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In-house maintenance
Page 54
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While many maintenance packages embody a great deal of flexibility and common sense, many operators still come down firmly on the DIY side of the fence.These include Gatwickbased civil engineer and haulage contractor PJ Brown, arguably the largest tipper operator in the South-East.
Its mainly Scania fleet comprises 70 eightleggers,plus wagons with grabs,cranes and beavertail plant bodies. It also has a new 580hp 1640 6x4 with hydraulic-steer Nooteboom trailer for STGO work at 150 tonnes, several rigid tankers and some sweepers.
It's a slick 24-hour operation, ably supported by extensive workshop facilities,10 experienced technicians and two tyre fitters. But intense daytime working means that the service support must include a night shift.
PJ Brown's work covers a very wide area, so all of its P114 340 8x4s work to extremely tight schedules.There isn't enough slack to hand the mandatory four-week 0-licence inspection, servicing and running repairs to a dealer workshop in this very congested region, so with Scania's tacit approval,P1 Brown handles all the maintenance, including inspections.
"We've used Scanias for 11 years, and right now our oldest ones are just two years old," says its transport and plant manager Mark Robinson. "After four years we sell them back to the dealer and buy new again: that way, we get the very best value out of them."With 70 tippers working flat out, some at night, if a clutch fails his team can repair it immediately at the Gatwick workshop or on site.
It's no reflection on [the dealers]." says Robinson,"they just cannot respond as fast as our work schedules demand. And even if the manufacturer did take on our work, it's still down to me as the 0-licence holder to ensure nothing is overlooked, and to guarantee the condition of our fleet. In truth,! couldn't do that if maintenance was down to someone else," •