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• <br />• <br />~~- <br />_: <br />.~... ~ ~1~'1.r <br />:~ <br />I <br />~ _~ <br />•-- <br />~^-•~~~ <br />.z`..~..x~.,~-~. <br /> <br />~ ~~ <br />. ~ R <br />.~ t e <br />`' <br />~~ <br />- ~ '~ r _~ <br />i <br />s* <br />~_ <br />~, . ~ -- <br />~,,. ~s s ~ <br />_. ....-` te`- <br />r^ <br />- ~ a'fwa -', <br />• t ~ ~ ~ ~ ,~ ~~~ <br />~ ~i ti. Y <br />Miller Transporters has developed a reputation as a maintenance leader in the tank truck industry. Maintenance policy is <br />established by maintenance managers at Jackson MS, and carried out by terminal managers at Miller's 22 terminals throughout <br />the South. Thts shop at the Mobile AL terminal is typical of those found at Miller's larger terminals. <br />Leading bulk carrier shows <br />Miller Time =Maintenance Time <br />WHEN the last Class 8 tractor <br />to be built at the International <br />Harvester plant in Fort Wayne, In- <br />diana, left the assembly line, it <br />would have been a safe bet that the <br />F-4270 tractor was destined for a <br />long life. That is because the tractor <br />was purchased by Miller Transport- <br />ers of Jackson, Mississippi, a com- <br />pany which has developed a reputa- <br />tion as a maintenance leader in the <br />maintenance-conscious tank truck <br />industry. <br />The first stop for any new tractor <br />or trailer added to Miller's special- <br />ized bulk hauling fleet is the mainte- <br />nance shop, where it receives a <br />thorough inspection. The visit to the <br />shop is just the first of many the <br />equipment will make on a regular <br />basis throughout its service life with <br />Miller. <br />Miller Transporters operates some <br />600 tractors which are used to pull a <br />variety of bulk trailers. Miller's <br />800-trailer fleet includes stainless <br />steel trailers, gasoline trailers, <br />asphalt and dry bulk units, and com- <br />pressed gas trailers. As a major <br />transporter of hazardous materials <br />and one of the ten largest bulk <br />haulers in the country, Miller <br />Transporters has an obvious interest <br />in keeping its equipment in top <br />mechanical condition. <br />Line responsibility for carrying <br />out Miller's maintenance program <br />rests with the terminal manager at <br />each of the 22 Miller terminals <br />located throughout the Deep South. <br />Each terminal also has a mainte- <br />nance foreman. The maintenance <br />program is monitored at the staff <br />level by Bill Netherton, director of <br />maintenance, and Tom Johnson, <br />assistant director of maintenance, <br />both of whom are based at company <br />headquarters in Jackson. Fulltime <br />general office maintenance staff per- <br />sonnel include a purchasing agent, <br />mechanic trainer, and tire superin- <br />tendent. <br />With a large and dispersed fleet, <br />and with a company top manage- <br />ment which insists the maintenance <br />program in practice be as described <br />on paper, communications between <br />headquarters and the terminals is an <br />important element in Miller's suc- <br />cessful program. Computers are <br />used to assist in communications, <br />but more traditional tools like the <br />telephone, letter, and terminal visit <br />keep everyone attuned to what the <br />Miller maintenance objectives are, <br />and how they are to be achieved. <br />Weekly Report <br />Miller terminal managers submit <br />to headquarters in Jackson a weekly <br />letter detailing activities at their ter- <br />minals. Six of the 13 sections of the <br />weekly letter deal with mainte- <br />nance. They include: <br />1. Tires-report on number of <br />2B Modern Bulk Transporter <br />