Assessment of the Impact of the Operation of Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) on their Failure Rate and Transport Safety
Purpose: The main aim of the research was to determine the impact of the intensity of use of LCV on their failure rate. The impact of vehicle failures on the costs and safety of freight transport was determined. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was carried out on a data set that describes the operation of LCV. The most important variables were identified and indicators were developed to assess the vehicle operation process. Statistical analysis of the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the research, which provided the basis for determining the range of variable values determining the highest probability of vehicle failure. The impact of failure rates on the safety of transport and vehicle operating costs was analyzed and assessed. Findings: Analysis of the data set allowed us to determine the failure rate for the group. For the group of emergency vehicles, the three most important variables that may affect the failure rate of delivery vehicles were identified. This is the age of the vehicle, overload factor and fuel consumption. The failure rate of vehicles was verified for three models: Renault Master, Renault Mascott, Fiat Ducato and Citroen Jumper. The analysis showed failure-free operation of the Renault Mascott model. It was also calculated what type of failure generates the highest costs in the group of emergency vehicles. Practical Implications: The research results presented in the article can be used to plan the operating strategy of delivery vehicles in transport companies. The fleet manager can use the vehicle failure rate, verify the overload factor and determine the probability of failure. The presented results constitute the basis for safe transport and planning of operating costs. Originality/Value: Most available research focuses on the analysis of operating costs and the analysis of basic indicators. The authors do not analyze the impact of vehicle overload on the safety of deliveries. To assess the failure rate of delivery vehicles, the overload factor of delivery vehicles was used and the group of vehicles with the highest probability of failure was identified.