Fleet Maintenance - 26

vehicle covered under OEM base
warranty? Is the job we're about to
perform covered under extended
or aftermarket parts warranty?'
Ultimately, if we replace a component, does that part itself have its
own unique warranty associated
with the part?" Walters says.
Due to the nature of individual specifications for commercial
vehicle assets, one vehicle will
likely have several warranty types.
Identifying the manufacturer of
the system or component is critical
to the identification and tracking of
warranties. An example asset may
be a Class 8 tractor with an integrated Detroit powertrain - engine,
transmission, and axles; a Bendix
braking system; and a BorgWarner
starter. The warranty tracking
system should note these different manufacturers and suppliers
for every asset.

»Trimble's TMT Fleet Maintenance solution includes a warranty module that allows fleets to identify, track, and submit
warranty claims.
Images courtesy of Trimble Transportation

Managing the
warranty process
A proper software management
system to track warranty claims is
critical. Additionally, proper training of technicians and standardized steps to manage the entire
warranty process should also be
in place.
"It is very important that technicians know that the repair they're
about to do is in a warranty situation," Trimble's Walters says.
"Knowing that going in, and alerting the technician that the repair [they are] about to perform is
under warranty automatically puts the technician
into a category of knowing 'I need to save the part,
I need to understand why it failed, I may need to
take a picture because a warranty claim is going
to be filed.'"
Walters adds that fleets would do well to take
photos during any warranty service to document
the appearance of the failed part while it is still
on the vehicle.
"Alerting technicians and having an information system that integrates with how a technician
performs his daily functions is mission-critical
and gives us a better warranty process at the end,"
Walters says.
Many fleets appoint an individual to manage
and oversee the entire warranty process.
"Most fleets have a warranty administrator, an
individual person that deeply reviews what we
call potential warranty claims," Walters adds. "As
repairs are being completed, the [software] system
is identifying those repairs as warrantable. Then,
it's typically a warranty administrator that will
review those potential warranty claims and
decide whether they're going to actually create
the fileable claim to the vendor providing the
warranty coverage."
This is exactly what Brandon Pasby does.

26 Fleet Maintenance | May 2020

Pasby is the warranty administrator for
Memphis, Tennessee-based Ozark Motor Lines.
Nearly all maintenance service and warranty
claims are handled in-house. Ozark manages more than 750 tractors - nearly all of them
Detroit powertrains - and 1,500 trailers. Ozark's
trade cycle is done by mileage - every 600,000
miles, which equates to about five or six years
for the fleet.
Ozark's technicians receive regular online and
in-person training and certifications to stay updated on Freightliner and Detroit vehicle service and
repair processes.
As far as the service process at Ozark, Pasby
says the maintenance department has a shop foreman who will review and assign service jobs to
one of the 25 technicians in the shop.
Freightliners currently run by Ozark have a
one-year, 100,000-mile warranty. This means
any component - whether it is manufactured
by the OE or through an OE supplier, is covered
by Freightliner. Examples may include the diesel
exhaust fluid (DEF) hoses or wheel seals. Once the
full coverage warranty expires, the proprietary
Detroit powertrain is still covered for an additional amount of time. But, the process for filing
warranty claims on OE supplier and aftermarket
parts may vary depending on the company who
made the part, Pasby says.

"[For example], say you've got a truck with
300,000 miles on it [and] the starter fails," Pasby
says. "It's out of Freightliner's warranty, but
BorgWarner still has [a] warranty on it. We submit
a claim to BorgWarner."
Pasby advises he will be switching to a software
program to manage much of the warranty tracking process. Prior to that, he has been tracking
through daily reports and reviewing every work
order "on a daily basis" to spot any potential
warranty claims. He is optimistic the new process
will help make warranty tracking more efficient
and catch additional warranty claims Ozark may
have otherwise missed.
Chris McQuillen, warranty manager at
Hirschbach, reviews and tracks all warranty work
for the dedicated fleet.
"As far as the day-to-day operation of the shops,
our shop managers supervise all repair techs and
repair orders but I review all repairs to 'catch'
anything that may be coded incorrectly for our
system to create a pending claim," McQuillen says"
He advises Hirschbach has set a goal to
complete 70 percent of all maintenance, service,
and repairs in-house. This includes preventive
maintenance (PM), warranty and non-warranty work, repairing accident damage, etc. When
it comes to dealer relationships as it relates to
vehicle service, McQuillen works with OEMs

Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance