april2022 - 21

[ SHOP MANAGEMENT ]
F
or a truck driver waiting in a repair shop, every tick of the clock feels like a
pin prick, bleeding money from what would otherwise have been a productive
day. Drivers get paid by the mile but, unfortunately, pacing back and forth
in a waiting room doesn't count.
It's a maddening experience, according to Kevin Bowers, director of service
operations at TranSource, a dealership that services Hino, Isuzu, Mack, and
Volvo medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
" Every driver or every trucking company that drops their truck off to us,
they're mad when they get here, " Bowers told Fleet Maintenance. " They're
mad because the truck's broke, they're mad because they're going to have
to spend money to fix it, and they're mad because they don't have the truck
to pull their load. "
The ramifications for the fleet are twofold: a truck not on the road is an
unprofitable one and ticked-off drivers are as bad for business as downtime.
" Reliable equipment plays a big part in retention, and if a fleet is not addressing
their needs in a timely manner, or supporting their drivers in every way
possible, it's more likely they'll leave, " said Tristan Nolan, Werner Enterprises'
product manager for maintenance, equipment, terminal network, and technology
platform.
That's why fleets and maintenance providers must use every tool at their
disposal to speed up what can be a very long repair process rife with potentially
long part lead times and understaffed shops. And for the challenge
of expediting the repair process, it appears that digital tools-powered not
by pneumatics or electricity, but by data-are providing the biggest help.
These include all sorts of apps, platforms, and acronyms, from SRM (service
relationship management) to CMMS (computer maintenance management
systems). They may work in combination or alone, but they all have a knack
for unlocking more efficiency and uptime than fleets ever had before.
High-level solutions
Werner Enterprises hangs on the cutting edge of the digital tool spectrum.
One of the largest for-hire fleets in North America, the Omaha, Nebraskabased
carrier developed its own telematics solution called Werner EDGE,
which feeds data into the Werner Event Resolution System (ERS). Sixty road
breakdown specialists use ERS to assist
with issues ranging from preventive
maintenance to major equipment failures.
The team also deals with estimate
reviews, invoices, and warranty filing via
cloud-based ERS workflows. Nolan said
Werner has cut driver dwell time by more
than half and cut time per call to address
vendor repair needs by 10 minutes since
the inception of EDGE and ERS.
The logistics company manages 8,000
tractors, 24,000 trailers, and utilizes a
network of 13,000 repair shops. Werner
has also integrated with OEMs Daimler
Truck North America and Navistar, as
well as SRM provider Decisiv, to widen
" Anything problematic
that happens out there,
I'm involved in; I'm
copied on all the case
notes flying back and
forth within service
departments. "
Kevin Bowers, director of service
operations at TranSource
its reach and reduce time on the phone.
" With our integrations, phone calls are eliminated, drivers are served faster,
and agents can address a higher volume of repair needs, " Nolan explained.
TranSource, meanwhile, has dealerships across North Carolina and
South Dakota, with 130 bays spanning several facilities and 100 ASE- and
OEM-certified technicians, who also service the dealer's lease and rental
fleet. TranSource solely uses Decisiv's SRM.
This end-to-end software solution, which Volvo Group brands as the
ASIST SRM, expedites estimates and approvals, and manages and streamlines
the overall repair process. This starts with Driver Vehicle Inspection
Report (DVIR) data, after which work orders are quickly created through the
Karmak Fusion dealer management system (DMS). The necessary information,
from diagnostic reports and estimates to warranty coverage and customers'
preferred inspection and service procedures, all funnel down to the technician
making the repair. Basically, those who need to know will know.
April 2022 | FleetMaintenance.com
21
http://www.FleetMaintenance.com
april2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of april2022
