TAM is proud to announce our inaugural Maintenance Forum, one and a half days designed specifically for maintenance technicians, shop foremen, and working shop managers. These training sessions aim to enhance your expertise and elevate your skills to the next level. Participants will engage with industry professionals, learn cutting edge techniques, and stay updated with the latest advancements in maintenance practices. This is also an excellent networking opportunity with peers from around the state. Don't miss out on this chance to become a more proficient and effective leader in your field!

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When: May 13 (1PM - 5 PM) -14 (all day), 2025

Where: Turf Valley Hotel, 2700 Turf Valley Road in Ellicott City MD 21042

Who Should Attend: Maintenance technicians, shop foremen, and working shop managers. NOTE - if you don't have in-house transit maintenance personnel at your facility, you can send people from your local county / city maintenance workshops as TAM members.

Registration: $90 for TAM Members, $150 for nonmembers. Breakfast and lunch are included on May 14.

Topics Covered:

Developing a Preventive Maintenance Program - Presented by Kelly Shawn of RLS & Associates

PM programs are necessary no matter the size of the fleet. Programs are based on the inspection process at certain increments requiring minimal or substantial maintenance effort depending on the level of inspection, time of year and condition/age of the vehicle. Inspections must also include
preventive maintenance of accessibility equipment as required by the ADA and can impact a transit systems ability to maintain a high level of State of Good Repair (SGR) required by FTA's Transit Asset Management (TAM) requirements.

The TAM Developing an Effective Preventive Maintenance (PM) Program will focus on challenges faced by transit systems when developing, implementing and monitoring a preventive maintenance program. The session will provide guidance to maintenance supervisors on evaluating current PM program practices and determining if the program is compliant, effective and achievable based on characteristics of the service. Discussions will focus on best practices, effective management tools and processes to improve maintenance performance and ultimately, a more reliable and safer service.

Lift Training - Presented by Braun: Includes Hands on training and classroom. This training will cover crucial aspects of maintaining lifts, ensuring optimal performance and safety. Topics covered will include:

• All Built-In Safety Features: Understanding and effectively utilizing all safety features integrated into lifts to ensure passenger safety and compliance with regulations.
• How to Check for Lift Failure: Comprehensive guidance on how to identify potential failures in lifts, including visual inspection techniques and diagnostic procedures.
• Coverage of All Lift Parts: Detailed examination of every component of the lift system to facilitate thorough maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Service and Maintenance Procedures: Step-by-step instructions on servicing and maintaining lifts, including routine maintenance tasks and addressing common issues.

Moreover, the training will feature a hands-on demonstration focusing on the following:

• Checking for and adjusting failure points of the lift to enhance its reliability and performance
• Identifying and properly lubricating key areas during maintenance to prolong the lift's lifespan and ensure smooth operation.

HVAC Technical Training - Presented by Spheros

This training will cover topics related to heating and cooling systems on a variety of transit vehicles. Topics covered will include:

• Fundamentals of Refrigeration Theory
• System Components
• Preventive Maintenance Strategies
• Equipment Management Best Practices
• Charging/Flushing Procedures
• Troubleshooting and Problem Resolution
• Hands on Demonstrations 

Bridging the Skills Gap: Strengthening Maintenance Workforce Training in Your Transit Agency

Session Overview:
This engaging and interactive full-day session is designed for trainers, supervisors, and technicians to explore and establish effective technical skills assessment and then to implement and strengthen training to support the skilled maintenance workforce that is needed for a sustainable, efficient, and reliable transportation system. This session will be led by Jason Macumber, Senior Advisor for Workforce Development and Technology at the Maryland-based International Transportation Learning Center, which operates the Transit Workforce Center, the Federal Transit Administration’s technical assistance center for workforce development. 

Key Takeaways:

• Identifying the Skills Gap – The first half of the day will focus on tools and techniques to identify specific training needs based on skills gaps. By evaluating current employee competencies, targeted training can then be directed at specific areas for improvement, aligning training strategies with organizational goals. Using participants’ expertise and knowledge, we will examine and discuss the use of internal surveys and other data-driven approaches to assess technical competencies and needs. The exercises will help you to support your agency in mapping out training that address both immediate operational needs and long-term workforce development.
• Building Effective Training Approaches and Strategies – Following up on the morning’s work of identifying key training needs and mapping out a strategy, the afternoon session will focus in on the use of approaches and strategies that help ensure training is delivered and implemented effectively. The presenters will discuss and work with participants on effective training skills for maintenance technicians, including:
• How Technicians Learn, exploring skills training approaches that work best
• Mentoring, its role and impact as part of a high-quality training strategy, and the particular skills sets needed to be an impactful mentor
• Foundational Skills, a preview of a TWC’s newly developed curriculum, which will be freely accessible, and an opportunity to provide input into that curriculum and related training materials from TWC intended to support baseline skills gaps training

Maintenance Social Hour

After the preventive maintenance workshop on Tuesday, join your fellow professionals for a relaxed evening hour at Turf valley with free food and drinks.

Hotel Information

TAM has secured a block of hotel rooms for the night of May 13 for maintenance forum attendees. Please use this link to reserve your room, using group code 28H8OY. If there are any issues using the booking link, call 410-465-1500 and identify yourself as part of the TAM group to reserve your room. There is a limited number of rooms guaranteed, so make sure you reserve yours early.  The Maryland Department of Transportation/Maryland Transit Administration will reimburse TAM member attendees for 1 night (Tuesday 5/13) for those who attend a full day of training on Wednesday, May 14. The registrant will need to submit an RTAP reimbursement form to MDOT/MTA, Luke Benson at [email protected] after the Forum. Note that only agencies will be reimbursed, not individuals.