POWERFUL WAYS AN ON-SITE REPAIR SHOP CAN HELP TRUCKING COMPANIES

This is a humble brag about our truck repair shop Markham Truck Center. Our on-site repair shop does things the right way and we’re so thankful to have them by our side since 2016. After a worldwide pandemic and now a shortage of diesel mechanics, it’s safe to say we owe a lot of our success to the hard work of our shop guys. Of all the strategies for increasing profit and efficiency, having an on-site truck repair shop has been an integral part of our journey.

Save money

Discounts and priority are offered to the drivers who belong to a specific trucking company. Because of this, there is an additional incentive for drivers to join that company as well. When recruiting we often discuss the perk of our on-site repair shop.

Some repair shops may not be able to perform all repairs by themselves. Therefore, the fees incurred might involve aspects like transportation, different shops, a fee for shipping the products, and a premium price for labor. When a trucking company has stock in the driver, the truck, and the revenue generated from the repair like we do, it establishes a value adding business relationship.

Save time

Time is what we want most but what we use worst.

William Penn

In trucking, if you aren’t moving you aren’t making money. The time it takes to bring in a third-party shop is totally alleviated by having an on-site repair shop. There is no need to take a truck to another location, pay for travel to and from, wait for them to familiarize themselves with the issue and history of the truck, all while sitting and not making money. It benefits the company, it benefits the driver, it truly is a win-win.

Less downtime means greater access and adaptability for scheduling purposes. Instead of waiting days or even weeks for a call from the repair shop, or in some cases multiple shops, repairs can be done efficiently in-house.

More reliability

We use Fullbay to plan and schedule repairs, and Samsara to perform pre-trip inspections (PTI). Every time a driver performs a PTI, our fleet and safety departments receive the information. This means our mechanics and shop managers understand the complete history of the truck, trailer, and driver.

If a driver makes note of an issue, the necessary people know about it instantly. The same people are always dealing with the same trucks and drivers. This knowledge and experience offers obvious advantages. The shop will be able to diagnose the problem and prevent future issues with greater clarity in a timely fashion. An outsourced shop would need to collect an entirely new set of details for the repair and wouldn’t have any knowledge of prior work performed unless it was documented.

In emergency situations, it’s a life saver to have a go to resource to call. An on-site repair shop will have a vested interest in getting drivers back on the road as soon as possible, so they will work harder than an outsourced shop would to help the driver.

More options

When a driver schedules a visit to our shop, they have the added perks of being able to sleep in our on-site hotel, get a free shower, and relax and have a coffee and snacks in our drivers lounge. In some cases, if the repair will take some time, we have even offered a different truck for the driver so they can stay on the road! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Trucking companies that have their own repair shops have the flexibility to offer everything a truck driver might need. This may entail:

-Complete truck and trailer repair
-Collision and damage repair
-Electrical service and computer diagnostics
-Brakes services
-Welding
-Tire services
-Oil changes and preventative maintenance
-Engine services
-Emergency roadside assistance
-Laser HD alignment

If there’s a need, having an on-site truck center can fulfill it. The repair time is decreased, the scheduling is easier, the cost is less for the company and the driver, and overall, it’s a good way to make “passive income” for a trucking company. If, hypothetically of course, a worldwide pandemic shuts all warehouses and transportation down for a few months, a repair shop can keep trucks in prime shape.

The guys at Markham Truck Center do so much to maintain our performance as a trucking company and we can’t thank them enough. Their work is vital to our operations running efficiently and smooth. Above all, our shop develops extremely meaningful working relationships with drivers, so they both can continue to thrive together!