We alway had a Chief Engineer that did all the maintence on our trucks, he died a couple of years ago and instead of placing a new person in those shoes we all decide that we'd all pitch in to help. Its been working out great so far. I was curious if any other department has one or is it a name that's in the past?
TJ, what kind of maintenance are you talking about - minor things like electrical stuff, oil changes, that type of thing? Or are you doing brakes, tires, and so on?
Back in the day we used to do as much of it as we could, when trucks seemed a lot simpler and we had a lot more time on our hands. We never had a Chief Engineer title although there were a few guys who really understood trucks. Today, unless it's really minor we call in a certified emergency vehicle tech to do repairs. He does just about everything - air brakes, electrical wiring, pump repairs, you name it.
One thing we haven't asked him to do yet is radio installations.
TJ, we have on in our dept. I was Chief Engineer for 15yrs then I became an asscoiate member then I moved. I did everything except what had to be done by the truck dealership had to do. Even though I have left they still have one and does a good job.
Permalink Reply by ECB on October 9, 2008 at 2:51pm
We have one. He, and two assistants take care of routine, minor stuff, as well as driver training and testing. The major work is done by the municipal mechanic.
One company that I run with has a chief engineer and two assistant engineers; one for each station. Another company that I run with has a chief engineer and 4 assistants. I guess it depends on your company if you would appoint / elect a chief engineer or not.