Are you the truck shop leader you should be?
Look up “leadership” and words like authority, command, control and power come up. If business owners think of Leadership skills in those terms, chances are that they will fail. But look up the term, “help,” and you’ll see synonyms like: advice and guidance. That set of words are much more on the “leadership” mark. In
Visible value that parts inventory software can bring to truck shops
It’s probably not a surprise that parts costs can account for a substantial portion of a fleet’s maintenance and repair expenses. What’s not often as apparent, however, is the cost of managing parts, and the ways that activity can be streamlined to generate savings and improve a service operation’s productivity and efficiency. “Fleet operations often
Olympic Truck Service is Drive’s latest Shop Spotlight
Dan and Kris Bullinger, owners of Olympic Truck Service in Olympia, Wash., feel lucky to be able to attend their kids’ sports events and school functions without having to ask for time off. The shop is in the heart of the South Puget Sound region, and the area has a clean and outdoorsy vibe. Dan,
How electric trucks could change service shop operations
Electric trucks are coming and reduced maintenance is potentially coming along with them, but that doesn’t mean that truck service is going to change overnight. There will be differences, but electric trucks offer an opportunity, not a threat, to truck service operations. While there are plenty of conversations to be had about service needs and
Smart solutions for fleet service shops
During the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC)’s Fall Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition, TMC and Decisiv Inc. released their most recent North American Service Event Benchmark Report, which showed an increase in parts and labor costs over the first six months of 2021. The reports, which cover power unit costs in nine top Vehicle Maintenance
The value of VMRS in your shop
It’s important to have everyone involved in the truck repair process speaking the same language. This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook how much time is saved when there is consistency across your fleet, your service providers and even the OEMs. It’s for this exact reason that the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC)
Mitchell 1 Truck Shop Management Program to increase fleet integration
Mitchell 1 announced that the latest release of its Manager SE Truck Edition truck shop management software includes new fleet management and communication features. Building on the recent addition of VMRS codes in its TruckSeries truck repair software, the latest upgrade to Manager SE Truck Edition increases a service provider’s capability to integrate and communicate
Operating lean may not work in the future for shop administration
For years, those of us in this profession have had the idea beaten to death that we shouldn’t spend money, don’t have too many mechanics, don’t overstock inventory. We even have gone through a phase that maybe we should have consignment parts or even outsource the parts room to a third party. We were brought
Bi-directional testing: How it can speed up truck shop operations
What is the problem? It’s the most basic and, oftentimes, most perplexing question in truck repair. Trucks are complex machines driven by computer controls. Fault codes do their best to point technicians in the right direction, but being able to quickly to diagnose the root cause of the service problem is paramount. Enter bi-directional testing.
The importance of context when communicating in a truck shop
Language is a funny thing. Words provide the ability for us to communicate our thoughts and desires. And while our words make it possible for us to work together and get more accomplished than we ever could as individuals, language also carries the potential to bring confusion and distrust. Technicians sometimes form their own unique
