Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/476554
positive results. It provides accountability and it speeds up the repair process. These guys aren't making money if they're sitting in our shop." Mike Laughead, service manager at TranSource, Mack's dealership in the Greensboro area, says when his customers ƄUVWKHDUGDERXW*XDUG'RJ&RQQHFWWKH\ were skeptical. "They thought it was some kind of fantasy that problems could be diagnosed before they resulted in a failure." But once they actually got an alert, they were impressed, so much so that two customers KDYHDVNHG/DXJKHDGDERXWUHWURƄWWLQJROGHU WUXFNVZLWK*XDUG'RJ&RQQHFW $UHDOEHQHƄWRI*XDUG'RJ&RQQHFWLVWKDW LWJLYHVƅHHWVPRUHRSWLRQVDERXWKRZWKH\ serve their customers. "When they know in advance about a problem they can swap out the truck to make sure they make their delivery windows. In some cases since these types of repairs tend to take less time, they can even make the delivery with the same truck," Laughead says. 0LNH0F0DKRQ&(20DFNRI&KDUORWWH VHHV*XDUG'RJ&RQQHFWDVJURXQGEUHDNLQJ "When looking at telematics I always felt WKHUHZDVDSLHFHPLVVLQJ*XDUG'RJ &RQQHFWFRPSOHWHVWKHSX]]OH,WQRWRQO\ LGHQWLƄHVSUREOHPVEXWDOVRKHOSVVFKHGXOH repairs. If a truck that operates out of Texas experiences a failure while driving through 1RUWK&DUROLQDZHJHWLWVHQWWRXVSUH diagnosed along with repair instructions before it arrives at our door." As a truck dealer, one of McMahon's biggest challenges is diagnostic time. "The GLDJQRVWLFVDUHPRUHGLIƄFXOWWRGD\:KHQD truck comes in, if you already have the diagnosis, it's a home run for the customer, WKHGHDOHUVDQGWKHEUDQG,WpVDRQHWZR punch. You cut diagnostic time and more HIƄFLHQWO\KDQGOHVKRSORDGLQJE\SXWWLQJWKH right person on the job." Laughead agrees and says, "When we know what parts we need and what the repair procedure is before the truck even gets here, RXUVKRSFDQEHPRUHHIƄFLHQWr,QIDFW because problems are diagnosed before a catastrophic failure, repair times are shorter which allows Laughead to schedule more customer repairs into his shop. He adds that although his technicians doubted how the process would work, when WKH\JRWQRWLƄFDWLRQRIDSUREOHPDQGWKH suggested repairs, they had to admit it was exactly what they would have done. The value of the telematics data doesn't end with managing fault codes and repair. Pardue says having the data allows the truck maker to see trends in component SHUIRUPDQFHDQGDGYLVHƅHHWVDERXWSODQQLQJ maintenance before a component fails on the road. While telematics has changed the service landscape, trucking likely has not seen the HQGRILWVYDOXHq(YHU\RQHWDONVDERXWIXHO HFRQRP\DQGVDYLQJRQHWHQWKRIDJDOORQr McMahon says, "but think of the impact if \RXFRXOGVDYHDƅHHWPLQXWHVKRXUVRUGD\V during a service event. That's a true productivity gain and it's going to be the next frontier." Kar sees even more changes ahead for telematics. "It's going to be about connecting the vehicle to the infrastructure and the world outside in a way that will enable automated GULYLQJKLJKHUIXHOHIƄFLHQF\KLJKHUGULYHU HIƄFLHQF\DQGHYHQKLJKHUIUHLJKWHIƄFLHQF\r Kar says shippers will continue to demand supply chain visibility and it's not unlikely that insurance companies will chime in with their own expectations and demands. It will be even easier to track mobile resources, to get the most out of them and to reduce downtime, Kar says. "All of this will be done at the lowest incremental cost; that's where the future lies with telematics." )RU&'.3HUIRUDWLQJpV0RRUHWKHIXWXUHLV now. "The idea that I can know about a mechanical problem before the operator does LVDPD]LQJ,FDQpWLPDJLQHKRZDQ\RQH manages without this kind of technology on hand." 2 0 1 5 V 1 | BULLDOG | 9 "The idea that I can know about a mechanical problem before the operator GRHVLVDPD]LQJr Glen Moore, maintenance director for CDK Perforating "Using our geofence technology we can determine where the closest dealer location is so the truck can be serviced as quickly as possible." David Pardue, vice president of business development for Mack Trucks