Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets (2016)

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T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP REPORT 184 TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2016 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation Subject Areas Administration and Management • Maintenance and Preservation • Public Transportation Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets Ken Mall EDSI ConSultIng Dearborn, MI w i th Transportation Learning Center Silver Spring, MD Transit Resource Center Winter Springs, FL and June Sekera Encinitas, CA

TCRP REPORT 184 Project E-10 ISSN 1073-4872 ISBN 978-0-309-37503-0 © 2016 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FRA, FTA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, PHMSA, or TDC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Cur- rent systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating prob- lems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Coopera- tive Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Coop- erative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit ser- vice providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices. TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organi- zations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research organization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for propos- als), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminat- ing TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agen- cies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, train- ing aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are imple- mented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners. TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Published reports of the TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to http://www.national-academies.org and then searching for TRB

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org. The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to increase the benefits that transportation contributes to society by providing leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied committees, task forces, and panels annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 184 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Gwen Chisholm Smith, Senior Program Officer Natasha R. Donawa, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Ellen M. Chafee, Editor TCRP PROJECT E-10 PANEL Field of Maintenance Jeff Hamm, C-Tran, Vancouver, WA (Chair) John E. Brundage, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Everett, MA A. Mark Dalton, King County (WA) Metro, Seattle, WA Bobby J. Griffin, Griffin and Associates, Flower Mound, TX Michael Hernandez, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Monterey, CA John King, JMK Consulting, Lethbridge, AB, Canada Louwana Oliva, Centre Area Transit Authority (CATA), State College, PA James D. Pachan, AC Transit, Oakland, CA Henry Sullivan, Washingtonville, NY Betty F. Jackson, FTA Liaison Jeff Hiott, APTA Liaison Thomas Lenane, TWU Liaison James Lindsay, ATU Liaison James W. Bryant, Jr., TRB Liaison

F O R E W O R D By Gwen Chisholm Smith Staff Officer Transportation Research Board TCRP Report 184: Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets identifies existing tools and practices used to determine optimum maintenance technician staffing levels and provides an analysis of variables that influence maintenance technician staffing needs. The report also documents the research team’s development of an MS Excel- based Maintenance Staffing Calculator, a tool for managers of transit agencies of any size to use in estimating the optimal number of bus maintenance staff to meet current maintenance needs. It may also be used as a predictive tool, to determine staffing needs during the vehicle procurement process. The Maintenance Staffing Calculator is designed to help maintenance managers (1) break down staff by location or sub-fleet; (2) adjust raw employee numbers to full-time equivalents and available productive hours using information on current technician staffing, other employees contributing to maintenance, breaks, vacations, and shift informa- tion; (3) calculate preventive maintenance, core maintenance, and unscheduled maintenance task hours required by sub-fleet; (4) calculate heavy maintenance and repair hours required; (5) model effects on staffing of changes to fleet composition or usage; (6) model effects on staffing of changes to maintenance times or intervals, accounting for overtime required; and (7) compare results to a group of peer agencies. The Maintenance Staffing Calculator, a User Guide and a PowerPoint presentation summarizing TCRP Project E-10 are available on TRB. org by searching for “TCRP Report 184.” At one time, a simple measurement was used to determine whether a transit agency had adequate maintenance technician staff—a basic bus-to-mechanic ratio. If an agency had four or five buses per mechanic, it was considered to have an excellent bus-to-mechanic ratio. That formula is clearly from a time when engines were less complex, most fleets were using diesel fuel, and computers were not an essential mechanic tool. Today, a computer is as essential as a socket wrench and the number of maintenance technicians needed to main- tain a modern fleet can be difficult to measure. The number of maintenance technicians at a transit agency is based on financial constraints, fleet age, annual miles, powertrain type, how much work is outsourced, and a multitude of other key factors. There is no “textbook” formula for maintenance managers trying to determine the optimum ratio of maintenance technicians for their fleet size, as the number varies tremendously among public transit fleets. Many public transit buses are in service well beyond the FTA minimum requirement of 12 years, 500,000 miles. Transit agencies replacing buses are faced with significant leaps in technology over the past 6 to 12 years and now can purchase clean diesel and hybrid engines and choose among various alternative fuels—all of which require highly skilled technicians. In addition, today’s new engines require preventive maintenance every 3,000 miles, half the rate of the older, simpler engines. With new labor-intensive engines, various fuel types,

highly sophisticated electronics, and an increase in preventive maintenance frequencies, many maintenance managers realize they need to hire additional staff. The results of this research provide a resource to help maintenance managers evaluate staffing requirements to maintain an aging, high-mileage fleet or to transition into new technology hybrid or battery-powered engines. EDSI Consulting prepared this report under TCRP Project E-10. The primary objective of this research was to produce an interactive staffing tool for use in determining optimum maintenance technician staffing levels for small, medium, and large public transit bus and other revenue fleets. To accomplish this objective, a review of fleet and staffing data from 321 transit agencies in the National Transit Database were analyzed, and two rounds of in-depth interviews with transit agencies were conducted to identify main factors driving technician staffing levels. In addition to these data-gathering efforts, the research team developed the Maintenance Staffing Calculator, an MS Excel-based tool to help transit systems of various sizes deter- mine the optimum number of maintenance technicians required to maintain a modern public transit fleet.

C O N T E N T S 1 Summary 4 Chapter 1 Analysis of the National Transit Database and Other Data 4 Process 4 Overall Characteristics of the Data Set 4 Effects of Agency Size on Maintenance Staffing Levels 4 Effects of Duty Cycle on Maintenance Staffing Levels 11 Effects of Spare Ratio on Maintenance Staffing Levels 11 Measuring Correlation of Variables with Maintenance Staffing Levels 15 Chapter 2 Analysis of Maintenance Staffing and Practice at Selected Agencies 15 First Round of Data Collection—Initial Questionnaire 16 Data Collection Issues—Initial Questionnaire 17 Second Round of Data Collection—Revised Questionnaire 17 Participating Agency Characteristics 19 Overall Results 20 Correlations and Possible Effects of Various Factors 27 Supply Model versus Demand Model 28 Chapter 3 Training Practices, Skill Gap Analysis, and Connection to Staffing Levels 29 Chapter 4 Maintenance Staffing Calculator and User Guide 31 Chapter 5 Implementation Plan and Future Research