Senior Director, Open Deck Fleet Maintenance and Reliability
Job Description
Senior Director, Open Deck Fleet Maintenance and Reliability
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Confidential Company — Open Deck Carrier
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The Role
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**Open deck fleet maintenance experience is required. This role is not a fit for candidates whose background is limited to dry van or construction equipment.**
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This position owns fleet maintenance end to end. Everything performed inside company shops and everything performed outside them. Preventive maintenance, shop operations, the technician workforce, roadside breakdowns, emergency and vendor repairs, dealer service execution, and the outside repair network across North America.
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The person in this seat is the single owner of maintenance cost per mile, repair quality, vendor performance, regulatory compliance, and asset uptime. Ownership is not looking for someone to administer an existing program. They are looking for the person who answers the question: how do I keep these trucks and trailers safe, reliable, and on the road serving customers.
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Reliability is in the title for a reason. Ownership is not looking for faster repairs on the same failures. They want the person who finds the root cause, measures it, and makes sure it does not happen again.
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The Operation
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Approximately 800 power units and 1,500 trailers. Open deck equipment including flatbed, step deck, RGN, and Conestoga. Five company shops. Service across the United States and Mexico. Privately held, asset-based carrier. This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.
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What You Will Own
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Shop Operations and the Technician Workforce
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- Lead all company shop operations, including shop leadership, productivity, quality of repair, and turnaround time
- Own technician recruiting, development, retention, and pay structure in the tightest labor market in the industry
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Breakdown, Roadside, and Outside Repair
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- Own all fleet maintenance performed outside company shops: roadside breakdowns, emergency repairs, vendor repairs, and dealer service execution across North America
- Build and maintain a network of preferred repair vendors, dealerships, tire providers, tow companies, mobile maintenance providers, and emergency service partners
- Lead and develop the breakdown maintenance team to handle emergency repairs competently and around the clock
- Own outside repair cost, repair quality, and vendor performance. Hold vendors to standards and negotiate accordingly
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Preventive Maintenance and Reliability
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- Design, own, and continuously improve the preventive maintenance program. Not inherit it and keep it running
- Drive PM compliance and coordinate PM execution between company shops and outside providers
- Perform root cause analysis on repeat failures. Measure it, fix it, and prove it does not recur
- Work with drivers, operations, and safety to improve equipment care, breakdown prevention, and reporting discipline
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Cost and Budget
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- Own the total maintenance budget, both internal shop spend and annual outside maintenance and breakdown repair budgets
- Own maintenance cost per mile as a measured, reported number
- Manage parts strategy, inventory, warranty recovery, and vendor pricing
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Compliance and Safety
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- Own the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC and the maintenance side of the CSA score
- Ensure DOT and FMCSA compliance across annual inspections, DVIR workflow, and roadside inspection performance
- Hold authority to keep equipment out of service when it is not safe to run
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Equipment Lifecycle and Capital
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- Advise ownership on spec development, trade cycle timing, and replacement strategy
- Provide the analysis behind lease versus buy, residual value, and fleet age decisions
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Systems and Reporting
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- Use maintenance management and reporting systems to drive decisions, not just record work
- Report performance, cost, and uptime to the COO and ownership in terms the business understands
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What We Are Looking For
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- Seven or more years of fleet maintenance leadership. Ten or more preferred at this fleet size
- Five or more years managing outside repair providers and networks: vendors, dealers, tire, tow, and mobile maintenance
- Experience owning both sides. Company shop operations and outside repair, not one or the other
- Strong understanding of heavy-duty truck and trailer maintenance. Open deck experience strongly preferred. Trailers in this fleet take abuse that a van box does not
- Proven leadership and team development. You have hired, trained, and kept technicians and supervisors
- Working knowledge of DOT and FMCSA regulations and how maintenance performance shows up in CSA scores
- You know your cost per mile, PM compliance rate, and mean time to repair because you measure them
- Systems experience: Trimble TMT, Decisiv, FleetNet, Geotab, McLeod, or comparable fleet maintenance platforms
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Who This Is Right For
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Someone who has built a maintenance program rather than inherited one. Who can run a shop floor and negotiate with a dealer network in the same day, and who is comfortable telling operations a truck is not going out.
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Who This Is Not Right For
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If your strength is administering an established program and keeping it compliant, this is not the right seat. This role is about building the program and answering for what it produces.
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Why This Role Is Worth a Conversation
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- You build the program your way. This is not a corporate maintenance policy handed down to be executed
- Your recommendations shape equipment buying. Spec, trade cycle, and replacement decisions run through this seat
- Privately held carrier. Decisions get made and things actually move. You will not spend a year building consensus
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Compensation and Location
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Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, plus annual bonus. Relocation considered for the right candidate. This is an onsite role with regular travel to company shop locations and vendor and dealer sites.
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This search is being conducted by The KPI Hire Group. To apply, visit thekpihiregroup.com/candidates and scroll to START HERE to submit your resume and cover letter. You can send Inquiries to info@thekpihiregroup.com or call us at 1-844-KPI-HR4U EXT 1 for Tim.