“We’re not always the least expensive mechanical and tire service provider, but hopefully our customers recognize that our value is in returning their vehicles to service as quickly as possible,” said Walter Dealtrey, Jr., President/CEO of Service Tire Truck Centers (STTC). “In addition, across our locations we offer uniform service capabilities and consistent pricing.”
Headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, STTC operates 52 locations from Virginia to Massachusetts. The family-owned and -operated business, founded by Dealtrey’s late father in 1955 as a Goodyear retail tire sales and service company, offers Cooper, Michelin, Goodyear, Yokohama, Camso, and BF Goodrich tires. The full range of related services it provides includes vehicle maintenance, tire services, retreading, mounted tire programs, alignments, scrap analysis, aluminum wheel refinishing, and a robotic powder coating service for steel wheels.
“We work closely with suppliers to ensure that we offer the best and latest tires to our customers,” Dealtrey said. “Suppliers also support our tire business by driving fleet business to us, by providing support for emergency road service, and we utilize their fleet inspection and maintenance programs for customers.”
For the past 10 years, STTC has also focused on expanding its Service Tech division, which provides service for all classes, makes, and models of commercial vehicles.
“Our expansion into that segment stemmed from tire customers asking for maintenance and repair work and it’s now a growing part of our operation,” Dealtrey stated. “Our customers include local and regional fleets, and national fleets with facilities in our footprint.”
Either at its shops or with 30 mobile units on Isuzu NPR and Ford E-350 chassis equipped with tools and parts, STTC provides mechanical services, inspections, and preventive maintenance. The company employs 64 technicians.
“Finding technicians is the only challenge to growing our business faster,” Dealtrey said. “We offer competitive pay and great benefits, but it’s still a constraint. We work with trade schools to find new help and we’re always running ads, including looking for trained tire technicians with mechanical skills and the desire to learn more about truck and trailer service and repairs.”
STTC technicians utilize the latest Hunter alignment, tire changing, and balancing equipment. The decision to use a single supplier for those technologies, Dealtrey related, is based on Hunter’s quality products and to provide consistency and make training easier for technicians.
Noregon JPRO diagnostic software and several management solutions are also standardized across STTC locations. In use is ALLDATA Repair software for OEM repair information on vehicles up to 10,000 lbs, which also allows for creating estimates based on parts and labor costs. For medium and heavy duty vehicles, STTC utilizes FleetCross by MOTOR for repair details and to identify parts and labor times.
“One thing that differentiates us is the use of high quality OEM parts,” Dealtrey added. “All of our shops and mobile units utilize the same parts programs to ensure consistency. Our main vendor is FleetPride and we purchase from Advanced Auto, Aurora, Freightliner Pinnacle, Navistar Fleet Charge, PACCAR, NAPA, Fleetguard, Baldwin, and Chevron.
“Over the last 12 months, as we’ve adapted to virtual options, our relationships with customers have changed,” Dealtrey related. “But while many physical interactions have been disrupted, our hands-on approach to customer relations hasn’t changed. Service events can be conducted without face-to-face involvement, and information can be sent to customers and reviewed electronically.
“The level of data we provide customers depends on what metrics are important to the fleet,” Dealtrey continued. “We’ve found that transparency with customers exposes successes and weaknesses in our relationship and points to areas where improvement can be made. That practice is also important because it fosters a higher level of trust.”
STTC has built its own ability to analyze performance metrics and assess efficiency. Using a management information system from Advanced Business Software over the past 15 years, the service provider generates P&L statements for all of its locations and tracks maintenance needs and costs for customers. The software integrates with STTC’s general ledger for accounting and invoicing. In addition, it’s used to manage service for company vehicles based on mileage from WEX fuel card purchases.
“STTC’s goal is to create greater customer relationships through increased vehicle uptime and repairs performed correctly the first time,” Dealtrey stated. “We do that through timely and precise communication, consistent prices and procedures throughout our locations, and by always being highly dependable thanks to our great team of employees.”
About the Author
Seth Skydel
Seth Skydel, a veteran industry editor, has more than 36 years of experience in fleet management, trucking, and transportation and logistics publications. Today, in editorial and marketing roles, he writes about fleet, service, and transportation management, vehicle and information technology, and industry trends and issues.