High summer temperatures have led to a service record for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s fleetHQ program, which provides 24/7 emergency road service and other solutions for the commercial fleet industry.
Goodyear says that during the month of June, when temperatures in many parts of North America soared into the high-90s, fleetHQ’s Solution Center in Fort Smith, Ark., got more than 22,000 trucks that had been immobilized by tire punctures or other tire conditions up and running again. The number represents a record for the fleetHQ program.
“There were several days in June when fleetHQ’s Solution Center helped put more than 900 downed trucks back on the road,” says Roy Sutfin, vice president of fleetHQ.
The fleetHQ Solution Center typically assists around 700 trucks a day, according to Sutfin. “Last month’s hot weather contributed to several spikes in the number of calls we received.”
Goodyear’s fleetHQ program measures its efficiency by “roll time, which begins when a truck driver calls us, and ends when his or her truck is rolling again,” he said.
fleetHQ currently is achieving roll times of two-hours-and-10-minutes, on average. “We’re making a concentrated effort to shorten that span. Downtime can mean lost revenue, and we want to help our customers maximize their profits.”
When they need assistance, truckers can call a toll-free number that connects them to trained tire professionals at the program’s Fort Smith-based Solution Center. These tire professionals then dispatch the nearest participating servicing dealers to disabled vehicles’ locations.
fleetHQ also offers a smartphone mobile Web application that puts drivers in touch with the program’s tire professionals. The application is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms.
Emergency road service is one of many solutions that fleetHQ offers, according to Dave Beasley, senior director, business solutions, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems.
