The Original Wireless
Portable Lift System
JULY 2017 | VehicleServicePros.com 27
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Overhead Clearance – Ductwork, plumbing
and cranes installed too low can encroach on
necessary overhead space and interfere with the
required unobstructed vertical clearance in the
repair bay, rendering cranes and lift s useless.
Door Size – Measure each vehicle’s width and
height – including mirrors and vertical extensions,
advises Leidy.
“You might think that 10’-wide ‘garage’ doors
can accommodate a truck that’s
8’ wide, he says. “Most trucks
usually have mirrors that
protrude up to a foot on each
side, which shrinks clearance
from 2’ to only a few inches.”
Bui lding Finishes/
Aesthetics – Th e bottom 4’ to
6’ of the shop walls should be
durable (concrete or masonry)
to withstand the abuse in
a shop environment.
“Make sure the entire inside
of the building – walls and
structure – is painted to allow
proper building maintenance
to extend the useful life of
the facility,” he recommends.
“Designing the facility’s exterior
to complement the surrounding
environment and adding native
landscaping can help gain
public approval of the project.”
Expandability – Th e building
should not only handle the
shop’s current work load, but
should also be adaptable and
able to accommodate demands
20 years from now. For example,
says Leidy, if additional
bays aren’t built during initial
construction, room should be
left on the site to accommodate
the expansion. Also, load bearing
walls should be avoided to
maximize fl exibility for future
modifi cations.
Public Involvement –
Everyone who has an interest
in the project needs to be
informed. “Th e best-designed
project won’t get built if it’s not
approved because an elected
offi cial or the public doesn’t
understand the importance
of the facility,” he says.
Appearance – “Form follows
function,” Leidy says. “It is
always possible to make a
functional building good-looking,
but it isn’t always possible
to make a good-looking building
functional.”
Peer Review
Sessions
During the initial design
phase, MDG encourages shop,
fl eet and fl eet maintenance
managers to hold a peer review
session and invite other managers to a day-long
informal review session to ask them to critique
the design. During this session, the peers can
contribute great ideas and validate the design.
“In the project we did in Aspen, one peer manager
pointed out there was no place to push the
snow,” remembers Leidy. “We already knew this
was a problem because we were working with such
a small site. As a result of the discussions from that
meeting, we decided to install snow melt into the
pavement, which solved the problem.”
Designing a maintenance facility is a complex
process, he concludes. “Asking the right questions
and planning carefully in advance means
shop and maintenance managers will experience
a smooth design and construction process that
results in a safe, effi cient and positive work environment
that will last the life of the facility.”
» Don Leidy,
Maintenance
Design Group