If you’re running a short haul fleet you may be confused about how the Hours of Service rules and ELD Mandate affect you; let us try to clear things up.
Exemption from ELDs
If your drivers meet the short haul definition set by the FMCSA then you are not required to maintain RODS and therefore not required to log hours with an ELD.
Short Haul Driver Definition by the FMCSA
Short-haul drivers who are not subject to the 30-minute rest break provision of the new hours-of-service rules must:
Not exceed 11 hours of driving
Start/finish at the same location within 12 hours
Have minimum time off between shifts of 10 hours
Operate within, and not exceed, 100 mile radius of starting/ending location
Worried You Do Not Qualify For Exemption?
Your drivers are required to maintain a Record of Duty Status (RODS) if they are travelling outside of the 100 mile radius of their “home base” or exceeding the allotted 11 hours of driving time. Meaning that when the ELD mandate goes into effect – your drivers WILL be required to log their hours on an electronic logging device.
This year, the majority of trucking fleets will be focused on making the transition from paper logs to electronic logs (ELDs) if they haven’t already. While the Phased-In Compliance doesn’t start until this December, it’s important for carriers to do research and decision-making now so they can have ELDs implemented in time for the new rule. By the end of this year, motor carriers and drivers subject to the rule must use AOBRDs (Automatic On Board Recording Devices) or ELDs. So, for many carriers, updating their Hours of Service plan will be at the top of their to-do list.
The number of fleet compliance solutions out on the market can definitely make picking one a daunting task. How do you know which one is better? The choice is now easier with our affordable Hours of Service (HOS) plan.
GoFleet Announces New HOS Plan for Hours of Service
We are now offering Hours of Service features to customers on a new fleet management software feature plan, called the HOS plan. Previously, HOS compliance with Geotab Drive or Garmin HOS was part of the ProPlus plan.
Our telematics-based compliance solution provides all the management features you need for a reasonable fee.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s included.
With the HOS plan, carriers can get the Geotab Drive and Garmin HOS compliance tools. Geotab Drive is a mobile app that can be used on a driver’s smartphone or tablet (Android or iOS). IFTA miles recording and device tampering detection are also included.
The HOS plan provides other features such as instant GPS tracking using patented curve based algorithms, basic driver coaching, vehicle maintenance reminders, and driver ID with NFC. Since our software is an open platform, customization is available and users have access to the free software development kit and APIs.
View the feature list below:
Part of the HOS Plan from GoFleet, offering key compliance features at an affordable cost.
Survey Finds Small Fleets Are Slower to Get On Board with ELDs
Fleet Owner magazine’s Kevin Jones reports that small fleets (less than 250 trucks) have been delaying the move to electronic logging. Only 33% of small fleets had rolled out ELDs as of September 2016. Compare that figure with the 81% ELD implementation rate for large fleets and you can definitely see the difference. The results are based on a survey of more than 400 carriers.
Reasons given for the delay include concerns over driver acceptance and the ELD lawsuit. However, the latest development on the legal front is that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit denied a petition from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association for a rehearing of the lawsuit. Last year, the court found that the ELD rule did not violate the Fourth Amendment.
ELDs Improve Fleet Productivity and Efficiency
Some fleets may believe making the switch to ELDs will be costly. However, our HOS plan shows that electronic logs are not out of reach. Contrary to perception, ELDs can improve and support fleet productivity and efficiency. ELDs provide many benefits for fleets well beyond Hours of Service. Geofencing, fuel usage monitoring, and invoice scanning are just some of these extras. As a greater number of trucking fleets make the switch, the advantage of electronic logging and telematics will soon be common knowledge.
Original Article: https://www.geotab.com/blog/hours-of-service-plan/
Written By: Vik Sridhar, Solutions Engineer & HOS Expert at Geotab
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found in a study that security guards suffered fatal workplace injuries at more than twice that of workers in general. These risks were especially prevalent at night. These guards were stationed in department stores, shopping centers, office buildings, transportation terminals, museums and more. Their injuries came from retaliation by belligerent customers, robberies, and senseless attacks. Usually they are on their own with nobody readily available to back them up. It can be a tough job, and employers should give their guards all the tools they need to succeed and stay safe.
Lone Defender is a device every security guard or other lone worker should be using to ensure they are protected. It gives workers the peace of mind knowing that they can instantly request backup. Lone Defender can even make emergency calls itself when it senses distress. Employers using Lone Defender know that their workers are properly equipped, and they can also track their status through a dashboard to make sure the job site is fully protected.
A Rugged Handheld Device
Lone Defender has numerous capabilities; perhaps most importantly, it has GPS technology that can rapidly provide location information. This information can be sent off to first responders if an emergency is detected. Lone Defender also includes a man down feature with an accelerometer, which allows the device to detect falls. If the device senses that the holder has fallen and not gotten back up, it will send an emergency signal. The device is also durable enough to survive almost any environment. It has a very low power consumption to ensure it will make it through any shift on a charge and can easily be updated with new software versions.
The device provides a range of communication options. A quick press of a button can send a text message, but the Lone Defender can also function as a telephone. Lone Defender can easily register check-in information utilizing RFID tags staged around the work site. The device has an emergency panic button that will send an emergency signal with GPS coordinates, and it can route calls along a roll-call escalation until an emergency contact picks up the phone.
Real Time Data for Employers
Employers get an easy-to-use interface with real-time GPS information on every worker using a Lone Defender. They can make sure workers are making their rounds by ensuring that RFID scans have been made as required. These are all displayed onto a map of the area and can be paired with a pre-set amount of time between stops to make and keep a schedule. Employers can get an instant alert if patrols are not being completed, and they can easily send requests for a call if workers do not seem to be in the right location.
Fleet managers often struggle with thinking proactively about fleet safety. When an accident occurs, most fleet managers wish they could be safer; but it’s hard to define exactly what fleet safety is or how to improve it.
What is Fleet Safety?
As the New York Times recently reported, traffic deaths are actually on the rise after years of decline. The suspected culprit: distracted driving. The problem has moved from phone calls and texts to now drivers using various smartphone apps while behind the wheel. Insurance companies have called it “a serious public safety concern for the nation” and say they are trying to figure out what to do.
For fleet managers, the challenge is establishing a culture where drivers are focused on doing their job and following proper procedures. It is important for fleet managers to take an active role in driver behavior. That means investing in driver training, communicating openly about expectations, and rewarding good drivers. A strong telematics system is vital to these components for improving driver safety.
How to Improve Fleet Safety
Step one is to get good data on what your drivers are doing. We provide fleet managers with Driver ID Keys so that every time a vehicle starts up they know who is driving it and what that driver does. You can then track seat belt usage, vehicle speed, acceleration, harsh braking, and aggressive cornering for each of your drivers.
The next step is to use this data to effectively coach your drivers. Real-time driver feedback can be set-up through our spoken-word GoTalk alerts; for example, warning a driver about speeding or failing to put on a seat belt. These verbal warnings, like “you are currently driving 80 miles per hour,” can often be more useful than the traditional safety “beeps”.
We also suggest our clients set up safety-focused Driver Scorecard Reports that show drivers exactly where they need to improve. Drivers can be ranked against each other and given recognition for good performance or penalized for unsafe events. If an accident does occur, our software can provide an accident report; time, speed, and g-force data is automatically uploaded for first responders and later accident reconstruction. Having good information about what happened can drastically reduce the cost of accident claims to a fleet.
ZenduCAM Takes Safety to the Next Level
While standard GPS monitoring and real-time coaching will undoubtedly improve safety, a full camera monitoring system can take it to the next level. ZenduCAM cameras look out from the dashboard and in at your driver’s cab. These cameras can be monitored in real time from a desktop or smartphone. The cameras can also be set to record footage around certain events. This can be used to show exactly what happened in an accident, either to exonerate or retrain a driver. The ZenduCAM system can also be set to record exactly what the driver was seeing while speeding or braking suddenly.
A risky driver can be a ticking time bomb for any company if not handled quickly and effectively. Let’s take a look at some best practices when using telematics to deal with a risky driver.
Identify the Problem
Take a look at the data and identify the risky driving behaviour. Is it speeding? Is it failed seatbelt use? Is it harsh braking? All of the above? Whatever it is, you want to be sure you are aware of it before bringing it up to your drivers. This way, you can describe the problem and why it is harming not only the company but likely putting drivers in danger as well.
Offer Group Training
Instead of alienating a driver, it’s often better to start out by reviewing the overall findings with your entire team of drivers and setting targets. Present the data in a way that’s easy to understand and review what some of the consequences could be for both the company and the driver.
Enable In-Vehicle Driver Coaching
In-vehicle driver coaching is a feature offered by some telematics companies that allows you to essentially train your drivers while they’re on the road. You can usually customize the rules and enable alerts for poor driving habits like speeding, harsh braking, seatbelt use, and more.
Monitor the Driver’s Habits
It’s now up to your drivers, give them a little time to adjust to the new policies and monitor how their habits change. Hopefully, you will notice a decrease in the risky behaviour.
4.1 Consult with the Driver Directly (Optional)
If you notice after the group training and in-vehicle driver coaching you still have a high-risk driver, it’s time to address the concern with them directly. Show the driver their reports in comparison with the rest of the company, and point out specifically what they are doing wrong. Make it clear that you are looking out for both their best interest and what is best for the company. If necessary, you may also want to add a consequence, such as a write-up, if the behaviour continues to persist.
Offer Safety Incentives
A little competition never hurt anyone, right? So why not reward employees for making significant improvements. Some solutions offer great reports, like our driver scorecard, which shows each driver’s overall score (using speeding, harsh braking, seat-belt-use, etc.) for the time period selected. What many of our customers do is post this up in their lunchroom at the end of each month for drivers to see how they compare to their colleagues. Then at the end of each quarter the driver with the best score is rewarded with a gift card or extra vacation day.
If you still have questions on how to effectively improve the habits of a risky driver, we are more than happy to help. We’ve seen tons of different scenarios and are well versed in different ways to handle high-risk drivers. Feel free to reach out!
With the release of the new US Food Safety Modernization Act, there is a huge increase in demand for reefer temperature monitoring systems. But with the release of this new mandate, it’s important to ensure the system you choose, is one that will keep you in line with the FSMA.
We’ve put together the top 5 things to look for when choosing a reefer temperature monitoring system, to stay in compliance with the FSMA – and get what’s best for you and your customers.
Cold Chain Compliant
First and foremost, before looking any further make sure the system is in compliance with the US FSMA.
Immediate Alerts for Out-of-Range Temperatures
What good is it having a reefer temperature monitoring system, if you don’t get immediate alerts when the temperature is out of range? Make sure the system you choose has the capabilities to send immediate alerts whenever the temperature in your reefers goes too high or too low, so you can act on it immediately to keep your transported goods safe.
Temperature Recording in Small Increments
Sometimes the smallest change in temperature can have a big impact on the goods you are transporting. It’s important to look for a system that records in less than 1 degree increments.
Real-Time Multiple Zone Temperature Tracking
The temperature in the front of the reefer may not always be the same at the back of the reefer. With multiple zone monitoring, you can ensure all good inside the truck are kept at the appropriate temperature.
Remote & Easy Access to Up-to-Date Temperature Information
Real-time dashboard visualization and easily accessible detailed temperature reports are a critical component to keep your receiver happy, as well as comply with the FSMA reports required.
*Bonus Tip: Wireless sensors usually mean easier installation. Rather than pay expensive install fees, choose a system that your technician can easily install to keep costs down.
Every fleet manager should remember the old saying, “if you are standing still you are falling behind.” That is the truth when it comes to making investments in Fleet Management Services. Fleet managers get hung up on “return on investment” and fail to consider the “cost of ignoring.” In other words, it is a mistake to worry so much about the cost of new technology if that makes you forget about the costs of failing to adopt new technology when the rest of your industry is moving forward without you.
Why Investing in a Reliable Fleet Management System is the Right Choice
Consider some of the money you could be losing by ignoring strong fleet management solutions. First, there are safety costs. Accidents themselves often cost tens of thousands of dollars in damage not covered by insurance along with lost productivity. Of course, failing to control for safety can drive up insurance costs as well. Second, without good telematics, fleet managers will fail to effectively control fuel costs. They will have no way to correct their employees that drive too aggressively or even catch those that may be stealing fuel. Third, fleet management services are vital for efficient maintenance of vehicles. In the old days, technicians had to run around the lot to check odometers to figure out when a vehicle would need to be serviced. Now, sophisticated sensors can keep fleet managers informed in real time on the upcoming maintenance needs for specific systems on specific vehicles. This allows fleet managers to better schedule maintenance to minimize downtime. Controlling driver behavior also helps improve the lifetime of vehicle parts. Finally, good fleet management solutions can drastically improve driver efficiency by maximizing their time spent on the road and saving money that would be lost paying drivers who have unused duty time or have to wait on their vehicles to be ready to go.
Implementing Fleet Management Solutions: Case Studies
Between Geotab (our partner) and ourselves, we have a number of success stories that illustrate how fleet management services can root out “ignored” costs. For example, Red Hawk Fire & Security adopted telematics primarily to help reduce its accident rate. Red Hawk may not ever be fully able to understand the number of accidents that it prevented with the new system, so the return on investment may be hard to quantify. The company certainly seems to have understood, that ignoring the safety problem could cost the company dearly. This lead Red Hawk to invest in a telematics system to monitor its drivers and provide corrective feedback as needed. As it turned out, accidents dropped 80% and seatbelt use was dramatically improved as well. The company also found that with better oversight its employees became more efficient in the field, and because of that Red Hawk is now able to serve more customers per day. Without the telematics monitoring that is becoming more common in the industry, the company may never have realized that its technicians could be saving time every day.
Ideal Plumbing
The productivity lost without modern fleet management services is difficult to measure, Ideal Plumbing learned. The company lets its technicians control their vehicles at all times. That gave the company little control over what employees did with their trucks after hours, and when the company adopted telematics it suddenly realized the costs it had been suffering by ignoring after-hours activity. The fleet management services allowed Ideal Plumbing to keep its trucks focused on business travel and thereby reduce fuel use and wear and tear on its vehicles. Ideal Plumbing also implemented a discrete system of sharing performance metrics with its drivers so those drivers can see their performance and have opportunities to improve. Ideal Plumbing says it has seen a huge improvement just by telling drivers how they are doing and it is now seeking to improve further with a reward system.
Crown Uniform & Linen Service
Another great example is Crown Uniform & Linen Service, a company that realized it was losing a huge amount of money from idling trucks. Crown’s drivers make 30 to 40 stops per day, and the company has always tried to reduce the amount of time spent idling. Success was often hard to find, until Crown installed telematics in partnership with an environmental group called Sustainable America. Crown found that its drivers were idling for 70 minutes per day on average, and some were idling two to five hours per day. Managers were shocked, but the problem soon began to improve after managers began receiving Geotab data pointing out problem areas and allowing them to correct drivers that were failing to shut down their engines. Crown saw its average idling time drop to just seven minutes per day. That has delivered thousands in fuel savings that Crown would never have known about without installing Geotab-based fleet management services.
Getting the Most Out of Your Telematics Data?
The key to getting the most out your telematics system is a strong partnership with your vendor and industry leading hardware and software. We offer a comprehensive telematics system with Geotab’s GPS units at our core. We get the most out of the GPS data provided by Geotab with our comprehensive fleet management solutions. We pair Geotab units with engine sensors, fuel gauges, tire pressure gauges, cameras, refrigeration units sensors, and so much more. Data is collected from all these sensors and fed back to our central reporting system where fleet managers can monitor their entire fleet in real time. Fleet managers can also set automatic alerts so they can attend to other business until GoFleet alerts them to a problem. Our system can even be installed in a tamper-resistant manner if necessary. Most importantly, we work hand-in-hand with our customers to ensure they are getting the most return on investment possible with our system.
Check out this short video that explains how quickly you can get started. You can also read more about our services and we are happy to provide a free demonstration to any fleet manager looking to save money with modern fleet management solutions. Our experienced team will highlight your pain points and show you how to root out your unnecessary costs, “ignored” or otherwise.
As part of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently introduced a new law on the sanitary transportation of food. According to the new FDA food rule, carriers and shippers will be responsible for ensuring proper temperature has been maintained for the entire transportation of the food, within the US.
The new sanitary transport rule results from a consultation process between the food and transportation industries and the government over the last two years. The rule applies to both animal and human food transported in bulk and open containers.
Who Must Comply with the Food Safety Rule?
Carriers, shippers, and receivers, transporting food in the United States by rail or motor vehicle are subject to the new rule. For shippers, the company will need to provide proof that the appropriate temperature was maintained at the shipping staging area prior to moving it into the carrier vehicle.
In turn, the carrier is then required to document the following two things:
1) The transport vehicle was pre-cooled to the appropriate temperature prior to the load transfer
2) Appropriate temperatures were maintained for the entire duration of the trip.
The carrier must ensure the food arrived at the receiving location at the appropriate temperature. The receiver may also request a report from both the carrier and shipper to confirm the right temperatures were maintained from point A to point B.
FDA Food Safety Rule Compliance Deadline
Larger fleets have one year from the publication date (April 2017) to comply, and smaller fleets have two years (April 2018) to comply.
Temperature Monitoring is Essential to Sanitary Transportation
Proper refrigeration of food during transportation is one of the main responsibilities under the food safety rule. Temperature tracking and telematics can significantly help with fleet compliance to new guidelines.
Temptrac, a solution developed by our partner Valor, is Cold Chain Custody Compliant, meeting both the US FMSA and European EN12830 requirements. The solution provides you with real-time temperature monitoring of your mobile and stationary refrigerated assets, anytime, anywhere. The Temptrac kit comes pre-programmed with two long lasting wireless sensor that allow you to track two different temperature zones independently, with the added option of expanding to four if needed.
How Trailer Temperature Tracking Works
There are four components to the Valor TempTrac temperature tracking solution: sensors, antenna, CAN bus, and Geotab GO device:
Internally-mounted sensors simultaneously monitor and record 0.5 degree trailer temperature changes in real-time.
An antenna transmits data wirelessly from the sensors to the CAN bus and Geotab GO telematics device. In addition to trailer temperature data, the Geotab GO device collects a wealth of GPS location info and engine data.
Data can be accessed and managed through the MyGeotab fleet management software. Fleet managers can set customized temperature thresholds and immediate alerts for out of range breaches. The driver receives immediate SMS or email alerts for temperature changes over and under the pre-set range.
Temperature tracking doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple plug-&-play installation of the Valor TempTrac + Geotab solution means that a trailer or truck will be up and running again in 20 minutes, providing immediate temperature visibility.
In addition to meeting your end-to-end cold chain management needs, seamless telematics integration provides added-value.
Protecting Safety with Data-Driven Technology
The FDA’s new rule is a step forward for food safety and will help protect millions of people from foodborne illness. Temperature tracking technology will play a very important role in increasing monitoring accuracy and improving safety in the food supply chain.
Data-driven solutions are only as reliable as the sensors that capture them. It’s critical to select sensor technology that is robust, reliable, and precise. A comprehensive solution will track temperatures through the life of a shipment, and also show trends over time and provide driver alerts. Understanding temperature throughout the chain of custody enables shippers to deliver food safely and confidently to their customers.
Learn More
Valor TempTrac Reefer Temperature Monitoring – Valor TempTrac monitors up to four temperature zones simultaneously and transmits temperature readings through your Geotab GO device to MyGeotab in real time. Companies that ship fresh produce, frozen goods, or high-value assets such as pharmaceuticals via refrigerated transport can benefit from this solution.
Key Benefits:
Real-time monitoring of temperature, samples every four seconds, transmits every ten seconds, or 1 degree temperature change.
Immediate SMS or email alerts for over- and under-temperature changes.
Track temperatures through the life of a shipment and trend temperatures over time.
About Valor
Valor is a research and design institute as well as a manufacturer of advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. Their Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitoring System (TPTMS) has been specifically engineered to meet the challenges of fleet management in reducing tire maintenance and fuel costs while increasing safety.
As an article from earlier this year in Fleet Equipment Magazine makes clear, shipping costs for refrigerated goods can be greatly reduced with a good fleet temperature monitoring system. Of course, putting a monitoring system in place requires an investment from the fleet manager who must decide if the anticipated savings will be worth the investment. However, now with the release of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), temperature monitoring and reporting is a must. The potential gains range from the obvious to the more subtle.
The most obvious cost savings come from eliminating spoilage. Real-time temperature monitoring allows central oversight of truck temperatures and can allow easy verification that proper temperatures were maintained throughout a journey. These records can also be used to defend against claims that good were damaged by heat in transit. This is important for every product, including fresh produce and frozen food, but it is also incredibly important for high-value assets like pharmaceuticals.
A good fleet temperature monitoring system also allows fleet managers to better manage their people, especially when combined with sensors that monitor things like mileage, engine performance, location, and movement. An integrated monitoring system allows fleet managers to know if their vehicles suddenly begin to burn a lot more fuel than normal. That can be a sign that fuel is being lost because of a maintenance problem or even because of theft on the part of a driver. A monitoring system can track duty time of drivers and anticipate upcoming maintenance needs based on mileage or engine hours.
Perhaps just as importantly, real-time monitoring can eliminate countless hours of running around the yard locating trucks and checking their status one at a time. Because trucks are generally only making money when they are hauling a load, good data is necessary for a large fleet to maximize its utilization.
WHY CHOOSE US?
Our fleet temperature monitoring system is an industry leader in temperature monitoring systems and is cold chain custody compliant. It provides real-time temperature monitoring with a check every four seconds in up to four different zones in each truck. No manual inspections are required, and fleet managers can get an automatic alert when temperatures reach a critical level. These continuous temperature checks are also recorded to assure accountability and help maximize the usage of a fleet, and remain in compliance with the FSMA.
Our system is fully integrated with other add-ons and add-ins, including our GPS vehicle tracking device that collects data from a number of available sensors on board a vehicle and then provides that information to a fleet manager’s central monitoring system.
Our wireless temperature monitoring system relies on sensors from Valor, a leading research and design institute known for precise and reliable sensors. Valor designs and manufactures its own sensors; the in-house manufacturing component allows Valor to constantly innovate and keep costs down. Valor has partnered with Geotab, the manufacturer of our GPS-enabled tracking devices. The devices collect data from the vehicle and then our software collects presents this data to fleet managers in a user-friendly and stress-free interface.
It’s well known across the fleet management industry that preventative maintenance (PM) will reduce downtime and save you money, yet so many companies still fail to have one in place. Here’s a quick introduction to setting up a top-notch PM program for your fleet.
What’s Preventative Maintenance and Why’s It Important?
Preventative maintenance is regularly scheduled maintenance on a vehicle to reduce breakdowns. PM is done while the vehicle is still in working condition, in order to keep it running at optimal performance levels and greatly reduce downtime.
PM is important because it minimizes downtime and maximizes revenue.
If you don’t have a preventative maintenance program in place, you are putting your vehicles and drivers at a much higher risk of breakdowns and costly downtime. Preventative maintenance also helps keep your vehicles running in top shape, which can directly have an effect on the efficiency and fuel economy of your vehicles.
Why Do So Many People Fail to Perform Preventative Maintenance?
While preventative maintenance saves time and money in the long run, fleet managers and business owners often only look at the initial costs and time investment necessary — and do not look at the entire big picture. Implementing a preventative maintenance program may take some initial costs and dedicated time from your team up front, but the pay off in the long run is well worth it.
Preventative Maintenance Made Easier With Telematics
There are multiple maintenance management software systems out there on the market, but many are missing one critical aspect, which is the ability to actually communicate with the vehicles. When a maintenance management system can communicate with your vehicles, the entire process can almost be automatic, with very little room for human error.
That’s where telematics comes into play. By combining maintenance management software with vehicle engine data, such as odometer and engine faults, preventative maintenance can be triggered to schedule within the software automatically.
How to Set Up a Preventative Maintenance Plan Successfully
Perform an inventory of all fleet vehicles. Review the maintenance records for each vehicle to determine regularly required maintenance activities and parts. Establish a list of priority vehicles.
Set an annual budget for maintenance.
Implement a maintenance management system to automate and streamline work orders, PM scheduling, inventory and parts management, purchasing, and reporting. By using an online maintenance assistant for reporting, you can measure and analyze key program metrics such as: closed work orders with all costs; work orders suggested vs. completion date; low stock report; and maintenance by type.
Create a PM checklist & schedule. Be sure to consult the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedules for each vehicle to help establish appropriate frequencies. Implement a system for sending alerts when maintenance is due.
Determine the best method for communicating maintenance plans and receiving reports and feedback, e.g. informal (emails, calls, weekly updates) or formal (monthly meetings with a structured agenda).
Establish the method of record-keeping on ongoing maintenance activities. How will the information be reported and where will it be stored?
Review and analyze the PM program regularly to ensure that it is meeting your budget and expectations. Look for areas of improvement where possible.
