OEMs, aftermarket collaborate to fill gaps in upkeep knowledge

That is the third of a four-part collection that appears at telemetry knowledge as a upkeep instrument in trucking, the data service suppliers search to supply fleets, and the way fleets use that data. The collection relies on a survey carried out this spring by CCJ dad or mum firm Randall Reilly. The outcomes will be downloaded right here. Extra protection on this collection consists of Upkeep telematics: New-age battleground for OEMs and the aftermarket, Expertise seeks function as fleet upkeep accomplice, and What are fleets searching for from upkeep telematics?

Trucking fleets have lengthy turned to expertise in quest of data that retains semis on the street and off the rack, however many discover that there is not any single resolution that checks each field. 

In accordance with a survey carried out earlier this yr by CCJ dad or mum firm Randall Reilly, greater than 70% of fleet respondents stated their vehicles got here factory-equipped with car fault code monitoring on the time of buy, but practically half (45%) have turned to third-party or aftermarket telematics providers to collect maintenance-related knowledge from vehicles of their quest to enhance uptime (68%); scale back prices by fixing upkeep points earlier than they result in main repairs (64%); and permit upkeep to be scheduled when handy (48%). 

Nobody-size matches all

Jason Spangler, fleet supervisor for Mint Hill, North Carolina-based Blue Dot Readi-Combine, manages his practically Kenworth-exclusive fleet of mixers by means of a number of portals as a result of he stated it takes a number of knowledge streams to get the sort of motion gadgets he must preserve the whole lot shifting on time, and Blue Dot has virtually no margin for error or delay.

“Truck down points for us are essential – and so they’re essential for everyone – however for us particularly as a result of we’ve a finite time,” he stated. “We’re preventing towards chemistry and that chemical response; we will sluggish it down slightly bit, however there is a finite time for us to get the product to the client.”

Spangler stated Kenworth’s TruckTech+ Service Administration System helps him anticipate points with real-time knowledge reporting on fault codes, permitting his group to extra rapidly reply to issues whereas additionally constructing a financial institution of widespread faults and repairs for proactive upkeep planning.

“I am notified each time a truck throws a fault code, and I’ve mainly gone into Paccar Options, which is sort of the portal to the PeopleNet gateway, and I’ve categorized our fleet. I’ve mainly segmented them out by location, after which I’ve assigned these places to our respective store mechanics which are assigned to these yards. That is the place it actually helps us; it is sort of like our triage mechanic.”

Computerized Upkeep Administration System software program from eMaint creates a predictive upkeep mannequin for the fleet, and EROAD gives telematics, preventive upkeep scheduling and job value evaluation.

Blue Dot’s 5 full-time mechanics handle 126 vehicles, and Spangler stated for that to be performed successfully, he must get the information in actual time.

“We had been closely reliant previous to me coming right here on simply utilizing the outdated pre-trip/post-trip booklets, and [drivers] give it to the store mechanic,” he stated. “Now we have built-in EROAD with tablets in each truck so our drivers are doing digital pre-trip and submit journeys. They’re flagging points into that system, and I get notified from them, which helps us construct our upkeep schedule and restore schedule.”

Jaksa Panic, vice chairman of Ontario, Canada-based refuse rental firm Huge Truck Rental stated his firm too leans closely on a number of telematics suppliers, together with Geotab paired with the software program pushed by Optimum Fleet Well being (OFH) and Mack Vehicles’ GuardDog Join.

“We have spent an in depth quantity of money and time constructing that program out, and actually what we’re trying to drive by means of that program in its easiest way is predictive knowledge again to us,” he stated. 

Whereas the expertise concerned in a telematics suite is pretty refined, Panic stated the aim is easy and uncomplicated: “to drive out waste in our system particular to downtime … so with the ability to catch points earlier than they’re catastrophic or de-rating vehicles to a degree the place we have to get our customers out of the truck and now not utilizing the asset as a result of one thing has gone incorrect with the truck.”

Particular to Kenworth’s telemetry knowledge, Spangler stated he is principally involved with data flowing from the engine management module as a result of the fleet is three years into going all-on in Paccar’s MX engine. 

“We’re studying these motors. We’re nonetheless making an attempt to determine what they’re telling us. The vehicles have their very own story, and so they’re telling a narrative, and we’re making an attempt to decipher it,” he stated, “and what [TruckTech+] has allowed us to do is simply construct that knowledge set. So I’m preserving a historic file of those fault codes that these engines are throwing, after which we will return and see what the repairs had been. So then it simply makes us sooner.”

Washing that knowledge by means of Paccar’s telematics platform has enabled Blue Dot to determine and seize extra guarantee restore work, saving the corporate 1000’s of {dollars} and expediting the restore itself. 

“As an example, we (just lately) received a cascading fault code of an EGR code on a truck. We had seen that [a week earlier], and we thought we had it repaired primarily based on historic information of these fault codes. What we may do beforehand that fastened it, it hasn’t fastened it. So we have a truck in de-rate.

“We’re capable of ship the mechanic to the truck, after which we’re beginning our triage program to see, ‘Okay, is that this going be outdoors of our scope of labor?’ As a result of we will dig in simply to the purpose the place we predict it is a warrantable restore, after which what we do is take that knowledge set, take the session reviews we’re creating – I take screenshots of the fault codes and affect and options from TruckTech+ – and I am going to put that right into a service request to our Paccar seller. So once we hand off a truck, we’re giving them an important head begin.”

The OFH element provides Huge Truck Rental a breakdown on a simplified inexperienced, orange or pink scale of its fleet, “readability into our system, which is instantly tied into our program, so that we have visibility with out having to go to a 3rd platform to have the ability to seize that knowledge,” Panic stated. 

Mack’s GuardDog, Panic stated, has been invaluable “within the sense that we’re getting stay updates from the Mack group each time issues do happen. It is simply not proper in our face. We do should go to a secondary supply, whether or not it is electronic mail or telephone name or regardless of the case it could be.”

‘It takes a village’ method

There are advantages to having each OEM telematics and a third-party aftermarket telematics supplier, and most OEMs have begun to accomplice with aftermarket suppliers to fill the gaps.

“We accomplice with main OEMs and still have many appropriate taking part telematics service suppliers who provide our digital options to their subscribers by means of easy integrations with our proprietary software program purposes,” stated Ryan Kikendall, director of worldwide high quality at Cummins. “Cummins shouldn’t be within the enterprise of telematics … We deliberately design our digital purposes to work throughout completely different telematics {hardware}. And sure, we do provide our personal first-fit possibility known as Acumen, however our software program purposes can even plug into different OEM supplied telematics {hardware} or third-party telematics suppliers.”

Volvo companions with Geotab and Verizon. Navistar additionally companions with Geotab, in addition to Samsara and Cyntrx, with plans to combine with Platform Science this yr. Paccar has additionally partnered with Platform Science, integrating its Digital Car into Kenworth’s car portfolio to supply prospects with a related platform that gives entry to a wide range of third-party purposes that may assist prospects enhance working efficiencies. Daimler too has partnered with Platform Science, which leverages Daimler’s telematics {hardware} to cut back complexity, delivering the essential purposes fleets want whereas permitting Daimler because the OEM to focus on providers that leverage its experience, stated Len Copeland, product advertising and marketing supervisor for Daimler’s Detroit Join.

Netradyne’s Chief Advertising and marketing Officer Barrett Younger stated OEM and aftermarket telematics can and may work hand in hand as a result of they every present completely different, but invaluable, knowledge insights.

For instance, aftermarket supplier Noregon companions with main heavy-duty trucking trade OEMs and Tier I element suppliers to supply enhanced telematics knowledge.

“Whereas OEM telemetry could solely monitor their element efficiency, Noregon’s TripVision gives insights into all car elements, together with engine, transmission, brakes, ADAS and aftertreatment to determine well being, security and efficiency points in a real-time holistic method,” stated David Shuttleworth, product supervisor at Noregon. “Most fleets have a mixture of car and engine kind. Since TripVison is on the market for all makes and fashions of heavy vehicles, fleet managers have visibility to all of the autos of their fleet, whatever the car producer.

“OEM sellers can use TripVision to observe leased and bought autos to alert prospects of well being/issues of safety, due to this fact growing components and repair gross sales and enhancing buyer satisfaction for all car makes,” he added. “TripVision can be TSP agnostic, offering a single pane of glass for fleets and sellers that wish to merge disparate knowledge feeds, making a consumer expertise that gives continuity and reliability.”

OEMs appear to have a heavier give attention to fault codes, stated Shiva Bhardwaj, CEO of Pitstop. However OEMs say they’ve deeper insights into these fault codes than what an aftermarket supplier can provide.

Younger stated Netradyne has an lively OEM division that works particularly on integration partnerships.

“Because the OEMs and the producers start to see a shift in demand and the significance of including extra applied sciences, that is the place the collaboration and the wedding of the aftermarket applied sciences and the OEMs start to blur,” he stated.