B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 161; Flight Crew Total 13500; Flight Crew Type 1191
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; MEL
Originally; the MEL was designed to take a broken but flyable plane from a non-maintenance facility to a hub where it could be repaired. Now it is used to push broken planes all over the world for weeks until there is a perfect time to repair them. This was never the intent of MEL. Today we were dispatched a plane with no [fuel quantity] totalizer capability. Therefore the only way to know if there is a fuel leak is to look overhead (no forward EICAS gauges on 757 fleet); then add the two tanks together for a total fuel. This must be done continuously and is unrealistic on this plane. The FMC only calculates the fuel based on what is 'supposed' to be on board based upon fuel burn and original total fuel entered by the crew. There is no warning for a fuel leak.  If the crew forgets to look up overhead and add the two gauges together; then compare with expected fuel; they will never know there is a leak until it is dire. Why accept an MEL which sets pilots up for failure? It was never the spirit of MEL.
B757 Captain reported concerns about accepting an aircraft with the fuel quantity totalizer deferred inoperative; because there is no easy way to identify a fuel leak in that scenario.