Until recently, Henner Tank Lines, a provider of fueling services, handled maintenance for its fleet in a traditional way. Needs were met by four technicians in single bay shop and with a service truck, and local dealers were relied upon for support.
“Our fleet had doubled in size and we had outgrown our facility,” related Ryan Ruffer, fleet superintendent at the Vacaville, California company. “We bought property to house a new shop and built a 12,000-sq ft facility with pull-through express lane for inspections and regular service, four half bays for repairs, an 80-ft drive-through wash bay, and added to our staff.”
At the same time, Henner Tank Lines named its new service operation I-505 Truck and Trailer Repair. It still primarily services the company fleet but also offers maintenance and repairs for other companies, and now services all makes and models of trucks, tractors and trailers, and provides breakdown assistance.
“The key is providing value to your customer,” Ruffer stated. “We strive to always be fair and consistent, and to provide work orders that make sense from a complaint, cause, correction standpoint. The time charged has to make sense as well. Trust is everything and we know we’re getting it right because many of our customers usually drop off vehicles off and say to call when the work is done.”
To ensure its customers are satisfied, I-505 Truck and Trailer Repair relies on relationships with vendors, and especially its employees. “Suppliers help us hit the mark on parts pricing and availability,” Ruffer said, “and because people make the business we listen closely to our technicians and other staff.
“There’s also no substitute for paying attention to data,” Ruffer added. “For example, we use our Fullbay heavy-duty repair shop software to constantly evaluate costs and measure shop and technician performance. It tells us at a glance where we are with hours and costs, and if a technician might need coaching.”
The decision to offer outside service came from demand, Ruffer related. “Our success,” he said, “comes from always standing behind our work. Whatever it takes, we always make it right.”
It’s all about reputation, noted Trent Siemens, general manager at Oak Point Service in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “We started in over 50 years ago as the maintenance provider to Paul’s Hauling Ltd., a bulk transport services provider,” he said. “We quickly established a solid reputation in the area and began offering repair and maintenance services to other trucking operations. We specialize in highway tank inspections and repairs however we also provide preventive maintenance and repairs on all makes and models of trucks and trailers.”
“Besides the variety in makes, models and years of the equipment we see, there’s not much difference between working on company and outside customer vehicles,” Siemens continued. “Providing high quality service in the most cost effective manner is important regardless.
“The main difference is with whom we communicate,” Siemens explained. “For outside customers it’s with owners, and/or drivers and for Paul’s Hauling, it’s with the operations team or the driver. For company units, we automate communication to minimize the need for one-on-one contact while we offer a more personalized communication method for other fleets.”
Oak Point Service has also developed a variety of in-house training programs to ensure its technicians are providing a consistent quality of service. The company identifies skill sets each technician has and which skills require development. It also assigns apprentice technicians to lead or senior technicians who provide supervised training that focuses on developing required skills.
“We are well positioned with many large parts suppliers within a few blocks of our location so parts are readily available,” Siemens also related. “We have a fairly loyal customer base, so parts usage is more predictable and we’re able to stock the parts they require.”
Oak Point Service, Siemens noted, relies on TMT Service Center maintenance management software to help ensure consistency in its offerings. “It gives us a repair history to assist with diagnosis, helps manage inventory to ensure we are stocking smart, and provides a method to capture warranty,” he explained. “TMT is intuitive and user friendly so our staff and technicians can use it without requiring them to be software experts, and it’s also flexible enough to work with many different customer business models.”
TMT Service Center software is designed to help fleets manage maintenance and repair services for other carriers, noted Mike Keus, vice president, asset maintenance, Trimble Transportation. For example, it can manage PM schedules, recalls and campaigns, tires and warranty, and provide standard and advanced reporting and analytics. Additionally, TMT Service Center has a Service Contract management capability that guarantees contracted prices for repair and maintenance of an asset or an account.
“A major benefit of using maintenance software for outside customers is that it allows fleets to operate as a profit center and offset some of their maintenance expenses,” Keus said. “In a blended environment, it provides for maximizing resource utilization of bays and technicians to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.”
