HomeMy WebLinkAbout800677.tiff RESOLUTION
RE: APPROVAL TO CONVERT EIGHT VEHICLES TO PROPANE FOR TEST
PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County,
Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home
Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the
affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the Weld County Engineer and the Equipment Services
Manager have presented a proposal to the Board of County Commis-
sioners in which eight vehicles would be converted to propane for
test purposes, and
WHEREAS, due to the high cost of gasoline, conversion of
vehicles to propane may be the most feasible alternative to
reduce the cost of fuel, and
WHEREAS, the cost of conversion kits which would enable a
vehicle to use either propane or gasoline is approximately
$900 . 00, and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners has studied the
proposal presented concerning converting vehicles to propane and
deems it advisable to approve the conversion of eight vehicles
to propane for test purposes for a 6-month period.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Com-
missioners of Weld County, Colorado that approval is hereby
given for the conversion of eight vehicles to propane for a
6-month test period.
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made
and seconded, adopted by the following vote on the 2nd day of
July, A.D. , 1980.
`-" BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ATTEST: "` '''"' `{' WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
U �
Weld County Clerk and Recorder /71/;t',- C L� (Aye)
and_Clerk to the card C . W. Kirby,,/Chairman
B ).4,„,„ x4.11 (Aye)
r/ Deputy Co my Clerk Leonard L. Roe, Pro-Tem
APPRO ED AS TO FORM: (Aye)
Norman Carlson
County Attorney (ABSENT)
is Dunbar
-Aine K. S tnma rk
30O477
DATE PRESENTED: JULY 9 , 1980
77eliC;‘r\
f
lo_welamurity_Commissioners ", June 30, 1980
r. ➢I�ADO From ,.wayne- h, _Director of Engineering_
Conversion of (8) Vehicles to Propane for Test Purposes
The enclosed report on "Alternate Vehicle Fuel", prepared by the Equipment
Services Manager, indicates that substantial fuel and maintenance savings
have been achieved by fleets of gasoline vehicles converted to propane,
which presently costs 50 per gallon less than gasoline.
A vehicle can be converted for a cost of approximately $900, and if it gets
11 m.p.g. and is driven 23,000 miles per year, the payback period is 1.03
years. The price of propane is stable now, not being tied to the OPEC Nation's
price increases.
The conversion kits (which will allow operation on either propane or gasoline) ,
can be removed upon disposal of the vehicle and re-installed on its replaeenent
for a nominal cost. Initially propane could be purchased locally with fuelling
done at the vendor's site. If the County were to convert all of its gas vehicles,
we would probably want to have our own fuelling facility.
It is recommended that the Board approve a test program for propane over the
next six months on eight vehicles to permit further evaluation on performance
and fuel consumption.
Will) UM MY CWMISSIfl 3
4iayne S.
Director of Engineering Li t) ,1 )c\v1' err
WSS:sad ;it JUN 3 0 1980
LS
IL
I t GREELEY. COLO.
CC: Utah Pepin, Equipment Service Manager
mEmoRcinDuni
Wayne Smyth
o To Director of Engineering Date June 9, 1980
COLORADO From Utah Pepin, Equipment Service Manager
Subject Alternate Vehicle Fuel
The price of fuel for motor vehicles soared in the past year 57 .5% .
This is quoted from the Nay 1980 issue of Government Buyer publication .
Charting Weld Countys cost over the first 20 weeks of this year shows
a 16 .9% increase in this 20 week period . Using the charted fuel cost
increases to date , it indicates that Weld County will spend in excess
of $800 ,000 .00 for fuel during 1980 .
Several steps have been taken to reduce the amount of fuel being consumed .
1 . Use of 4 cylinder Chevrolet Luv pickups .
2 . Purchase of 6 Cylinder Ford pickups instead of large V8s .
3 . Purchase of 20 yard bottom dump trailers pulled by 1 tractor each
of which replaces 2 ten yard tandem dump trucks .
4. Purchase of 2 electric powered 100 foot conveyor belt stackers
to eliminate a bulldozer to stockpile material at the crusher site .
5 . The Sheriffs Department is using smaller engines in their cars .
6 . Consideration of fuel consumption when bidding new equipment .
In spite of these measures , the ever increasing cost of fuel has mandated
us to seek other means or sources to reduce the cost of fuel . This
has led to the two most promising alternatives . Propane and natural gas
to replace gasoline . The City of Greeley and the local gas company
use natural gas for vehicle fuel . However the range of these vehicles
is very limited and not suitable for Weld County use where long distances
must be traveled .
Propane fuel is the most promising alternate fuel . It offers nearly
the same miles per gallon as gasoline . The present bulk price of
propane is between $ .549 and $ . 599 per gallon . Price depends on
volume purchased . This is over $ . 50 per gallon less than gasoline at
todays prices .
The cost of propane conversion kits that would enable a vehicle to use
either propane or gasoline is approximately $900 .00 . This would include a
forty (40) gallon tank that would give a pickup an approximate range of
400 miles . Larger capacity tanks are available at additional cost .
A vehicle that gets 10 miles per gallon of gasoline would have to travel
18 ,000 miles at a savings of 50 cents per gallon to pay for the conversion
kit . These kits would be passed on from vehicle to vehicle , extending
their useful life with minor maintenance costs . The annual fuel cost
savings will vary with the miles per gallon each individual vehicle
achieves and the total miles traveled in a years time . There are other
savings to be realized as noted in a profitability anaylsis (attachment 1) .
This was based on 22 one-half ton pickups in the road and bridge fleet .
There are approximately 90 gasoline powered vehicles in the road and
bridge fleet that could be converted to propane . They use approximately
200 ,000 gallons of gasoline per year . The annual savings that could be
-2-
realized would be approximately $100 .000 .00 annually based on a 50 cents
per gallon savings in fuel cost after pay back on the original investment
for the conversion kits . I would not recommend converting any Unit
that is nearing the end of its useful life , but would convert its re-
placement .
There are several companies that are capable of supplying propane in
bulk quantities . It is even possible to obtain a 5 to 8 year guaranteed
supply of propane . The price would be subject to changes with inflation .
Most propane is produced in the United States from wells in nearby states .
The cost is not tied to the OPEC nations price increases as gasoline
and diesel fuel are . Any bulk fuel storage facility would have to be
located outside the city limits and be protedted according to fire codes .
Such a facility could be purchased or the equipment leased as desired .
To further substantiate this data I would like to advertise for bids
on a 6 month test program on 6 or 8 pickups . This would be used to
evaluate various brands of equipment , performance changes in vehicles ,
miles per gallon changes and fuel cost savings .
Utah Pepin
Equipment Service Manager
Attachments :
1 . Profitability Anaylsis
2 . Memo-May 29, 1980-Fuel Cost Overrun
3 ,4, 5 , & 6 Magazine articles concerning various organizations
converting to propane .
PAGE 1
• - Attachment 1
PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
COMPANY NAME Weld County ADDRESS
SUMMARY OF SAVINGS
ANNUAL FUEL SAVINGS $ 19 , 086 .00
ANNUAL OIL SAVINGS 186.75
ANNUAL FILTER SAVINGS 166 .00
ANNUAL SPARK PLUG SAVINGS 152 . 32
ANNUAL ENGINE MAINTENANCE SAVINGS 2 ,200.00
ANNUAL ELIMINATION OF LOSS FROM PILFERAGE
TOTAL ANNUAL SAVINGS 21, 791.07
CAPITALIZATION SUMMARY
1. CONVERSION EQUIPMENT ( 22 Units) ( $895 .00 each) - 19 , 690 . 00
TANK AND FACILITY INSTALLATION
2 . 18 , 000 gal tank ( Rent per year) 1 , 000. 00
3. C12 Corken pump @ ( cost + 15%) 850 . 00
4. Meter & fittings 1 , 050 . 00
TOTAL INVESTMENT 22 , 590.00
PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
1 . Payback Period:
$ 22 , 590 aftal Investment __
$21 , 791 . 1?tal Savings 1 . 03Year or 12 .3months.
2. Return on Asset:
Net Profit After Taxes: ($ total savings) ( %tax rate) =
Depreciation : ($
total investment) (- %year 1 ) =
Net Profit After Taxes + Depreciation Expense = +
Asset
Does not annly to Weld County RETURN ON ASSET =
No tax na.id .
3. Other:
PAGE 2
EQUIP ff SURVEY AND CALCULATIONS
NAME Weld County ADDRESS
1 . Number Units in Fleet pickups 22
2. Total Annual Mileage All Units 500 ,000
3. Average Miles per Gallon 11
4. Gasoline Price per Gallon (Tax included) $1 .08
5. Oil Change Intervals (Miles) 4,000 miles
6. Oil Price per Gallon $1 . 50 gal
7. Oil Filter Change Intervals (Miles) 4, 000 miles
8. Filter Price per each $2 .00
9. Spark Plug Change Intervals (Miles) 15 , 00.0 miles
10. Spark Plug Price per each $1 . 12 each
11 . Annual Engine Maintenance Costs
12. Shop Rate per Manhour
(DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE)
SAVINGS DETAIL - PROPANE vs. GASOLINE
1 . Fuel Savings •
Gasoline: (500 , 000pmi . ) ( 1 Gal ) (S 1.0p (45,450 gal) x 49 ,086 . 00
( 1 yr. ) ( Mi . ) ( gal ) ( 1 .08)
Propane: (500 , 000Mi . ) ( 1 Gal ) ($ .60) ( 50, 000 gal) x 30 ,000 .00
( 1 yr. ) ( Mi . ) ( gal ) ( . 60)
FUEL SAVINGS 19 ,086 . 00
2. Maintenance Savings
A. Oil Change Savings (Material Only)
125
Gasoline: (500,00q0 ) (1 change) (13 gal ) ($ 1 .50 ( 2 .25)x 281.25
( 1 yr ) ( 4000 Mi ) (1 chg. ) ( gal ) ( 125
42
Propane: ( 500 , 00cMi ) (1 change) (1z gal ) ($1 •50) (2 .25) x 94. 50
( 1 yr ) ( Mi ) (1 chg. ) ( gal ) 42
Reduces oil change periods by 1/2
OIL SAVINGS 186. 75
B. Oil Filter Savings (Material Only)
125
Gasoline: (500 ,00g4i ) (1 chance) (S2 . 0dD 250 .00
( 1 yr) ( 400cmi) (1 chg)
42
Propane: (500 , 00(11i ) (1 change) ($ 2 .09 84.00
( 1 yr) ( 12 , 0 0 ) (1 chg)
Doubles oil filter life.
FILTER SAVINGS 166. 00
PAGE 3
2. Maintenance Savings - cont.
C. Spark Plug Savings (Material Only) •
Gasoline: (500, 009H ) (1 change) f$8)$) ( t 12) 295 .68
( yr) ( 15 , 0 ) ( chg• ) ( 33) ( 8 .96)
16 8 x
Propane: ( 500 , 0M) (1 change) ($ ) ( 16) ( 8 .96) 143.36
( Yr) ( 30, 0 ) ( chg. )
Life extended 4 times SPARK PLUG SAVINGS 152 . 32
D. Other Engine Maintenance Savings
Gasoline: Estimated Annual Cost 22 units x 200. 00 4,400. 00
Propane: Estimated Annual Cost 22 units x 100.00 2 ,200 . 00
Other maintenance reduced 50%
OTHER MAINTENANCE SAVINGS 2 ,200.00
3. Elimination of Loss From Pilferage
a U UL:.c:i:ItL..l U cC
MeMORtnDUfi --
ggliBee
Wayne Smyth
To Director of Engineering Date May 29, 1980
COLORADO From Utah Pepin , Equipment Service Manager
sub;ect: 1980- Fuel Cost Overrun
Based on 1979 fuel use records it was projected that 1980 fuel use
would be as follows :
Gasoline 362 , 377 Gallons
Diesel 355 , 168 Gallons
717 , 545 Total Gallons
The approved budget amount of $600 , 000 total was based on a cost of
$ .836 per gallon of fuel average . With 38 .46% of the year elapsed,
we are $28,786 over budget and have used 16 ,421. gallons less fuel
than anticipated. With road construction just getting underway it
appears that projected' total gallon usage for the entire year will
be fairly accurate .
The attached data indicates a fuel cost trend over the first 20 weeks
of 1980 . Using this data for projections , it indicates a total cost
overrun for fuel of approximately $220 , 000 .
Utah Pepin
Equipment Service Manager
cc : Don Warden, Finance Director
1980 FUEL COST PER GALLON TREND .
Type Fuel Jan 1 , 1980 May 16 , 1980 20 Week Increase
Regular Gasoline - $ .9315 $1..142 $ .2105
No Lead Gasoline . 9665 1 . 1265 .16
Diesel .7945 .975 .1837
Average .8975 1 .081 . 1837
This is 9/10 a cent increase each week . With 32 weeks remaining in the
year and using $ .009 per week increase , the average increase for the 32
weeks will be $ .144 per gallon . With approximately 260 , 000 gallons
consumed , it leaves approximately 458 ,000 gallons that will be consumed
the remainder of the year . With the price average at $1 .081 + $ .144=$1 .225
This indicates an expenditure of $560 ,492 for fuel for the remainder of
the year . Coupled with the expended amount of $259,546 it totals
$820 ,038 .
If this trend continues , fuel will cost an average of $1 . 369 at years end .
WELD COUNTY
1980 PROJECTED FUEL USE
Projected l�?Z z7S
gallons : /up;
Gasoline 362 ,377 gallons
Diesel 355 , 168 gallons
717 ,545 Total
January 1 , 1980 Price per gallon:
Gasoline
Regular $ .9315
No Lead .9665
Diesel .7945
Current Price (March 15, 1980) lk
Gasoline
Regular ' $1 .0615 h/tf2
No Lead 1 .0965 /,/Z G-
Diesel .8895 ,”1-
% increase in 11 weeks . zc _
Gasoline
Regular 13 .95%
No Lead 13 .45%
Diesel 11 .95%
Id 0 Attachment 3
or has been able to keep its flee
t , Y intenance cost per mile at
't.; � r" 4- r' `% c Ira tion over 254 during the p st
a'.
' ` two ears.
. . Giyo �
h In a dition, the past three ears
Clearwater. have p duced a marked educ-
tion in p is inventory, a raging
a decline i value of over $25,000
r
per year.
During that ame me, diesel
fuel mileage pe all n held stea-
le"6" dy at 5.4. This bu f et obtains an
City of Clearwater,•
astounding 129, 0 miles per
Clearwater,Fla. recap,a figure u fr 81,000 the
Chet Smolenski, previous year. t th same time,
asst.central services dir. original tread run r 60,000
Total vehicles:885 miles on th fronts Transit
Total mileage:3,702,192 Windsor b ses and t n are
During the past year the City of moved to rive axles for a addi-
Clearwater embarked on a fuel tional 25, 00 miles.
conservation program that has The ily percentage of T nsit
produced concrete results. Wind r revenue equipment at
The municipality established de- is ou of service has held stead t
partmental fuel allocations and 8% over the past three yea .
rationed both gasoline and diesel Fl et total mileage increased
fuel during the crisis that occurred ant 14,000 between 1978 and
early in the year. That program 1979.
has now become permanent.
- Smaller capacity dump trucks
were replaced by larger models
and, whenever possible, gasoline-
powered vehicles were replaced p
by diesel units. In other instances,
gasoline-powered vehicles were
converted to accept LPG fuel. S aaw
So successful was the program
that savings in fuel amounted to
1,161 gallons per month. The city
will try to improve upon that 1979
13,932-gallon savings during each ort Authority
succeeding year. f Allegheny County,
Pit urgh,Pennsylvania
Fran DePietro,
ass't. anager of maintena ce
Total •lea es: 1,176
Ls
Total 'Iethe:35,723,7
of
trait Last yea the Port uthority of
Alleghen County as grappling
Al .. "'U lar ciF*4g with wha it p ceived as an
imbalance et een inspection
and repair p s nnel,or what you
might call "fi ers" and "fixers."
Now the al ce has been
it Windsor, achieved, ccor I to the au-
Winds Ontario, nada thority, a with ap rently good
C.Wells, results.
_..Lally supt.,plan quipment Av age vehicle age d mile-
.,peration. One Total v des: age re both up from last ear,
the decrease is that a Tot ileage:3, 000 b the out-of-service ratio s
.,etter carcass is required for a performing all of its n work ropped by a percentage poin
cold cap. with 42 mechanics, Transit ' d- That may not sound like too much
FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980 109
Attachment 4
r' .
l -
3
te,
i 1 Molzberger, tires, and replacement pa William H.Mullarkey Jr., equipment, and at the least
' dir. fleet operations, through Schweiger's Wi on- transportation supervisor, possible cost. Although some
Sch iger Industries Inc., sin headquarters, Mo erger Post Publishing Company, additional mileage was un-
Jefferso Wisc. gained the advant e of vol- Bridgeport,Conn. avoidable, Mullarkey held the ume-discount p chasing. line on costs, and over-all
AlHe also leased and
vin a fuel-related deliv- delivery schedules were held
new pri te-carriage op- og eration farted by Val equippe a maintenance ery problem is a tough to an increase of only 10 min-
sho fo he Mississippi-based assignment under the best cir- utes. As a result, district men
Molzberger at hweiger In- P g
dustries' Mississip i manufac- fleet, nd staffed the terminal cumstances, but to do so were freed for promotion
turing facility has e bled the th with 15 drivers, three while holding the line on time, and collection duties,and fuel
company to transpo 95% of chanics, a traffic manager, mileage, and expenses is next consumption was reduced.
and traffic clerk. He negoti- to im ossible. Yet Bill Mullar- The delivery-route absorp-
the goods it produces ere. P
In the first year,Molzb er ated and secured a new logo key's efforts with his 19-truck tion program is now being
design to give a new look to newspaper-deliveryfleet extended to the company's
built the Mississippi fleet fr
10 tractors and 20 traile to both the Mississippi and Wi>- were so successful that the suburban circulation areas. In
consin fleets. His insistence on ram will be expanded in a related fuel-conservation
17 power units and 30 ailersP rog P
running 1.2-million ccident- -ride suspensions for over- 1980. move, Mullarkey had two of
free miles. By carefully the oad tractors and trailers Because of increased gaso- the fleet's delivery trucks con-
spec'ing all equ ment, Molz- has r uced in-transit damage line costs, Mullarkey was verted from gasoline to prop-
berger boo d the fleet's to goo to less than 1%. asked to absorb all metropuli- ane-burning units. ,
fuel mile by 12.9% and Molzbe er is responsible tan area private-auto delivery
lowere operating costs to 68 for all comp maintenance- routes and give stores first
cent mile. By centralizing the related progra fleet safety, delivery. This had to be done
p chasing of all equipment, labor negotiations and equip- adding as little time and mile-
ment purchases. directs age as possible to existing
the operation of mo than truck runs, using existing
100 power units and n rly
240 trailers. k 6'-
FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980 137
1
f
)
/
_- -a
JP.*
,l 'ti
,a 1„p1 "
Yt
•
,.
•
II� nt — —•
Jim Nicewander, efficiency by 5%. Carmen Picknally, facturer of intercity buses
transportation supervisor, As a result of Nicewander's vp-maintenance, provides such a vehicle. As
Stevens Pt.Public Schools, investment in safety, the Peter Pan Bus Lines Inc., nearly as can be determined,
Stevens Point,Wisc. fleet's insurance premiums Springfield,Mass. Peter Pan now has the only
were significantly reduced. such vehicle in existence.
Acommitment to passen- The total cost of the safety At a time when private When the project was
ger safety and to oper- program was only 50% of the bus companies are started,prints of the bus were
ating efficiency has made the amount saved in lower insur- struggling to stay alive, Car- studied to determine where
Stevens Point Public Schools ance costs. men Picknally continues to the door opening should be
transportation system one of Nicewander's program in- help upgrade Peter Pan Bus cut to prevent any structural
the most highly regarded volved aspects of existing Lines. defects. The door, approxi-
school bus operations in the state and national safety pro- His latest effort centered mately 42 in. wide and 51 in.
country. Through the imple- grams, to which he added around modifying a Motor high, is located at the mid-
mentation of a comprehen- segments on advanced driv- Coach Industries (MCI) Model point of the righthand side of
sive driver-training program, ing and winter driving tech- MC-8 intercity bus so that it the bus. A manufacturer pro-
transportation supervisor Jim niques that he developed in would accept a wheelchair. vided a prototype lift and,
Nicewander reduced the acci- conjunction with the General At present, no major manu- when the job was completed,
dent rate in a fleet with an Motors Proving Ground and the opening was fitted with a
already good safety record the National Safety Council. A hinged door.Once in the bus,
by an additional 44%. veteran bus driver was certi- the wheelchair is tied down
Nicewander achieved his Pied as a safety instructor, using the existing track on the
safety goals while keeping much of the program made floor and one on the side
operating costs-per-mile 24% mandatory, and all drivers wall. Each wheelchair occu-
below the state average, and were paid for training time. pies one double-seat location.
transportation costs-per-stu- The results, says Nicewan-
dent 29% below the state der, "prove that safety
average. At the same time the doesn't cost,it pays."
driver training program was
reducing the accident rate, it
was helping improve fleet fuel
F_
138 FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980
Attachment 5
. / sio, iii
, .. . .
!J „ ,
.,/ . .. „,7, ,T, \ . .
/ �` ,
l
"
J,, ail i . r , 7g
1 .
loyd G.Carter, That was largely accom- John Crone, gallon, 84.8¢ for gasoline and
,central services, plished by installing a corn transportation div.mgr. 50.9¢ for propane, the aver-
Cit of Clearwater, hensive "lease rate" pl for EG&G Idaho,Inc., age monthly fuel saving is
Clea ater,Fla. vehicles. The rate . cludes Idaho Falls,Idaho nearly $5,500, based on an
maintenance, op tions, in- average monthly fuel con-
Durin the 1973-74 bud- surance, and a nflation fac- At a time when fuel con- sumption of 16,000-gal. With
get ar, when Floyd tor. It does t include acci- servation became an annual fuel savings of
Carter began ork with the dent cos , equipment-dam- item of the highest priority for $65,760, installation costs will
City of Clearwat that mu- age co s, or equipment us- truckers everywhere, John be recovered in just over two
nicipality's Gara Fund age eyond normal opera- Crone initiated a dramatic years.
showed a deficit of$ ,734. ti . The revenue generated change in the EG&G's 152 Because propane use re-
The previous year's los had rom "lease rates" creates a light-duty pickups. By con- sults in cleaner-burning en-
been$101,949. revolving Garage Fund capa- verting them to propane fuel, gines, Crone expects in-
Carter was appointed i ble of funding its operation he reduced fleet consumption creased engine life, fewer
present position in anuary and replacements. 25%,or 192,000-gal. annually. tuneup problems, and longer - -
1975, and since t t time the During Carter's tenure, Liquid-propane tanks were oil-change intervals among his
transportation peration has do time for the city's 845 installed on the trucks, along light-duty trucks.
shown an cumulative profit on a off-highway vehicles with regulators and special As transportation manager,
of $33 , 02, with no loss in has be reduced from a carburetors. This equipment Crone is responsible for 1,425
any en year. peak of 2, 3 hours per pert- can be removed and rein- vehicles, including heavy
od in June 3 to 725 hours stalled on new vehicles. The trucks, tractors, buses, con-
during June 1 , a reduction conversion was completed in struction equipment, pickups,
of 35%. During t same five- eight months at an average and passenger cars. EG&G
year period,fuel co umption cost of $900 per vehicle. Idaho is the prime operating
has been reduced S . %, for Total cost for the project was contractor for the Idaho Na-
a savings of $243,668 er $149,200, including installa- tional Engineering Laboratory,
year. tion of two propane storage which contains the world's
tanks for refueling. largest group of operating
At current bulk rates per nuclear reactors.
134 ./... '
p FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980
Attachment 6 p v
ANIS Ste
do 100% of its own work i his large company manages to _..ho e, it also took on o ide -�. ep its maintenance and fuel -.- -
contr t work and turne profit " c ts in line. Last year, for exam- __
at that. L --� ple, mileage increased by over 2
Also, fu conser tion became \ milli n; the year before b
everyone's j I year. Constant 14,49 051.
reminders to mployes helped \ Yet, t year the parts inve to-
cut down o unn cessary engine — ry was ecreased by $4, 7—
idling; serv' e lane orkers were from $641, 43 to $637,07 . Fleet
on guar against acc ental spil- fuel mileag per gallon r ained
lage; d the safety d artment comparable ith the ye before
activ ly enforced the co any's The Post Publishing Co., at 5.4. Fleet m intenanc cost per
o 55-mph speed limit. Bridgeport,Conn. mile showed n signifi nt reduc-
William H.Mullarkey, tion, but no rise ither
transportation superintendent The company' 44 aintenance
Total vehicles: 22 shops operate ar nd the clock,
Total mileage:430,718 with required s inspections
� Consistency continues to mark being statio b Matlack edau-
this relatively small newspaper thorized statio s. The PM sched-
delivery fleet's efforts to cut costs tile for its 1, 45 tracto calls for
and still maintain performance. inspection a d lube at 5, 00 miles,
U111TED°AIRLIIlE5 oil and Tilt change at 15, 0 and
For example, last year Post Pub-
lishing fleet maintenance cost per 25,000 d inspection, lu e and
engine ne-up at 50,000.
mile was shaved by almost a cent,
while the parts inventory in- Aft a group of units is t ded
ited Airlines, creased by a meager$961. dud g 1980, the entire tr tor
Lo Angeles,Calif. Fleet fuel mileage per gallon fle t will be put on a uniform s r-
Lar Hillyer, (gasoline)also improved by a frac- v e schedule of 25,000 miles f r
mgr. round equipment tion of a cent. The company is in he second PM phase.
Total ehicles: 1,042 the process of converting a per-
Total h urs:351,064 centage of its units to propane in
Althoug faced with a two onth order to reduce dependence on a
work sto page and risi g labor single fuel.
and materi costs, Unite Airlines- The company is also converting .‘ ,. t`r
Los Angeles kept its g soline and to radial tires, purchasing metric .-_ >s _;rtt
fig
diesel fuel nsump on in line tools, and installing additional
with the previ us full ear. electrical testing equipment. t, ' 1= ,*
In a conce ted ffort to in- For the past three years, Post
crease mainte an e efficiency, Publishing has managed to main-
this particular ai ' e division last tain line maintenance worker
year provided 289 hours of hours actually charged to vehicle
training for it chanics. The repair orders at 95%. huster Express,Inc.,
classes suppli d k owledge on C hester,Conn.
various brak syste s, hydraulic Stev Schuster,
governor a justmena, tow trac- r eip .,..,4....i.J...'" vp-ma tenance&equip ent
tor steerin , and air onditioning . *` ." 140,',,,, Total ve ides:990
trucks. `- , Total mil ge: 13,567, 3
An oil ampling pro ram, initi .. ‘; Although S uster E ress has not
ated in 978, is being ontinued, t�'r; a increased the num er of power
with th oil change freq ency on 'mat/ark-in( units in service o last yea', rev-
big-bor gasoline and d sel en- enues are up a total mileage is
gines eing determined y the down.
cond ion of the oil and of by Besides re uctio of marginal
hour of operation. M lack,Inc., backhauls d loadin trailers to
new cost awareness ro- Lans wne,Pa. full legal F its, Schuste has been
gra , which identifies cash ow Robert Honour, able to oost fleet pr uctivity
f various parts accounts, as vp-mainte c some 5% through a wel organ-
a o initiated. This quickly ale ts Total veh' s: , ize maintenance plan th t in-
anagement to areas requiri Total eage: 151,92 , 8 cl es a refurbishing of der
mprovement, when compared t Ev though faced with s ling ords and Macks. Older vehic s,
the division's fiscal plan. nual increases in total miles says Schuster, operate at a rel -
112 FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980
a
thened to imprm.e both replace- momentary driver distraction that rying college credit—is being
ment parts quality and cost. occurred as wheels came in con- given serious consideration, too.
Merchandise ordered by shops tact with the old markers. By means of education this bus
and terminals is accompanied by fleet's outlook has not only
forms that must be stamped broadened, but operating dollars
received, dated and signed, then are saved. Several employes have
forwarded to the shipping loca- offered ideas for saving fuel—like
Ual�ey ways to cut idling time, using
bon for inclusion with the file shorter road test routes, and using
before invoices are processed for
payment. Metro the company car for shuttling
drivers to and from downtown—
and that means a more produc-
tive operation.
•
_ Greater Roanoke Transit Co.,
Roanoke,Virginia
Harvey C.Smith,
,. director of maintenance "r
x yi .,
" Total vehicles:39 9_r0 Q', '� s”
Total mileage: 1,361,264
Stimulate your people through
VIA Metropolitan Transit, education to come up with better
San Antonio,Tex. ways of reaching goals and every-
Wayne M.Hale, one benefits. Peter Pan Bus Lines,Inc.,
manager of maintenance That direct, almost disarming S tin field,Mass.
Total vehicles:405 approach wins Greater Roanoke P g .
Total mileage: 14,966,306 Transit another Maintenance Effi- Donald Myers,vice president
Total vehicles:66
While successful fra in providing ciency art g Total mileage:3,901,456
coaches for any given day's In the past year, the fleet began g
requirements, VIA's budget was a new mechanic training program The numbers are up for Peter Pan
stretched to the limit. So the with the cooperation of the Bus Lines this year, but the spirited
problem facing the San Antonio Union. It can now locate a lower little New England company has
bus operation was one of paring level employe in a training slot held the cost increases to a mini-
expenses to the bone while pro- and protect him from being mum while watching more favor-
viding adequate levels of custom- bumped out along the way by able rises: over-all mileage is up,
er service. another employe with seniority. fuel mileage is improved, and tire
A new servicing system was This move gives the fleet flexibility wear experience is better. Only
instituted. The fleet now begins to help people grow. one important number is down
servicing -operations during the A new supervisor has been for 1979 and that's maintenance
peak PM period prior to the regu- added to the maintenance team, cost per revenue dollar.
lar servicing shift. The end pro- and one of his tasks is to head the Peter Pan's incremental pro-
duct is a three-hour servicing shift on-the-job phase of mechanic gress against increasingly hostile
and five-hour bus-cleaning shift. training.
economic conditions is attribut-
This solution has been found high- While none of the fleet's able to a tight preventive mainte-
ly cost effective. mechanics are currently NIASE- nance policy at the core of which
Since efforts to procure a brake involved, some shop personnel is its one-stop service lane. Ac-
lathe adapter to handle RTS-II are interested in obtaining high- cording to the company, each
brake blocks were fruitless, an in- school educations. The fleet is unit returning to base goes over a
house design was adopted and working
with
them;
two have pitan rods s"full by is "fully sr cleaners,
icedcleaned
ea
works well. already diplomas.
A total of five bus shelters have The local community college is one serviceman, and a mechan-
been installed throughout the city, actively cooperating with Greater ic." Only after a thorough check
and three park 'n' ride facilities Roanoke to further broaden su- does the bus go onto the "ready
were constructed to support de- pervisors' horizons: A course on line." Major PM is undertaken at
mand for increased service. management communications 9,000 mile intervals.
Finally, the fleet removed the was given on the premises last To help increase efficiency in
raised concrete bus parking mon- year, and another on employe 1979, Peter Pan launched a major
uments in its lot and replaced motivation is set for 1980. rebuilding effort and placed addi-
them with flat 3M pavement A third course on truck and bus tional emphasis on machine shop
markers, in an effort to avoid electrical blueprint reading—car- facilities. Not only did the compa-
111
FLEET OWNER/MAY 1980
Hello