Fleet Maintenance Operations

Vehicle Maintenance Facility

The Transportation Manager will determine the coverage and hour guidelines for the Maintenance Facility. The Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor will establish a rotational and on-call schedule for all assigned vehicle maintenance personnel subject to the following:

Core Business Hours

Not withstanding emergency operations, the Vehicle Maintenance Division is open for vehicle and equipment maintenance / repairs between the core hours of 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

Off-Hour Coverage and Rotation Guidelines

The Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor, Shop Foreman, or a mechanic, will be on-call at all times during "off-hours" to provide continuous maintenance coverage for St. Mary's County Government vehicles. The Transportation Manager will set up an on-call schedule that rotates on-call hours weekly between all Fleet Maintenance personnel in accordance with administrative Equipment Mechanic(s) Call-Out Procedures and guidelines adopted by the Department on April 10, 2008.

This individual employee is responsible for advising the Supervisor if a replacement is needed.

Use of Facilities & Equipment

The Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor will have responsibility for managing all maintenance facilities and equipment under their supervision. County facilities and equipment shall not be used for personal business, gain, or profit. Non-County activities are also prohibited unless authorized by the Commissioners of St. Mary's County (i.e., Christmas in April).

Maintenance Facility Inspections

The Transportation Manager is required to ensure that the interior of the vehicle maintenance facility is in a clean, orderly and accessible condition on a day-to-day basis, as well as compliant with all federal and state regulations. The MD Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation performs inspections of the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (Shop). During the inspection, the state will identify and list any alleged hazards on a charging document / Citation and Notification of Penalty that will specifically describe violations of the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Transportation Manager shall complete the corresponding Abatement Verification Response Form and indicate what actions have been taken to address the violations and maintain a copy in the Transportation Division records. In conjunction with LGIT, the County's Risk Manager also conducts annual Hazard Evaluation Surveys and provides loss prevention recommendations and deadlines for reporting compliance.

Fleet Management System

The Transportation Division will use a microcomputer based information management system to track all vehicles and equipment by the assigned Plant #. Transportation will acquire and use software to tie all fleet shops, storerooms and offices together in a wide area network. User departments will be offered an opportunity if available to log into the fleet system to obtain statistical information, following security access procedures, as defined by the Transportation Division and the Department of Information Technology (IT).

The HTE Fleet Management Module Vehicle Flagging System primary features are: Equipment inventory tracking; job order entry; scheduled and unscheduled maintenance; automated refueling system; pool equipment; equipment warranties; accident records; user, productivity, life cycle cost analyses reports; security; insurance information tracking; manufacturer recall tracking; service request tracking; electronic mail notification; and billing.

Repair, Towing & Impoundment

For other than preventive maintenance, user departments must complete a Vehicle Repair Checklist Form for maintenance on vehicles, equipment, and non-tagged small motorized equipment. The completed form will then be forwarded to the Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor. All requests for services that can be scheduled (repairs, equipment installation, bodywork, etc.) will be processed in this manner. For in-service breakdowns that require a road call or a tow, the Vehicle Maintenance Repair Checklist Form will be completed by a Transportation Division mechanic or the Transportation Coordinator.

In 2006, the Division selected qualified contractors to perform towing services during regular hours, off-hours and holidays from both within and out of St. Mary's County. Towing services will be for normal breakdowns, emergencies, abandoned/confiscated vehicles seized for investigation purposes.

For towing required between 6 am and 11 pm, contact the Transportation Division at (301) 475-4200, ext. 1120. For towing after hours and/or Sundays, contact the Transportation Manager at (301) 481-2064.

The Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor will review the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Checklist Form for completeness and accuracy of information. Should any information be missing or unclear, he/ she will contact the originator of the request and obtain the necessary information. The Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor will determine the extent and severity of the repairs needed. The Supervisor will coordinate with the Inventory Clerk as to availability of parts. The Inventory Clerk will verify in-stock parts and order any part(s) needed to re-stock inventory level requirements. For scheduled maintenance, the Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor will establish a service date and notify the user department. Since the user agency is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle arrives on the scheduled maintenance date, reasonable notice of service will be given.