Picture this scene…Fleet Management’s Central Garage, it’s a snowy night, Predrag Vujatovic (Lead Automotive Mechanic) and Davor Dragovic (Automotive Mechanic) have been working 16-hour shifts for several days, they are now sitting down resting their weary feet, huddled over cups of steaming coffee, and they begin to talk about making their lives easier. They noodle over the question of, “How can we perform vehicle safety inspections faster?” The result of this innovative quest for improvement was “The Testing Cart.”

This cart, a mobile testing unit, that they designed for their own use enabled them to perform various functional tests on vehicles and equipment. Each cart, which is equipped with a battery and a wall battery charger built in, allows them to:

• Test the auger and spinner on pick-up trucks used for snow removal.  They can also test the auger/spinner control box that is located in the vehicle;
• Perform a full test of trailer lights, turn signals, running lights and brake lights;
• Plug in at the vehicle’s trailer plug and test for proper wiring, a task that would otherwise have required two technicians to perform a series of trial and error test to determine if bad wiring were indeed the cause of a problem;
• Test the electric connections between a truck and a trailer, even if only one or the other is present;
• Adjust trailer electronic brake.

Davor, Predrag, and Al Clark (who had in the past designed a similar testing unit) were tasked with assembling carts for several other fleet teams. The mission of the Fleet Management Division is to support customer agencies in the delivery of vital city services by providing reliable access to vehicles, equipment and service facilities.  The Division’s goal is to work closely with our customers to ensure the provision of the highest quality product in the most cost-effective manner.  The Testing Cart is just another way that we try to work in a more efficient way that benefits our customers.