Over the past three to four years, vehicle diagnostics and service needs have changed in a number of ways. Talking about the heyday of MySpace got us thinking about the top eight ways truck service has changed since … Well, since Jason was young enough to use social media. 

Number one: Service-related data is streaming off of the trucks. Many vehicles now come equipped with diagnostic systems that allow service managers to remotely identify and troubleshoot problems. This has led to a greater need for service managers to be familiar with telematics systems and how to use them to diagnose and repair vehicles. 

Number two: Service triage changes. All of that service data that you remotely access can be put to work in the service triage process before the truck even hits the service location. You have an idea of what fault codes are heading your way when the truck will be there and which technician to put on the case.

Number three: ADAS! Advanced driver assistance systems are becoming a standard spec across the trucking industry, even in vocational applications. That means technicians have to understand camera and radar calibrations. The last thing you want is a truck with active brake assist to mistake a common highway overpass for a vehicle ahead of it and engage the brakes unnecessarily. 

Number 4: Costs! They’re going up. Supply chain challenges drive up parts prices and the technician shortage is continuing to squeeze the truck service industry when unskilled job wages are competing with diesel tech hourly wages.

Number 5: On a brighter note … electric vehicles. They’re just now entering the market with fleets buying battery electric trucks to run short-haul applications. Currently, there’s a void of training that needs to be filled, and fleets of all sizes are looking to OEMs for EV training.

Number 6: Advanced service diagnostics solutions and scan tools. There are some very cool truck service solutions that are nearing a predictive maintenance reality. Techs will need to focus on how service solutions can improve a vehicle’s repair procedures. Also, be sure to understand the needs of advanced sensor technologies that are being used in today’s trucks.

Number 7: Increased focus on safety and compliance. With stricter regulations in place and the mandatory use of ELDs, service managers, drivers and technicians need to be aware of and adhere to safety guidelines. This includes regular safety inspections and compliance with federal and state laws, proper maintenance and repair of safety features such as brakes and lighting systems and staying up-to-date on any changes in regulations.

And for number 8, let’s turn to our friends at Noregon for their take on the technology making the biggest truck service impact.

Fleet Equipment’s Data Center is sponsored by Noregon. Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every episode as we’ll be diving into use cases, talking with the data pros and making data usage approachable.