IF IT AIN’T BROKE ...
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS In the study, AMSAA compiled real-world data to quantify the current volume of preventive maintenance actions for the Army’s fleet of wheeled vehicles. Vehicle maintenance data collected through the Army’s Sample Data Collection and Anal- ysis Program from 2014 through 2016 indicated that approximately 97 percent of the tactical wheeled vehicle fleet and 98 percent of the 1,310 instrumented Stryk- ers were being serviced based solely on time rather than actual use. Semiannual, annual and biennial services dictated through Army maintenance policy were being performed to replace fluids and vehi- cle parts well before their condition would warrant maintenance attention.
For a fleet of vehicles in which approx- imately 95 percent of equipment is characterized as “low-usage” or driven less than 3,000 miles a year, premature main- tenance actions presented an excellent opportunity for potential improvement in the Army’s sustainment strategy.
AMSAA partnered with the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM); the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center; the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command; the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS); and the 25th Transportation Company of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to conduct the two-year project. Te project focused on improving service strategies for wheeled vehicles at field- level maintenance sites. Te objectives of the study were to reduce maintenance burdens with no detriment to safety, reli- ability or readiness; realign resources from activities that don’t add value to those that do; reduce costs; and reduce waste from
44 Army AL&T Magazine DATA GATHERING
A hub odometer on the rear wheel of an M1092 trailer (in the Family of Medium of Tactical Vehicles) belonging to the 25th Transportation Company, Schofield Barracks. AMSAA used hub odometers, which track how many miles the trailer has covered, to compare how much a vehicle was being used with how frequently Army policy required it to be serviced.
premature disposal of components that were still functioning properly.
In the initial phase of the study, the semiannual and annual preventive main- tenance intervals were extended to 24 months and the impact on safety, repair and maintenance resources was assessed. (See Figure 1.) Te extended maintenance interval would allow for additional vehi- cle usage that would more closely align with the mileage triggers for preventive services. Te study mandated 10-mile road exercises every 30 days for vehicles and every 90 days for trailers, to alleviate any perceived risks to vehicle performance because of extended service intervals. Te road exercises mitigated the risk of unex- pected component failure by requiring each vehicle and trailer to be run through less time-consuming quality assurance and quality control checks to check for
October-December 2018
seal deformations, lubricate gaskets and charge batteries on a regular basis.
In addition, researchers implemented pre- dispatch checklists that required qualified maintenance personnel to lay eyes and hands on key components such as steering linkages, suspensions and fluid systems at least monthly. Operators, supervisors and maintenance technicians all bore respon- sibility to validate the current state of each piece of equipment.
Te extended services strategy led to an annual savings of approximately $69,000 in service parts in the 25th Transporta- tion Company, on such items as engine oil, transmission fluid, filters, seals, wheel bearings, belts and brake shoes. Adopt- ing similar service strategies for the total Army’s fleet of Palletized Load System, Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
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