Commercial, broadcast and specialty vehicles require ongoing review and preventive maintenance to ensure optimal function and performance. Creating a preventative maintenance plan is essential to keeping your vehicle in top-performing condition and mission-ready at all times.
This blog walks through the many benefits of implementing a monthly preventative maintenance plan for broadcast vehicles, mobile command vehicles and other specialty vehicles. We also provide useful information on maintenance and refurbishment options. Continue reading to learn more.
What is Preventative Maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is routine maintenance performed to extend the life of a mission-ready vehicle.
A preventive maintenance plan aims to reduce breakdowns, keep workers safe, and fix minor issues before they become major, costly issues that result in unplanned downtown.
What Are the Benefits of Preventative Maintenance?
Benefits of preventative maintenance include:
- Longer vehicle lifespan — Making small maintenance repairs and updates will extend the overall longevity of your vehicle, giving you the biggest return on your investment.
- Improve vehicle functionality — Routine performance testing on all parts of your vehicle can help ensure that it operates according to manufacturer specifications, crews have current knowledge with operations and functions, and the vehicle is always ready at any given moment.
- Cost savings — While replacing worn-out vehicle parts may take time and resources in the short-term, it will be far less expensive than repairing or replacing a vehicle after it has broken down.
- Increases safety — Any vehicle function that fails on the job site can pose a safety and health risk and reduce your ability to respond to a call. Following a preventative maintenance schedule reduces this risk and provides a safe and dependable environment for your employees.
- Vehicle confidence — Having confidence that the vehicle and equipment will be ready to achieve its mission when deployed.
What Maintenance is Required for Mobile Command and Specialty Vehicles?
Preventative maintenance should include vehicle adjustments, repairs, lubrication, cleaning, and part replacements. On a monthly basis, you should be prepared to monitor and manage the following:
- Vehicle — In addition to the DOT requirements for a pre-trip inspection on vehicles that require a CDL, you should drive your vehicle at least once a month to avoid having a dead or unreliable vehicle when you need it. Keeping your vehicle well-maintained is important to follow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) guidelines. Every driver should be familiar with the standardized inspection format, which covers the vehicle’s tires, fluids, brakes and lights. During these routine test drives, check your vehicle's batteries, power steering and brake lines, fuel lines, oil supply and transmission. It's also critical to provide your employees with an easy way to report any issues that arise during any mission or maintenance drive.
- Jacks — Dirt and rust are two of the most common causes of jack failure. To ensure your jacks are reliable, you should regularly inspect, clean, and lubricate all components of your hydraulic jack system. It's also critical to check the hydraulic fluid levels and change fluid if burnt smell or discolored.
- Mast— Masts are highly specialized pieces of equipment that are air operated, weigh hundreds of pounds and can reach up to seventy-six feet high. They are also highly weather-sensitive, becoming dirty and dusty in dry weather and moist in humid and damp weather. Routinely cleaning, inspection and maintaining all components of the mast system, including seals and rings, is critical to ensuring your vehicle’s mast functions properly and safely when needed.
- HVAC — Routinely cleaning the air conditioner filter and coils helps control the vehicle's climate for human comfort and cools the equipment, keeping it operational and functional.
- Electrical — Every component of your vehicle's electrical system should be tested and kept in good working order. Inspecting the distribution and power panels for loose or damaged wires, battery age and voltage, cooling fans, warning indicators, etc. are all important steps in ensuring overall functionality and safety. It is also important to check smoke and CO detectors which have a limited life span (EOL = End of Life) dates. Checking the comfort components and functionality of your vehicle's refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave can also be important.
Slide-outs – This critical component of your vehicle should be extended and retracted on a routine basis for seal health and optimal mechanical function. Seal and guide surfaces should be cleaned and inspected for abnormal wear or damage, pump and hoses checked for leaks, slide-out examined for proper alignment, and a thorough inspection of mechanical devices associated with slide-out.- Systems — Always make sure to review the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manual for your vehicle to determine which system components you should maintain. Checking the internet connection, phone system and antenna system are all good places to start.
Want to create a preventative maintenance program but not sure where to start?
Why Do You Need to “Exercise Your Truck”?
Allowing a vehicle or truck to sit for an extended period of time, particularly in extremely hot or cold climates, can result in a shortened battery life, corrosion, transmission problems and a seized jack system. The physical act of removing your truck from its garage and running all of its operations and functions on a regular, scheduled basis to prevent these issues is referred to as "exercising your truck."
Testing all electrical components, tire pressure and slide-outs, running all systems, and deploying masts are all exercises that can help strengthen battery life and maintain the overall functionality of your truck. Running these exercises is also a great way to keep your team familiar with the truck and its operations.
Specialized Vehicle Maintenance
Frontline Communications helps keep your vehicle in top condition by providing a comprehensive maintenance program for specific systems on all our specialty vehicles. You can rest easy, knowing your vehicle is getting the assessment and care it needs to maximize its lifespan and perform at its best.
Our specialized vehicle maintenance program includes:
- Mast maintenance to ensure proper mast deployment, hold strength and air pressure consistency. We also provide quality checks for your pneumatic system, as well as rebuild and repair services when necessary.
- Satellite system checks to ensure a strong signal, minimal noise with transitions, and satellite driven functions are performing at their best.
- Electrical systems checks to ensure the air compressor, lighting system, circuits and generators are all functioning and working together.
- Operational systems checks to ensure all system operations are functioning correctly, including audio, video, satellite, radio and your vehicle's operations area.
If anything needs updating or replacing, Frontline Communications can support your vehicle by providing you with the parts needed to get you back in business with as little downtown as possible.
The Value of Refurbishments
At Frontline Communications, we build specialized vehicles designed for 30 years of service. Although, certain technologies may become outdated as time passes. When this occurs, we are proud to offer extensive refurbishment services and technology refreshes to help extend the lifetime value of your vehicle and save you money by not having to invest in a brand new truck.
Upgrading your vehicle’s equipment and communications systems, interior and exterior layouts, technology and overall structure can make your vehicle look and run like new. We will manage the project from start to finish, from ordering the needed parts to removing current systems and replacing them with the most reliable, up-to-date technology. When the refurbishing project is 50-percent complete, we offer a project "check-in" to ensure your maintenance crew learns about the truck's newest features and is happy with the progress and changes.
Why Choose Frontline Communications
We take pride in building long-term relationships with our customers by offering 24/7 service support and resources where and when you need them, such as our preventative maintenance and vehicle refurbishing programs.
Our on-staff professionals are happy to offer warranty assistance, complete repair and diagnostic services, and replacement parts assistance for any mobile command, communications vehicle, broadcast vehicle, or emergency response vehicle.
As a Frontline customer, you get the advantage of our in-house and nationwide dealer service network consisting of 19 dealerships and 95 service locations. Click here to find your local Frontline Communications/Pierce® service center, or contact our Service Department at 727-280-8857.
Frontline Communications has been an industry leader in designing and developing customized communications vehicles, including broadcast, command, and specialty vehicles. Through an agile and dynamic manufacturing approach, Frontline Communications works with customers to understand their unique vehicle needs and build custom products that exceed their expectations.
