Shell Lubricants Launches ProAcademy Web-Based Training
AUSTIN, Texas — Shell Lubricants announced the launch for fleet customers and noncustomers alike of Shell ProAcademy, an online modular learning tool intended to educate and retain technicians.
At the same time, it is meant to counter what the company called a widespread lack of knowledge about the importance of truck lubricants in maintaining vehicle health.
“The Shell ProAcademy module covers the most common issues,” said John Walters, marketing manager for the global fleet sector. “It’s about changing behaviors. It’s educational, not a sales pitch.”
A variety of training modules are available and selected depending on one’s specific role, according to the company.
Walters made his comments here during a press conference at American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition on Oct. 29.
Shell’s “statistically significant” survey of fleet managers in North America found 89% had experienced unexpected downtime, and more than half of them said there was “probably some kind of a lubrication misapplication or misuse that contributed to that downtime,” he said.
Another finding from the survey was that 75% of respondents didn’t know exactly how lubricant contamination leads to increasing maintenance costs, he said.
“The bottom line is fleets that reported having more lubricant-related training reported less downtime,” Walters said.
The developmental process for this program started about 18 months ago, he said, and involved feedback from select fleet customers, which led to a July launch with those fleets.
“But it is available now,” more widely, Walters said, at www.shell.us/proacademy.
Fleets that are not Shell customers can access two modules and, after speaking with a Shell representative, can gain access to the full range of modules at no charge.
Those modules cover the role of lubrication and making the service area safer.
