VTNA and Mack win “gold” for uptime programs

OEMs also tout cost savings for customers of Uptime Centers program when connected to trucks featuring their proprietary telematics offering.

Sean Kilcarr

Nov. 11, 2016

2 min read

Phillip Swaim VTNA39s director of network fixed operations explained that at its heart the Uptime Centers program is about not letting quotsmall jobsquot get stuck behind quotbig jobsquot in a dealership39s service lanes Photo by Sean KilcarrFleet Owner — Phillip Swaim, VTNA's director of network fixed operations, explained that at its heart the Uptime Centers program is about not letting "small jobs" get stuck behind "big jobs" in a dealership's service lanes. (*Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner*)

Volvo Trucks North America’s (VTNA) new Certified Uptime Center process – along with the similar system operated by its brother company, Mack Trucks – both took home “gold awards” from the Brandon Hall Group in that firm’s “best learning program supporting a change transformation business strategy” category.

The Brandon Hall Group said it used five criteria during its evaluation of the entries to its annual award program: the design of the program, functionality, innovation, how it fit the needs of the business and measurable benefits. The company said it will formally present the awards to VTNA and Mack in January next year.

“The award signifies that we are thoughtfully and carefully rolling out Volvo Certified Uptime Centers by providing quality training resources to ensure dealers are prepared and ready to offer customers superior service and better address their needs for quick repairs,” noted Jeff Lester, VTNA’s senior vice president of sales, in a statement.

Fleetowner Com Sites Fleetowner com Files Uploads 2016 11 11 Randall

Mack's Jonathan Randall

To date, VTNA’s Certified Uptime Centers program – and it currently has 57 U.S. and Canadian dealership locations certified – has demonstrated an 8% improvement in service efficiency, along with a 2.5 day reduction in dwell time, which is the overall time a customer’s vehicle spends at the dealership minus the time required to perform the repair.

Mack is experiencing similar improvements through its 67 Mack Certified Uptime Centers across North America as well, noted Jonathan Randall, the OEM’s senior vice president of sales.

He added during a presentation by the OEM in Birmingham, AL, this week that in combination with Mack’s Guard Dog Connect remote diagnostics/telematics technology – introduced three years ago and currently installed in 50,000 of its vehicles – its Uptime Centers program can cut diagnostic time by 70% and repair times by 21%.

That can lead to total downtime for repair savings of up to $2,000 per day per event per truck, Randall stressed.

“Consistent solutions can cut through the clutter to deliver bottom line impact,” he emphasized.

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr

Editor in Chief

Sean Kilcarr is a former longtime FleetOwner senior editor who wrote for the publication from 2000 to 2018. He served as editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2018.