The vehicle data platform now offered by fleet breakdown service provider AmeriQuest Transportation Services is enabling fleets to trace the roots of mechanical failures, gather a full picture of each incident, expedite additional response if needed, and identify possible future trends.
"Our new electronic record keeping and reporting system is providing up-to the minute data and analytics to customers who want a better way to keep track of the maintenance costs and other details, as the events occur," said Byron Lay, maintenance director. "The response since the introduction of the enhanced service has been overwhelmingly positive."
Rodney Franklin, Director of Maintenance for the national trucking company RRR Transportation Co. based in Calhoun, Ga., began taking advantage of the new service as soon as it was introduced in May. "The service has been very beneficial to us so far. From the moment Road Rescue is contacted, we begin receiving instant information. This could be a picture of a damaged tire or a delivery receipt or information on replacement parts that are needed. Road Rescue enters the information - including a timeline of events and VMRS [Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards] codes -and we see it immediately.
"This enables us to notify on-call personnel if additional help is needed and keep precise records of the breakdowns, even if the driver neglects to bring all the paperwork back to us. We can also go back and review breakdowns, causes, and ways we can prevent them in the future," Franklin explained.
The data platform is similar to one being employed by a major vehicle manufacturer, so RRR Transportation staffers were able to get up and running with it almost immediately, according to Franklin. "The system allows our company to set up notifications via text or e-mail internally, which can then be forwarded to key people, and it provides us with a permanent record of everything that occurred. If the status of the case changes, we get notified right away," he said.
RRR Transportation signed up for AmeriQuest Road Rescue breakdown service as soon as it was introduced nationally in 2012. The program, however, started its life in 2004 as a service of CURE Leasing & Maintenance, a company providing financing and maintenance solutions to companies using independent contractors as part of their transportation programs. Eventually AmeriQuest started to offer the service and has expanded it to all types of fleets.
"We use the service for all of our after-hours roadside emergencies," he explained. "When our drivers call into Road Rescue, we've already set up specific parameters we want met for each emergency, so that the maintenance coordinators know exactly how we want each scenario to be handled. At this point, we consider Road Rescue to be an extension of RRR Transportation."
Plycon Transportation, headquartered in King's Park, NY, is a high-end, small shipment, household and fine automobile transportation company that became a Road Rescue customer just one year ago. "We're finding we're dealing with a network of vendors that are very knowledgeable about our repairs," said Nick Nazzareno, Safety Director. "The company has been very satisfied with the service we've been receiving and now we're expanding it beyond our over-the-road trucks to other divisions of the company."
AmeriQuest's Lay noted that the technology enhancement to the roadside service was a natural extension to the other features Road Rescue offers customers, including a state-of-the-art call center, a network of thousands of approved service providers located coast to coast, and national account pricing for all parts and supplies. "Fleets today value visibility. They don't want to receive an invoice for an exaggerated amount or be kept in the dark about what every party involved in an incident is doing. We realize all these things can impact a fleet's relationship with its customers, how they meet their timeframes, and how they can become more profitable."
