Industry Trends & Drivers

As the widescale deployment of battery-electric vans, buses, and trucks nears, fleets are beginning to define the changes and requirements needed in the shops that will support these vehicles.

When considering a move to contract maintenance, the private fleet manager needs to share details of their fleet’s operation with the outside service provider so that the service provider has full knowledge of the carrier’s needs and can tailor a program specifically for that fleet.

Transitioning all or part of your fleet to battery electric trucks can seem intimidating, because the process affects not only the trucks themselves, but also the bigger business picture. Dwell time, PMs, fuel costs, even your fleet’s physical site – it’s all going to change. You might be confident that your choice of electric trucks is sound, but what about your charging infrastructure?

Volvo Trucks named its largest West Coast dealership, TEC Equipment, the company’s first Volvo Electric Vehicle Certified Dealer in North America.

While a comprehensive maintenance program is always essential for the performance of key heavy-duty truck brake and wheel end systems, it can be even more critical when fleets adopt new and different types of components and technologies.

How standard repair times benefit fleets and service providers.

The trucking industry is seeing a parts shortage. Although it started with the truck makers having trouble sourcing computer chips and other parts and components for their assembly lines, it is now rolling into the aftermarket, and fleets are experiencing wait times for replacement parts needed to complete maintenance service or repairs.

So you’ve read all about the major aspects of a good truck tire service program—and if you haven’t, you can find that story here—but what about some of the smaller things that may slip through the cracks?

Heavy-duty engine oils can have a major impact on two of the top three equipment-related cost areas for truck fleets: fuel and maintenance. Are you using the best oils for your fleet’s bottom line?

Everything from rates, miles driven, stops per route, dwell time per stop, pickup and delivery times, average speed, temperature, fuel and maintenance costs, and empty miles can be tracked.

If the engine is the beating heart of the truck, and the telematics system its brain, then the tires are the legs, enabling it to complete its runs day in and day out.

Fleet car and truck maintenance costs have been trending upward during the first half of the 2021-calendar year as total fleet miles driven have increased in response to a recovering economy compared to 2020-CY.

With the total cost of electric-vehicle ownership for some commercial applications already beating out internal-combustion engines, ACT Research predicts that electrification of the Class 4-8 commercial vehicle market in the U.S. and Canada will top 40% by 2040 – with a third of the market migrating to battery-electric solutions in the next 10 years.

Having an effective maintenance program means having a systematic and preventive approach to maintenance. And it saves you money in the long run.

Considerations for spec’ing, servicing, and maintaining today’s more complicated vehicles.