Lat year, the Goodyear fleetHQ Solution Center helped more than 164,000 customers get their trucks back on the road, said Tony Starling, general manager of fleetHQ. “That’s a nearly 60 percent increase over 2009.”
The fleetHQ program provides 24/7 emergency tire-related road assistance and receive service through the 2,000 plus locations in the fleetHQ Servicing Dealer Network.
“And we got them back on the road fast, he said. “We track each and every call in real time, and that information is easily available to fleet managers through fleetHQ.com.
“Time is money, and we reduced the average ‘roll time’ (from initial call to the truck being back on the road) by nearly 30 minutes in 2010.”
fleetHQ currently is achieving roll times of two hours and 10 minutes, on average, according to Roy Sutfin, vice president of fleetHQ. Results may vary, based on reasons for downtime, travel conditions, and nearest location of a participating service facility.
“We’re making a concentrated effort to shorten that span,” he said. “Downtime can mean lost revenue, and we want to help our customers maximize their profits.”
The fleetHQ Solution Center typically assists around 700 trucks a day, but the recent hot weather contributed to several spikes in the number of calls received. “There were several days in June when fleetHQ’s Solution Center helped put more than 900 downed trucks back on the road,” Sutfin noted.
Starling said fleetHQ emergency road service has no enrollment fees, no incidence fees for calling its toll free number (866-fleetHQ) and the price customers pay for tires on the road is the same as they pay at home. “Other emergency tire service programs have incidence fees that can range from $25 to more than $75.”
Fewer hassles
Because customers can establish complete portfolios listing all tires installed on each of their trucks, a fleet driver or owner-operator can simply tell the fleetHQ agent what vehicle is being driven, and the agent immediately knows what type, brand and size of tire is needed for replacement.
“Truck operators, fleet owners, managers and dispatchers find that fleetHQ can save them the hassle of making several calls to find a location that’s open, or a tire dealer with the right tires in stock,” Starling said. “With fleetHQ, one call is all it takes.”
Because customers pay the same price for replacement tires on the road as they pay at “home,” with the local dealer providing the invoice, there are fewer surprises for fleets, said Starling.
fleetHQ also offers a smartphone mobile Web application (http://m.fleethq.net) that puts drivers in touch with the program’s tire professionals. The application, available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms, shows the user the closest service location, and help is only a phone call away.
Various solutions
Emergency road service is one of many solutions that fleetHQ offers, said Dave Beasley, senior director, business solutions, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. Other features include:
- Nationwide pricing with consolidated billing through a fleet’s or owner operator’s hometown dealer. “Once you establish your tire and service program with your local fleetHQ dealer, your negotiated price will be honored across the entire fleetHQ network,” said Beasley.
- TVTrack, a powerful online management tool that helps fleets and owner operators monitor their tires’ condition and performance, and reduces fleets’ operating costs. TVTrack also provides unit information, scrap analysis, wear conditions and more, all at the click of a mouse.
- Gold Medallion retreaded tires, a stock retread available throughout the country that meets premium casing specifications. Available in six of the most popular medium truck tire sizes, Gold Medallion retreaded tires also come with a Goodyear Limited Warranty.
- TirePix, a service that provides photos of tires that were replaced during a road service call.
- The fleetHQ Truck Stop Network, a 300-plus-location network providing Goodyear, Dunlop and/or Kelly tires. Participants include Wingfoot Truck Care Centers, Travel Centers of America, Petro Truck Stops, PTP Truckstop Network, and Boss Truck Shops.
Unveiled three years ago, fleetHQ offers “a comprehensive array of premium benefits designed to help fleets and owner-operators reduce their costs,” said Beasley. “These benefits go beyond tires and extend to the services and information that make it easier for transportation professionals to do business.”
“The benefits of fleetHQ are available to trucking operations of every size.”
Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems offers a broad portfolio of products and services to the commercial fleet industry, including a full range of original equipment and replacement tires. This includes the 24/7 fleetHQ Solution Center, national programs, tire management tools, online information, and business problem-solving tools for tomorrow’s commercial fleets. For more information on the fleetHQ program, go to www.fleetHQ.com.
