Mack Trucks’ system is known as GuardDog Connect, and according to Mack’s David Pardue, fleets primarily use the information gleaned from this service to ensure the proper repair of their units.

“All data collected is converted into actionable information that helps fleets increase their uptime,” Pardue says. “We are also taking the technology of GuardDog Connect and geo-fencing data to help streamline the Mack Certified Uptime Center process to further enhance customer uptime.”

Peterbilt’s SmartLinq technology connects the fleet to its trucks and engines. The remote diagnostics system provides customers with quick fleet health to maximize uptime, keep deliveries on schedule and manage service events. It’s currently standard and factory-installed on all Peterbilt trucks with a PACCAR MX-13 or MX-11 engine, and the OEM has said that it will expand the service’s availability soon.

Volvo’s service, known simply as Remote Diagnostics, delivers proactive diagnosis on issues that may crop up in a truck, and is a standard offering for Volvo.

Proactive is the operative word for remote diagnostics—the goal is to make sure fleets and drivers know there’s a problem before it becomes serious, or cuts into the fleet’s uptime too much.

Access to all this data sounds positively futuristic. But access to all the software in the world wouldn’t mean anything to a fleet without proven return on investment (ROI). So, we asked, is the ROI there? How have service turn-around times been impacted?

“Customers are telling us that OnCommand Connection has helped them greatly reduce breakdowns, which reduces maintenance costs and improves vehicles’ uptime,” says International’s Kline.

“Here are a few examples:

“One fleet customer has experienced a 28% reduction in down days and a 31% reduction in repairs due to the preventive aspect of these remote diagnostics.

“Royal Trucking has actually eliminated breakdowns during most weeks. Royal has also reduced maintenance costs to 3 to 4 cents per mile during a typical week—well below the industry average of 15 cents per mile. Royal Trucking also reports that by converting proactive maintenance to predictive maintenance, they have been able to reduce their maintenance budget by 30%.

“After two months of using OnCommand Connection, Taylor Truck Lines, with a fleet of more than 300 vehicles, reduced roadside breakdowns and towing bills to less than one per month.

“In addition to improved uptime, Lesco Logistics LLC is using the system to identify potential DOT violations before they become issues,” concluded Kline.

“The most noticeable benefit generated by GuardDog Connect is the proactive approach to service event,” Mack’s Pardue says. “Using the information generated by GuardDog Connect, service shops are able to eliminate the uncertainty behind a service event and pro-actively get ready parts, tools, documentation, and so forth, to service the truck as soon as it arrives. This proactive approach drastically reduces the dwell time of a repair event, resulting in increased uptime for the fleet to operate the truck.”

“A lot of times what you see is that a driver gets a notification on the road and they do one of two things: they either take immediate action, which could be an overreaction, or they ignore it and continue driving, which could cause a major problem down the road,” shares Kenworth Assistant General Manager Jason Skoog. “Anecdotally, what they have told us is that because TruckTech+ gives them simple notifications, which are ‘stop now,’ ‘service now,’ ‘service soon,’ or ‘keep driving,’ they take the right action at the right time, which leads to better uptime for the whole fleet. For instance when you get a ‘service soon’ light, you can continue to deliver your load and schedule a service when it’s convenient. So the productivity of the fleet increases because of the technology that we’re able to provide.”