Good service is worth its weight in gold
Staying mobile is the name of the game for fleet operators – whether in Berlin, on the Brenner Pass or on the Bosphorus. After all, every breakdown costs money. So it is essential for fleet operators to plan workshop visits cleverly and minimise downtime.
The wheels need to keep turning. No one can afford stoppages in the highly competitive transport market. And should the truck involuntarily come to a stop, its load needs to quickly get on its way again. After all, every vehicle breakdown creates work and generates costs. It is not just the repairs, breakdown assistance or, if need be, the recovery of a vehicle that cost the company money. The considerable workload associated with this should not be underestimated either: often a replacement vehicle needs to be procured, the customer wants to be informed of possible delays, and there is also lengthy coordination with the driver and workshop or, in the event of an accident, with the parties involved locally and possibly the police. If, over and above this, the load itself is damaged, then the fleet manager needs to contact the insurance company directly.
This makes it all the more important to have a well-organised and reliable service partner at your side in the event of a breakdown, impending or otherwise. All work needs to be done precisely and as quickly as possible. The vehicle needs to get back out on the road if the company is to make money with it. Fleet management success is thus inextricably linked to the quality and the flexibility of the workshop. Larger freight forwarders that handle own-name transactions and have their own fleet, or bigger plant logistics companies often have an in-house workshop. Frequently, they also have a vehicle washing facility and a company filling station to supply their vehicles largely independently. In some cases, they also provide services to third parties to maximise capacity utilisation and increase efficiency.
Most fleet operators rely on external workshops
However, the majority of fleet operators do not have their own workshop. Small and medium-sized companies dominate the transport market in most European countries. A separate building with pits, test rigs, diagnostic equipment, tools, software and mechatronics engineers would not make financial sense for them. They therefore rely on professional service providers who take care of this work on their behalf, leaving truck operators to concentrate on their core business – transport and related services. The closer and more trusting the relationship between the fleet operator and workshop is, the better both sides can coordinate their processes and reduce vehicle downtime. Time slots can be planned in advance for tyre changes or regular maintenance and inspection visits. Dispatch thus knows at an early stage when certain trucks and trailers are temporarily out of action and can arrange cargo space with subcontractors or freight exchanges.
Companies wishing to play it totally safe, schedule precisely and have full cost control can opt for a service contract with Schmitz Cargobull. A contract, such as this, guarantees mobility and covers all service requirements. The extent of the services can be tailored to the individual needs of a fleet operator, thanks to the modular structure of the contract. And companies that also use Schmitz Cargobull’s own TrailerConnect® telematics system will be operating at an even higher level in terms of vehicle availability and reliability. Among other things, the system detects whether a gradual loss of pressure might cause a flat tyre or the brakes are running hot – long before the driver is aware of it.
Proactive monitoring reduces downtime and maintenance costs
Thanks to TrailerConnect® FleetWatch and the Smart Service Package, fleet managers and the workshop can arrange everything in advance to prevent a breakdown. Proactive Monitoring for the S.CU cooling unit and Schmitz Cargobull trailer, included in the Smart Service Package, offers real-time condition monitoring in addition to fault analysis. Thanks to the 24/7 monitoring of the condition of the vehicle, fleet managers and dispatch customers are informed at an early stage about critical situations and receive immediate warnings and specific recommendations in the event of breakdowns. This minimal response time means that necessary measures can be initiated in good time – before major faults occur.
The digital vehicle file in the TrailerConnect® FleetWatch Dashboard collates all relevant vehicle data and documents centrally, and supports efficient fleet management by transparent information being available at all times.
Predictive maintenance enables fleet managers and workshops to monitor the condition of their vehicles in real time and schedule maintenance appointments at an early stage. The maintenance calendar built into TrailerConnect® FleetWatch ensures maximum uptime due to workshop visits that can be planned and continuous vehicle availability.
Customers receive all information in the TrailerConnect® portal via the TrailerConnect® FleetWatch fleet monitoring dashboard and can also find the nearest service partner directly in the portal. This enables the vehicle to be conducted directly to the nearest workshop, a time slot booked, and the employees instructed to have the appropriate spare parts ready.
This is where Schmitz Cargobull’s nationwide service network comes into its own, with around 1,400 authorised and trained service partners in over 40 countries.
Collaboration with Schmitz Cargobull service partners is further underpinned by the central “Cargobull PartnerConnect” communication platform, enabling both parties to work together on digital and efficient solutions.
The central communication platform for all service issues and questions simplifies workflows thanks to its clear and intuitive user interface. It is designed as a self-explanatory ticket system and service partners can independently select their required support processes to submit a warranty claim digitally etc. Workshops also have immediate access to individual, service-specific vehicle data from Schmitz Cargobull semi-trailers, accelerating diagnostic and repair processes.
An appropriate service point can thus be reached quickly at any time, whether there has been a breakdown or a need for maintenance or repair in Barcelona, Berlin, on the Brenner Pass or on the Bosphorus. You can quickly find the partner concerned at www.cargobull.com under “Services” – “Service Partner Search” or directly in the TrailerConnect® portal. Fleet managers can also select the service they need there – whether tyres and running gear etc., any bodies, cooling units or TrailerConnect® telematics unit, or repairs to the tarpaulin or the all-electric S.KOE COOL refrigerated semi-trailer.
However, trucks and trailers do not always need to visit the workshop. If only minor routine work is required on the vehicle, many fleet managers still take care of it themselves and carry out this work at their premises. If need be, they can fit tyres, repair holes or tears in the tarpaulin or equip the vehicle with load securing straps or rods. This practice is still very common especially in smaller companies, where managers traditionally have a good understanding of engineering. However, this requires the spare parts to be available.
Order spare parts 24/7 from the online shop
Schmitz Cargobull provides an extensive spare parts service for them and colleagues with a workshop. The “Electronic Parts Ordering System” (EPOS) portal allows workshop managers to identify all the necessary vehicle-specific spare parts for Schmitz Cargobull and other trailer manufacturers’ semi-trailers and bodies 24/7, and order them from the online shop. All the required spare parts can be found in our EPOS based on the chassis number of the Schmitz Cargobull trailer. We hold almost all common genuine spare parts in stock in our large central warehouse and at our 29 distribution centres across Europe. Some 80,000 part numbers can be found in the Schmitz Cargobull online shop. We also have our Cargobull Value Parts brand for slightly older vehicles, which enables fleet operators to promptly repair their vehicles. Schmitz Cargobull Value Parts represents a cost-effective spare parts range for the timely repair of vehicles.
The situation becomes more difficult when service work cannot be planned in advance – for instance in the event of a breakdown. If a vehicle experiences a tyre blow-out on the motorway, it can no longer drive to the nearest workshop on its own. So we go to the vehicle. Schmitz Cargobull Euroservice is then on hand. Regardless of the location of the vehicle, the mobile breakdown service (European hotline 00800 24 227 462 855 or emailing euroservice@cargobull.com) is on call to get the truck or trailer back on the road again, or simply transfer it to one of the aforementioned 1,400 authorised workshops in most European languages. It provides this service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Schmitz Cargobull Euroservice is complemented by a special franchise-based Service Van Fleet for mobile complete maintenance, repair and spare parts supply service directly on site. This innovative service guarantees maximum operating times, thanks to reduced downtimes and also enables maintenance and repairs to be performed at the customer’s own premises or even out on the road.
This mobile service is either provided by an extended network of existing service partners or by independent companies organised on a franchise basis. Schmitz Cargobull also supports its franchisees with a range of services, including IT, processing, invoicing, and delivery.
Qualified skilled workers ensure that all work on trailers, cooling units and tyres is performed quickly and reliably and only use spare parts qualified by Schmitz Cargobull, i.e. OEM spare parts and “Value Parts”.
Customers benefit from maximum flexibility and efficiency to achieve optimum support for their operations with Schmitz Cargobull’s new mobile service. The mobile service includes breakdown service, inspection, maintenance, repair and retrofitting, as well as technical support and on-site training for customers and service partners. In terms of products, the service portfolio covers Schmitz Cargobull semi-trailers and cooling units as well as third-party manufacturers’ semi-trailers and cooling units, and also covers telematics.
The concept will be rolled out in several stages over a period of three to four years. Schmitz Cargobull is launching the pilot phase in Germany, before expanding the service with additional vans in two to three regions in various countries.