Updated:
3/30/2009 3:00:00 PM
Opinion: Technology Aids Fleet, Dealer Service Relations
By Dick Hyatt
President
Decisiv Inc.
This Opinion Piece appears in the March 30 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
For as long as there has been a trucking industry, fleet equipment and maintenance executives have complained that dealer service operations bills are too high and fail to provide accurate and timely estimates and vehicle repairs.
A recent session on fleet/dealer service relationships during the Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual meeting seemed to confirm that, for many fleets, these issues have not gone away. As reported in the Feb. 16 edition of Transport Topics (click here for previous Premium Content story), fleet managers were straightforward in their criticism of high bills, inaccurate estimates and unreliable repair times as major reasons why there remain a number of large gaps to fill between what fleets need and what dealers deliver.
Three major items were at the heart of the issues raised during the TMC panel discussion:
• The need for a consistent service process with standard repair times for common operations.
• Complete fleet and vehicle-specific information, including warranty coverage and agreed-upon parts pricing presented at the start of the repair.
• Effective communication between the fleet manager and the dealership, beginning with the arrival of the truck and continuing throughout the repair process.
Now imagine a different conversation, one that goes like this:
Dealer Service Writer: “Your vehicle has arrived and a technician is currently diagnosing the problem reported by your driver.”
Fleet Manager: “I’d like to see an estimate with fleet pricing and a description of the parts needing replacement.”
Dealer Service Writer: “When we create an estimate for you, it automatically comes with your pricing for the parts you specified for the vehicle and any applicable warranty information.”
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