who work with big equipment have a saying: “You can be going broke in this business and not know it for six months.” And the one cost that can be very hard to gauge, if you’re a small contractor or new to this business, is the owning and operating cost of your equipment. To […]

November 18, 2013

Home

Rule 2: Skid steer O&O costs

Managing operating costs Your operator is always going to be your biggest expense. With that in mind, here are a few ways to lessen that expense. Invest in training for productivity improvements Enclosed cabs, newer equipment help retain quality employees and keep them productive. Match the machine capabilities to the job. You don’t want an […]

November 18, 2013

Home

Rule 3: Skid steer O&O costs

Money never sleeps. If it isn’t making you money, it’s costing you money. If you buy stock in a company and after a few years it quits growing or paying dividends, you get rid of it. Right? The same is true of equipment. Letting equipment sit idle is like stashing money under a mattress. That’s […]

November 18, 2013

Business

Equipment Boot Camp: How one group of Marines is making mechanics out of Afghan soldiers

An Afghan National Army 215th Corps Engineer Kandak, or battalion, convoy was making its way back to Camp Shorabak from an operation in Sangin in late July when it struck an improvised explosive device, causing a bulldozer to roll off the trailer carrying it. The ANA soldiers were able reload the damaged bulldozer and continued […]

November 11, 2013

Business

At GIE 2013, Tom Jackson to host session on the secrets of equipment owning and operating costs

If you happen to be going to the GIE+Expo next week in Louisville, Kentucky, stop by at the show’s new Friday breakfast workshop, 7:30 to 9:15 a.m, Room C-108. That’s where I’ll be hosting a session on “Calculating Your Equipment’s Owning and Operating Costs.” Why O&O costs? Because in 14 years of writing about construction […]

October 21, 2013

Construction Equipment

74 tips for reducing equipment costs (56-74)

Below are my final tips for squeezing those extra dollars out of your equipment operation. You can check out the previous posts by clicking here. 56: Use Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Inspection helps to detect early signs of changes in condition—a warning of impending failure.  But when to examine and what to examine […]

September 19, 2013

Business

John Deere expands Construction & Forestry Technician training program to eighth community college

John Deere has expanded its Construction & Forestry Technicians program to an eighth community college. The latest school to include the program is North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. C&F Tech, as it’s called, is a John Deere dealer technician training program and a two-year associate’s degree that teaches its students to service, troubleshoot, […]

September 13, 2013

Construction Equipment

74 tips for reducing equipment costs (46-55)

Last week, we hit the halfway point in this series of 74 tips for reducing your equipment costs. Here is the next set of tips: 46: Learn more about MRO Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul is the science of inventory control applied to maintenance spares.  Rigorous adherence to inventory control process is a science… not an […]

August 30, 2013

Telematics

How to turn equipment telematics data into actionable information using complementary software

Technology continues to evolve and the latest innovations are changing the way construction and equipment managers work. Job sites are more connected than ever, and advances in telematics provide real-time data on equipment usage and location. While telematics technology is not new to the industry, its adoption (or, current lack thereof) is one that some […]

August 27, 2013

Business

Energy, fuel and the federal regulatory tsunami dominate the conversation at the 2013 Construction Symposium

Contractors and heavy equipment fleet managers got an earful of what challenges await them in the construction industry and what the solutions might be at the Randall Reilly Construction Symposium held Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas, Texas. In a nutshell—the shale oil and gas revolution is going to be great for the construction industry, but […]

August 23, 2013

Business

74 tips for reducing equipment costs (31-45)

With this post, we’re now more than halfway through my 74 ways to reduce equipment costs. Here are tips No. 31-45: 31: Track turn rates Turn rates (how often items and inventory value are replaced) are important indicators to show what is and is not moving.  Slow and no movers can be removed but you […]

August 23, 2013

Construction Equipment

74 tips for reducing equipment costs (21-30)

In my last post covering equipment cost cutting tips 11-20, I looked at eliminating buddy jobs, cutting down emergency work and reducing engine idling.  Here are cost-saving strategies 21-30: 21: Manage omissions Omissions can create common failures that affect numerous downstream components. Omissions can lie concealed or dormant until they trigger events that cause an […]

August 16, 2013