Despite its importance and inevitability, servicing, maintenance and repair has failed to make its way into truckin’ folklore – with perhaps the only exception being the classic spark plug joke, designed to poke fun at those unfamiliar with diesels.
Performance, in-cab features and safety are almost always at the forefront of new truck marketing, but servicing continues long after that initial purchase. It is, therefore, not just an ongoing investment, but a balancing act and a relationship between the dealer, service department, and customer.
DIESELtalk spoke to three leading industry businesses about current servicing trends, and challenges, each representing a different market. Truck Stops, Mitsubishi-Fuso, and Iveco, which has plans to expand its market share in New Zealand.
Transport is an industry that is constantly evolving and servicing is no different; in fact, changes in all areas of the trucking business have altered service and maintenance philosophy, and vice versa.
Servicing, warranty, and extended warranty influence a large part of an operator’s purchasing decision, but unlike that poor corolla you bought for your teenage son or daughter, it remains at the forefront of ownership.
Change is constant in the transport industry, but Lloyd Robinson, manager of technical services at Mitsubishi Motors NZ, describes the last few years as being particularly eventful.
“I’ve been here for 31 years, but things are so exciting at the moment there is no chance I’ll be retiring anytime soon. I first started out as a mechanic before coming to Mitsubishi, and now I’ve worked everywhere – including product engineering and planning, through to the service department, and looking after the heavy truck line. We now have around 130 years of experience in our service department, and there are just 5 people there!”
In the ideal world a truck might receive new fluids, filters and adjustment every couple of days, but obviously this is uneconomical. Operators must now carefully account for every dollar spent, and servicing is one of those great juggling acts.
Although compromises must sometimes be made, it is rare that these are at the expense of safety, and become more a question of long term investment once a unit is out of warranty or long in the tooth.
All people DIESELTalk spoke to recognised the importance of servicing, warranty and service networks in a buyers decision, suggesting they were vital tools for dealers in attracting, retaining and developing lasting relationships.
Truck Stops’ operations are unique in New Zealand in that they have a national footprint and offer an end-to-end and comprehensive parts and workshop service proposition to the road transport industry. They are the country’s largest supplier of commercial truck parts and workshop service, and widely regarded as a key partner to the road transport industry.
Ray Roberts, Truck Stops’ general manager of sales and service says that being part of the Truck Investments Group, a Sime Darby company with significant transport holdings, is a large part of their business proposition, and the ongoing maintenance of a customer’s asset the most important part of the customer service relationship.
“The notion of a network is one of the big strengths of the group, says Roberts. “We also have a huge parts distribution centre in Palmerston North and provide next-day delivery, trucking over a ton of parts out every night.
“We also have a recycling division which we use to wreck older trucks that still have useful componentry. Having all those divisions in the same place lets us have some fun too, and we’ve restored a few old trucks as showpieces.
“In the New Zealand market overall there are brands that don’t necessarily have their own work-shops in each centre. What Truck Investments has is a number of brands that fit together, so we can have sixteen dealers across the country with qualified and trained technicians. We’ll also work on those brands we don’t necessarily sell, and that opens up the relationship so in the future they might decide to buy their next truck through TIL.
“But we still like them if they don’t,” he laughs.
That relationship became even more important when the global financial crisis hit, as with the positive benefits of ongoing servicing and repair often showing up more in the mid-to-long term, the tendency to seek alternative arrangements proved increasingly tempting. As well as just the customer/dealer relationship, service departments and distributors have had to strengthen their own ties with manufacturers.
“There have been changes in the way things are done in the last few years, and these have definitely been recognised by the customer,” says Pete Rees, technical service advisor at Mitsubishi Fuso.
“However, even with the power of hindsight it can become tricky to try and separate some of those complex variables of the last few years out into cause and effect type conclusions.”
One thing that is agreed upon is how tightening emissions standards have introduced a number of other changes down the road. Someone who has witnessed this first hand is Jason Cossill, Iveco’s product support manager.
“I started out as a car mechanic but I wasn’t big on electronics at all; in fact they were the reason I left that side of things to move to trucks. That was in the early ’90s and I ended up walking straight into the same thing happening with diesels at the time. I soon realised it was sink or swim, so I embraced it and haven’t looked back.
Obviously the technology that was filtering down there wasn’t nearly as advanced or rapid in its take up compared to what we’ve seen in the last few years, but it was still an interesting learning curve.”
Whereas the old-fashioned approach to reducing exhaust emissions was to recirculate gas through the engine, which absorbed emissions through engine oil, recent trends have seen moves towards qualitative efficiency gains.
“Now what you are seeing are smaller engines to reduce pumping losses, advancements in turbocharging and direct injection – you are also seeing increases in fuel efficiency as well as power and torque. Tighter tolerances can be achieved through better engineering,” says Cossill.
Add in complex electronics to govern a massive array of engine processes, and costs begin to rise not just for the components, but also in terms of specialist training and diagnostic tools.
While servicing intervals have increased due to refinement in engineering, manufacturers have also recognised this as an area where value can be increased for operators, offsetting the initial costs by spreading maintenance costs across a greater time, on top of the reduction in fuel usage.
John Keenan, general manager of Truck Stops and Sime Darby’s commercial group, gives the example of some equipment seeing 40,000km service intervals in ideal conditions, whereas in the past this might have been 10,000km.
“It’s quite astounding really, if you went back twenty years ago and told them what the future looks like they wouldn’t believe you,” says Keenan.
“Of course, it’s not a ‘set it and leave it’ type situation either, and we work closely with operators around the country and look at how their trucks are being used.
“Generally schedules are set down by manufactures specifications and adhered to by an operator when the truck is under warranty, but in a harsh environment you are going to have to keep a closer eye on certain things.
“A truck running long distances is going to wear differently to one doing stop-start work, and if you have a truck that spends a lot of time on dusty forest roads then that will be different again,” says Keenan.
With operators constantly pouring over accounts looking for extra value out of every dollar, dealers and operators alike need to be aware that the long-standing number 8 wire, ‘can do’ Kiwi attitude, is applying less and less to this new breed of advanced technology.
“By and large most people are clued up on their business and their trucks, but there are people around who don’t quite have the hold on things. I’ve certainly had people come back to us with issues just from using non-Iveco equipment, even on common consumables,” says Iveco’s Cossill.
“Things don’t need to be looked at as often as they used to, but it’s more important than ever before to get the right stuff in those trucks. We really stress that and it’s the same for who is working on the truck.
“Under warranty at least, Iveco trucks need to be serviced by trained Iveco specialists, because there are some really specific processes and componentry right throughout modern trucks, especially in regard to electronics. Work with us and we’ll go out of our way to work with you.”
Mitsubishi’s Pete Rees’ role sees him working with management in Japan, as well as drivers on the ground here. Following on from Robinson’s musings on his own close relationship with Fuso Japan, one that sees regular, friendly, non-business phone calls, Rees says its something he personally shares with drivers too.
“Once we’ve got through the ‘business’ side of things I might be in a truck with a driver for four hours or more,” he says.
“It’s then that you start chatting to them and getting their thoughts on how they really feel about the product in an everyday setting. I go to Japan about once a year for service meetings and I’ll have a list of things to discuss. Rather than seeing it as a list of complaints, the team in Japan value that driver insight hugely, understand its importance and certainly take it on board.
“With servicing, something we’ve pushed for is aligned maintenance. You’re either in for a small service or a big one, not a few small ones, a couple of mediums and then a big one. By aligning them, an operator can easier see into the future and plan them, and their trucks don’t have to be off the road quite as long.”
Lloyd Robinson of Mitsubishi is quick to point out that while talking about extended intervals between services, the distance covered by many trucks means drivers and their operators are still familiar faces in dealerships and service departments.
“That relationship is something that can add huge value to both businesses. They’re in so often that if you treat them right they’ll see you as a business partner. Because good partnerships are so important, they’ll be more likely to stick with you, and buy trucks from you in the future.
“Likewise, we get to know their business so when they call us with a problem we know how they work and can strive to get it sorted in a way which suits them.”
While focussing closely on current relationships, dealers and operators alike must keep in mind the fact that the recent transport evolutions are of course part of a bigger picture, with no chance of change slowing down.
On top of positive changes for operators, there are also challenges. Truck Stops’ Ray Roberts points out that experienced workers from all areas of their large network have departed for Australian soil.
“So we’ve obviously experienced guys heading over the ditch to work,” says Roberts.
“There is big money to be had there but it’s often at the expense of living where you want to, and working the hours that you want to,” comments Keenan.
“You might also be leaving your family and friends. So yes while I see a problem there we also hear murmurings of a mining slow down, or commodity prices dropping as China ramps up their industry, and I do see a lot of those ex-pats returning.
“It’s also never been really easy to find skilled graduates so you’ve got to be on the lookout constantly and providing them value through education. We have around 30-35 apprentices at any one time, and we are constantly training our existing staff as new technologies come in.
“Given that we work with a number of different brands, a lot of our guys are highly skilled in a wide variety of equipment. In terms of new technologies, they are just going to keep evolving in giant leaps. We’ve already seen electronics figure massively in safety, power and efficiency, and going forward, telematics and driver behaviour monitoring are becoming well established (See DIESELtalk issue two for a Telematics industry report).
“With everything becoming so interconnected I believe we’ll also see technicians being able to work and diagnose problems from long distance. They could be in Wellington with a truck in Auckland, or they could be in completely different countries altogether.
“Those worldwide networks will be as much a selling point on the service side of things as our current physical network is.”
“In terms of future trends for parts we’ve been heading towards sealed units for some time now,” says Iveco’s Cossill. “Sealed universal joints and kingpins, and less greasing points. That sort of thing will really come into its own with the operator rating system and something dealers can use to add value for their customers; you won’t be dropping oil on the road or on to your truck, and again it means less time in the garage.”
“The bigger fleets out there are pushing ORS fairly hard at the moment, to the point where they will be taking trucks off the road that they might have traditionally kept on, even if they were servicing them,” adds Smith.
Smith also noted an issue needing to be addressed is finding new technicians, and believes the current shortage must be acted upon while we have the chance.
“As well as the pull of Australia, I don’t believe we have quite adjusted where we recruit people from, or the image of the trucking industry. When I was growing up you tinkered with you car, either to keep it running or just to have some fun.
“As well as vehicles becoming more complex and harder to ‘have a go at’, I don’t think they are the status symbol they used to be for young guys, and I think diesel still has a ‘grubby’ image to overcome.
“In reality, the youth of today are incredibly tech savvy, and so is modern diesel and trucking. We just need to bridge that gap and show them it is challenging, rewarding and has numerous career opportunities.”
Lloyd Robinson of Fuso has a level of enthusiasm for the industry in which he has spent the majority of his working life. Now there are further changes on the horizon that will bring opportunity for dealers and operators alike.
As well as hybrid and electric vehicle technologies that are starting to show signs of filtering down to trucks, he says even more ambitious trends in vehicle platooning and adaptive cruise control will definitely be a reality.
“One thing I’ve noticed in all my years here, is that yesterday’s dream does indeed become reality, and that’s happening at an ever increasing rate. Right now in New Zealand I believe we are just starting to see some pickup in the market, as people adjust to the new road user charges scheme.
“That’s what we are focussing on at the moment, as people start to look at servicing that out of warranty truck, which they were wary of investing in too heavily before the changes, and those that are looking at rearranging their fleets altogether.”
The Road Transport Forum claims that over 90% of New Zealand’s freight travels by road (an NZTA study puts the figure at 70%). Whichever, the figure is forecast to double by 2040, with ever increasing levels of compliance such as the Operator Ratings System coming in, it becomes imperative for transport companies of all sizes to ensure that vehicles comply and are maintained, to maximise the lifetime of the vehicle.
While New Zealand’s size can leave it vulnerable to change this can drive efficiency and the search for improvements. The New Zealand truck market is an example of using our relatively small size to best advantage, with companies like Truck Stops offering the entire industry a comprehensive parts and workshop solution to vehicle fleets of any size, on a national basis. Supported by the Palmerston North distribution centre, Truck Stops has created a commanding market position and is a trusted partner to the road transport industry around parts and workshop service.
A truck brand such as Iveco, with its hi-tech componentry, is far more likely to be serviced by someone holding a laptop rather than a wrench these days. With this highly specialised componentry in mind, Iveco (currently offering a five year warranty on most models) strongly recommend that servicing is undertaken at their national service centre network.
Technology and emission controls increasingly drive developments around maintenance and service of New Zealand’s heavy transport fleet, and the people DIESELtalk met at Truck Stops, Iveco and Mitsubishi shared a common view that while change was inevitable it was an exciting marriage of the mechanical with the diagnostic, which benefits the customer and extends the lifetime of the transport asset.
