Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/782964
60 commercial carrier journal | february 2017 EQUIPMENT: THIRD-PARTY MAINTENANCE routine and preventive care but sees a cardiologist for heart and vascular concerns. " e family doctor may be able to treat some cardio concerns but may not be 'schooled and tooled' to be classifi ed as a special- ist," he says. " e cardiologist invests a lot of time in targeted training to be a cardio specialist and therefore may not be the best person for routine care." If vehicle maintenance is not a core competency, then a fl eet should consider farming it out, Puff says. "A shop can go broke trying to make technicians become specialists for each complex function or component," he says. Since truck maintenance isn't a revenue stream for most truck- ing companies, partnering with a vendor allows fl eets to focus on the things that do drive profi ts, such as hauling freight. "It allows you to focus on selling yourself and the product that you can make money on, and not have to worry about the main- tenance," says Mike Maudlin, vice president and general manager of Orlando, Fla.-based Maudlin International Trucks. Maintenance contracts Contract maintenance typically off ers two general paths. One is guaranteed, which functions similar to a full-service lease, the terms of which can range from three to seven years. " e other path is 'pegged maintenance,' where services re- ceived are from a menu of services," says Rick Tapp, maintenance manager for PacLease. " ere is agreed parts and labor pricing, along with level pricing coupled with a quarterly or annual rec- onciliation of cost, with a lump sum payment or credit." Some maintenance providers also provide substitute vehicles, 24/7 emergency service, washing and licensing. " ese options are designed so customers can decide which options make the most sense for them without paying for things they don't need," Puff says. Contract maintenance can take a lot of the stress off a fl eet's maintenance personnel, especially if the vendor can off er war- ranty repairs. "[Fleets] want that line in the sand that they know what it's going to [cost]," Maudlin says. Darakos says service contracts are great for organizations that understand that maintenance is important to the success of the core business, but do not want to get into the business of mainte- nance management themselves. "Contract maintenance with a dealer helps you forecast your maintenance expense," says Scott Dixon, service operations man- ager for Montgomery, Ala.-based Four Star Freightliner. If service and maintenance are out of a fl eet's comfort zone, it may be better to go with a preventive maintenance-only service. "You may not want to sign a full maintenance contract," Tapp says. "Just pay as you go." A full-service contract with a national reach can unlock an entire service network to previously negotiated rates. Maudlin's dealership is an IdeaLease affi liate, and if one of his customers has an issue on the road, IdeaLease will direct the truck to the closest location for repair. "We will then notify the dealership the truck is on the way with the make, the VIN and all the information we need to start assessment before the truck ever arrives," Maudlin says. " en we just do the [maintenance] work." Maintenance contracts include a negotiated price for labor and can cover a range of services from preventive maintenance to oil changes and full service, and can allow for customization that lets the fl eet better manage its costs by negotiating agreed-upon rates on the front end. Need a maintenance provider? Ask these questions When considering a third-party maintenance provider, Rick Tapp, maintenance manager for PacLease, suggests asking vendors these questions: • What current technology is employed in your shop to service the brand of vehicle being operated? • Do you have qualifi ed technicians and service facilities that match up well to the distribution centers where we have trucks domiciled? • Can I experience the expected service on a trial basis? • Do your shop hours fi t my schedule for when I am on the road and when my trucks are available for service? • What other services can you provide – fuel tax reporting, fuel purchasing, over-the-road emergency repairs, tire programs? • What experience do you have working on my truck models and brands of equipment? • What are your technician training levels and tenure? • Do you have factory training and certifi cations, or ASE certi- fi cations? • Do you have mandatory training requirements? • What diagnostic tools do you have available in your shops? • What are my expected wait times to get into the shop for diagno- sis or repairs for scheduled and unscheduled repairs? • Do you track when my services are due and notify me, or do I need to contact you? • What are your standard service intervals, and how does that coincide with the schedules and duty cycles of my equipment? – Jason Cannon