{"id":11953,"date":"2021-07-27T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=11953"},"modified":"2021-07-27T16:45:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T14:45:00","slug":"mobile-maintenance-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/07\/27\/mobile-maintenance-3\/","title":{"rendered":"How mobile maintenance services can help fleets"},"content":{"rendered":"

A good mobile maintenance provider can offer fleets the convenience, flexibility and reliability they need to maximize productivity and control costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fleets are in the business of delivering goods and services. Uptime means everything. That is why mobile maintenance services can be an appealing option for a variety of fleets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMobile maintenance brings day-to-day shop operations to fleets wherever their equipment is located,\u201d says Jim Reed, vice president of truck service at Travel Centers of America (TA). \u201cWhile trucks or trailers are sitting idle, mobile maintenance providers can perform the services necessary to improve uptime without any additional out-of-route timed travel expenses.\u201d TA offers a variety of fuel and repair solutions for fleets, including mobile maintenance and roadside breakdown services.<\/span><\/p>\n

In many instances, mobile maintenance is used to supplement a fleet\u2019s existing maintenance operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMobile maintenance can assist a fleet in maintaining vehicles that are unable to get back to their own shops or outsourced providers,\u201d says Drew Kortyna, TA\u2019s senior director of mobile maintenance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGone are the days of having to rely solely on maintenance shops open from 8 AM to 5 PM,\u201d says Jenn Dixon, Ryder\u2019s group director of mobile maintenance operations. \u201cWith Ryder Mobile Maintenance, fleets can simply schedule their maintenance on the days and times their vehicles are idle, including nights and weekends. With tight delivery windows and hours-of-service regulations, mobile maintenance offers a seamless experience that eases these challenges for fleets.\u201d Ryder is a Miami-based provider of transportation and supply chain management products. Its certified technicians operate more than 300 fully equipped mobile maintenance vehicles in North America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Supplementing with a mobile maintenance provider can also help fleets improve the productivity of their own in-house technicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf resources are limited and things get backed up in a fleet\u2019s shop, mobile maintenance can come out and free up the technicians to do more important things than basic preventive maintenance and minor repairs,\u201d says Stephen Crane, vice president of TMcare operations at FleetNet America, a North Carolina-based provider of fleet maintenance and repair services.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, Crane says some fleets opt to completely outsource maintenance to a mobile provider for that very reason. Other influential factors include convenience, reliability, predictability and flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

The benefits of mobile maintenance prompted one fleet services provider to alter its business model. Indianapolis-based Dickinson Fleet Services was founded in 1997 with fixed shop locations. Ted Coltrain, executive officer, says the company\u2019s vision was to evolve into a national independent maintenance provider to service larger fleets. Before long, Dickinson Fleet Services saw the opportunity to branch into mobile maintenance due to the high value fleets place on convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing how quickly our mobile maintenance model expanded across the country,\u201d Coltrain says. With operations in 35 states, Dickinson services fleets from coast to coast with in-house technicians, along with its own fleet of 400-plus mobile service vehicles. Dickinson Fleet Services also operates 17 service shops.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe convenience factor for fleets quickly spilled over to a cost-savings factor,\u201d Coltrain adds. \u201cNot having to pay a driver to get a truck to a shop is huge. Additionally, once the driver gets to the shop, there is often a lot happening that prevents a quick turnaround of the truck. That\u2019s more downtime and cost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fleets have also come to appreciate what Coltrain calls the compliance factor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA big challenge fleets have is addressing what the DOT [Department of Transportation] requires in terms of a DVIR [driver vehicle inspection report],\u201d Coltrain says. \u201cIf a driver does a pre- or post-trip inspection on a truck and identifies an issue, the DOT says a technician has to review that and sign off. If it is an item that needs to be fixed, a technician needs to fix it. To complete the process, the driver must review the repair and validate everything with signature.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThink about that process for a second,\u201d Coltrain continues. \u201cWithout a technician who can come to a fleet\u2019s facility to address this, it becomes very challenging for fleets to remain compliant. This process can also take trucks out of service because they have to go into the shop to be repaired.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Also consider driver satisfaction. A growing challenge for fleets is finding and retaining drivers. Good preventive maintenance helps.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrivers write up things they think need to be fixed, but oftentimes the fleet doesn\u2019t want take the vehicle out of service to fix them,\u201d Coltrain says. \u201cThen the driver gets frustrated, and sometimes ends up going to work someplace else. That\u2019s a factor that has also driven the mobile [maintenance] piece of our business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of services<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fleets can look to a mobile maintenance provider for a variety of services.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryder, for example, says it offers customers the same diagnostic tools in their maintenance vehicles as they do in their traditional brick-and-mortar facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the traditional oil changes, brake service and inspections, Ryder mobile maintenance trucks also have all of the equipment needed to complete the industry\u2019s most comprehensive 150-point preventive maintenance service as well as wide array of follow-up work,\u201d Ryder\u2019s Dixon says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost any service that can be provided in-bay can be done by a quality mobile maintenance provider.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTA Truck Service OnSITE offers a wide scope of maintenance services including DOT inspections, certified used truck and trailer inspections, brake services, diagnostics, tire services and installations, lubrication and more,\u201d TA\u2019s Kortyna says.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two primary types of mobile maintenance. The most common approach is when a mobile maintenance technician goes to the fleet\u2019s facility to do the work. Another approach, though much less common, is for the mobile maintenance provider to go to the fleet\u2019s location, pick up a vehicle and drive it back to the mobile maintenance service provider\u2019s shop.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn all actuality, mobile maintenance can pretty much be done anywhere and everywhere,\u201d FleetNet\u2019s Crane points out. The only real limitation would be a service that is not authorized \u2013 either by a regulatory body or simply the client \u2013 due to environmental or safety concerns, such as fluid changes or welding. That\u2019s something fleets should consider when determining how and where services will be delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another option fleets should think about is emergency roadside service. While not preventive in nature, emergency roadside is definitely mobile. It\u2019s another helpful option for fleets since it spares in-house technicians the burden of having to drop what they\u2019re doing to go get a disabled vehicle back on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ideally, a fleet can look to the same provider for both mobile maintenance and emergency roadside services. This is especially practical when a fleet operates within a defined geographic location.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat way the same mobile maintenance technician is likely being dispatched, one who is already familiar with the fleet,\u201d Crane says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contracts, service delivery and data integration<\/span><\/h3>\n

A mobile maintenance provider\u2019s ability to offer tailored solutions is an important consideration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryder, for example, offers fleets a number of maintenance options to create customized solutions for various service delivery methods and commitment levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo two customers are alike, and for that reason we have flexible contract options that allow fleets to select the type of maintenance they need and how they would like it to be provided,\u201d Ryder\u2019s Dixon says.<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of planning services, Crane says FleetNet typically follows OEM guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the fleet wants something different, we\u2019ll work to accommodate them,\u201d Crane says. \u201cWe just ask for it in writing so we have it on record. Also, different customers sometimes have different types of inspections they want done, and different states have their own unique sets of inspections. Regardless, everything is set in place per the fleet\u2019s needs. We set it all up in our system so we can stay on top of it asset by asset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Crane points out that some mobile maintenance providers have their own technicians, which often necessitates some kind of timeline-based contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s costly to hire your own technicians and invest in service trucks,\u201d Crane says. \u201cSome providers that use this approach naturally want some assurances that a certain amount of business will be coming in for a certain amount of time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FleetNet America, on the other hand, does not have its own technicians. It utilizes a third-party network of vetted service providers. Thus, FleetNet does not require a time-based contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have a basic service document that outlines liabilities and so forth,\u201d Crane says.<\/span><\/p>\n

FleetNet handles service coordination with its third-party partners, as well as the invoicing and preventative maintenance (PM) sheets. All of that information is stored in FleetNet\u2019s software system and can be shared online. Additionally, FleetNet\u2019s system can integrate with the fleet\u2019s own maintenance software system, i.e. Mitchell 1 or TMT Fleet Maintenance, as well as an accounts payable or receivable system.<\/span><\/p>\n

This element of data integration is important.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe VMRS-code the data so a fleet can get all of this maintenance history into its own software system,\u201d Crane says. \u201cThis is really helpful if the fleet is using mobile maintenance as a supplement. Getting that outside data integrated with the service data happening inside its own shop helps fleets manage everything as one on the back end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A technology company called Decisiv is making data integration a lot easier. Decisiv\u2019s cloud-based software and mobile apps are especially helpful for fleets having service work done by multiple vendors. Rather than having to check numerous sources to round up service information, Decisiv pulls it all together in one place, saving the fleet a lot of frustration and administrative time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Decisiv announced integration with FleetNet several years ago. As a result, fleets using Decisiv can schedule and manage service events through FleetNet\u2019s TMcare and Roadside programs. Decisiv has announced similar arrangements with other mobile service providers including Mack OneCall, Volvo Action Service (Volvo Uptime), Vehicare, Ryder MMC (Managed Maintenance Center) and AmeriQuest Road Rescue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn integration with Decisiv allows fleets and service providers to bring processes online,\u201d says Pete Russo, vice president of platform services at Decisiv. \u201cFleets can submit a service request, check the status of open cases, approve estimates and send notes back and forth without picking up the phone or sending an email.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Decisiv SRM (service relationship management) integration, information that flows through Decisiv can be packaged and delivered to a fleet\u2019s system of record in a reliable and consistent way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, in the case of FleetNet, all invoices created by FleetNet automatically pass through Decisiv and are recorded in a Fleet Management System like TMT,\u201d Russo explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

Picking the right vendor<\/span><\/h3>\n

There are some potential pitfalls when outsourcing any element of fleet maintenance efforts. Mobile maintenance is no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryder\u2019s Dixon says fleets must ensure the provider they select has properly trained technicians that can complete repairs with quality, safety and speed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFleets want to be sure that the mobile maintenance provider will provide a highly skilled technician and a mobile truck that is equipped with an array of technologies to effectively diagnose, service and track the maintenance on the fleet,\u201d Dixon says. \u201cMobile maintenance is a service delivery method that is highly customer focused. The provider you select should be one that can demonstrate a commitment to delivering a mobile solution that is tailored to your needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another key consideration to note is how thorough the provider is with all processes, not just the quality of the repair or service.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen choosing a quality service provider, it\u2019s important to look for one with a large network and sufficient coverage, as well as a reliable warranty program,\u201d TA\u2019s Reed says. \u201cIt\u2019s also important to look for a provider that uses a robust reporting system for documentation, which can offer consistent reports and files in formats compatible with your system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdditionally, it\u2019s important to look for a provider that uses quality parts and is involved with industry standard certification programs such as ASE, TIA and TMC,\u201d Reed continues. \u201cLastly, look for a provider that can adapt to your traffic patterns, since they often change day-to-day and month-to-month.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about the repair audit process, especially if using a mobile maintenance provider that relies upon third parties to deliver the services.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFleets need a mobile maintenance provider that is capable of seeing what is being done, tracking warranty and managing the vendor,\u201d FleetNet\u2019s Crane says. \u201cThat could be problematic. I like to believe that most people are honest, but some aren\u2019t. You need a vendor that knows what its service providers should be doing, how long it should take and what it should cost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to know that any third-party maintenance providers are also reliable. FleetNet, for instance, has access to more than 60,000 service providers across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe look closely at their capabilities and have a ranking system,\u201d Crane says. \u201cWe visit them to observe their operation. They need to have the right insurance, certifications and overall capabilities to perform the way we need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A reliable, high-performing mobile maintenance provider can be an appealing solution for fleets\u2014especially with qualified technicians becoming harder to find.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people think outsourcing is more expensive than doing it yourself,\u201d Crane says. \u201cIt depends on what your take is. If a fleet\u2019s technician is doing a PM on a truck, but has four other trucks waiting for repairs, what\u2019s more costly: bringing someone in to handle those PMs or having those revenue-generating vehicles sitting parked in your yard?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Gregg Wartgow<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetmaintenance.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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A good mobile maintenance provider can offer fleets the convenience, flexibility and reliability they need to maximize productivity and control costs. Fleets are in the business of delivering goods and services. Uptime means everything. That is why mobile maintenance services can be an appealing option for a variety of fleets. \u201cMobile maintenance brings day-to-day shop…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[53],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11955,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11953\/revisions\/11955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}