Dart Transit Company, one of the nation’s largest truckload dry van carriers, has improved uptime since it began using Kenworth’s TruckTech+ last year. This remote diagnostics system enhances vehicle diagnostics by providing information on vehicle health to fleets and truck dealers to help optimize uptime and productivity.
The system not only diagnoses the problem, but also provides the recommended solution to the driver and fleet.
This technology has given Dart “great visibility on the health of our Kenworths,” says Paul Mages, the lead on Dart’s company efficiency team.
The biggest contributor to improving uptime has been email alerts notifying when regens are needed, he notes.
“Before, the truck could be de-rated if a driver overlooked an alert or waited too long to clean the emissions system, especially after the truck had been sitting over a rest period,” Mages says. “Now, we get an email notification when the soot level gets to a critical level and can call the driver and get action taken before a de-rate takes place.”
“Getting these alerts is a great example of how we’re eliminating potential downtime.”
Less Guesswork
The amount of information and detail provided to Dart’s call center via remote diagnostics is taking the guesswork out of roadside issues.
“We would always want to err on the side of caution when it comes to trucks and use our gut feeling whether to continue on, or shut the truck down completely,” says Mages. “The codes and information we’re now receiving with Kenworth TruckTech+ enables us to make informed decisions.
“In addition, it allows us to reverse the flow of information from our call center. We are transitioning from being reactive – where calls come in from drivers – to one where we are proactive. We’re now calling drivers and telling them what course of action to take based on the severity of the issue.”
First Steps
“As the trucks we have with remote diagnostics age, the information the trucks provide will allow us even better decision making and cost savings,” Mages says. “We will be able to collect a vast amount of data and use this in trend analysis, plus we’re going to integrate remote diagnostics into our fleet maintenance software.”
