Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/795447
"We saved five days of downtime. For the Volvo Action Service team at the Uptime Center to make that decision and put us in another shop — there was minimal cost, and that's huge," White says. A few years ago, a mechanical issue could sideline a driver for days. Not only would the load be late, but AMX would also incur the additional costs of a hotel room, repairs and the loss of other loads. Also, when downtime creeps up, drivers look elsewhere for jobs to support their families; however, AMX's current driver turnover rate is consistently at least 10 percent under industry average. "You can't stress it enough. It's hard to put a number on how tough downtime is and how expensive it is," White says. Volvo Trucks knows that when trucks aren't rolling, companies lose revenue. That's why Volvo Action Service agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Each month, Volvo Action Service handles nearly 22,000 cases. That number continues to grow as more services are offered. Agents handle an average of 18,000 inbound calls a month and make approximately 28,000 outbound calls per month. Remote Diagnostics alerts drivers to current mechanical issues as well as reminding them of routine maintenance checks. Soon, Remote Programming for GHG 2017 Volvo powertrains will allow customers to connect with the Uptime Center for over the air software and parame - ter updates. In emergencies, VAS agents spring into action, obtaining fleet information and pinpointing the trucks' geographic locations and proximity to dealers. The new technology is exciting, White says, adding that he thinks the detailed communication between the truck and Volvo's Remote Diagnostics represents a major step for the entire trucking industry. "You've taken the margin of error out. That way, our technician, our dealer and our Volvo rep are not having to rely so much on what the driver is saying. They can actually look and see what's going on." Record keeping and work status updates are easier, too, thanks to ASIST, Volvo's web-based service communication platform, which notes every incident from the moment the truck has trouble to the moment it is back on the road. "Without that, it would be hard to tell whether we are doing a good job or not. It keeps up with every detail, and if there are open events out the - re, we can look at it. You don't have trucks sitting idle." As Volvo expands its services, AMX is growing, too, and White ex- pects that trend to continue. A big factor in their success, he says, is the partnership AMX shares with Volvo Trucks. "We're doing what we do very well, and that's very important. We have the support and have products that are performing at the rate we feel like we're performing — so we're excited," White says. ■ Quick Look Started: 1988. Owner: Founder and CEO Scott White. Employees: Approximately 310 employees — 240 drivers, 12 maintenance personnel and additional administrative personnel. Hauls: The dry van carrier specializes in moving freight between distribution centers for Fortune 500 companies. The average haul is 900 miles. Fleet details: Approximately 240 trucks, 70 percent Volvo VNL 670 with 13 liter Volvo D13 engines and I-Shift automated manual transmissions. AMX operates on a three-year trade cycle, and no truck in the fleet has more than 400,000 miles on the odometer. Volvo Trucks Uptime Center Location: Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened: 2014. Agents: 40 Volvo Action Service agents are employed at the center. Agents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Uptime Team also includes product reliability engineers who are responsible for diagnostics, developing service information and dealer tools, and ensuring issues are addressed. There are also dealer support personnel and parts specialists. Cases: Each month, Volvo Action Service agents handle nearly 22,000 cases. That number continues to grow as more services are offered.. Free of charge: Uptime Center support is available free of charge for the first two years for every new Volvo truck purchased in North America. Remote Diagnostics Nearly 90,000 Volvo vehicles on the road today in North America are equipped with Remote Diagnostics, which has been standard on all Volvo-powered models since 2013. In Europe, the new Volvo FH16, Volvo FH, Volvo FM, Volvo FE and Volvo FL are all connected vehicles. The use of telematics is going to continue to grow, with estimates predicting 24 billion devices, including trucks, connected to the Internet by 2020. "You can't stress it enough. It's hard to put a number on how tough downtime is and how expensive it is." TAY LO R W H I T E, V I CE PR E SI D EN T, A L A BA M A M OTO R E XPR E SS