Excellence in vehicle maintenance operations takes constant vigilance, particularly in tough economic times. Along with today’s depressed business conditions, environmental challenges and increasing vehicle complexity are testing the nerves and determination of equipment operations everywhere.
That is why the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has chosen “Quality Control in Maintenance Operations” as the theme for this year’s fall meeting, September 20 to 23 in Raleigh, NC. The meeting’s overall objective is to provide fleet maintenance and equipment executives, managers and technicians with educational and networking opportunities to help them continue to keep their vehicles operating efficiently with minimal downtime.
TMC, a technical council of American Trucking Associations, is North America’s premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals. It has a diverse membership of equipment managers, service dealers, owner operators, industry suppliers and manufacturers, educators, academia and others that support the trucking industry.
A wide range of technical sessions will be offered as part of the TMC Fall Meeting. Among the subjects to be addressed:
·Cleaning diesel exhaust particulate filters.
·Developing an effective electrical training program.
·EGR cooler cleaning and maintenance.
·APUs, inverters and in-cab power management.
·Trailer disposal options.
·Determining an operation’s potential carbon footprint.
· Differences between automatic transmission fluids.
·Cab entry and egress on specialty and vocational vehicles.
REGULATORY ISSUES
In addition to an economic forecast for trucking, there will be sessions that discuss new regulations and their potential consequences on the industry. The regulations and legislative matters on the meeting agenda include:
·The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) - a new initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes, injuries and fatalities.
· The EPA SmartWay program.
· The California Air Resources Board (CARB).
· The new federal stopping distance regulations for tractors and the effect on vehicle specifications.
New efforts to standardize multimodal wireless connectivity and the impact on safety, mobility and environmental issues.
MORE LEARNING
Additional educational opportunities are available for meeting attendees through the Professional Technician Development Committee Technician (PTDC) Training Fair. This is a series of hands-on training sessions specifically developed to help commercial vehicle technicians, shop supervisors and fleet managers keep their skills sharp.
The training qualifies for National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation continuing education credits.
As part of the Fall Meeting, more than 100 TMC Task Forces will work on Recommended Practices, Information Reports, Position Papers and Technical Policy Advisories. TMC’s annual Town Meeting, Fleet Operators’ Forum and Fleet Talk sessions will again provide the opportunity for maintenance and equipment professionals to seek redress to equipment problems and exchange information related to equipment issues.
Held in conjunction with the fall meeting is the annual TMCSuperTech - North America’s premier skills competition for professional commercial vehicle technicians.
Full details on TMC’s 2010 Fall Meeting, along with registration information and the particulars on the TMCSuperTech 2010, is available online at TMC’s website - http://tmc.truckline.com - or by calling the organization at (703) 838-1755.
