“The level of performance we’ve been receiving from third-party service providers is some of the worst I’ve ever seen,” says Lori Coleman, fleet maintenance manager at Gordon Food Service. “When we get a truck back [from a service provider] we have to send a technician out to check it — and at least 60 to 70 percent of the time we find errors.”
For an industry as hungry for more business as the independent heavy-duty aftermarket, that’s just about the worst testimonial possible.
It’s also something proactive aftermarket service operations are working tirelessly to change.
During a panel discussion at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue Monday in Las Vegas, Coleman and service provider representatives Brian Mulshine from Rush Enterprises and Mike Delaney of WheelTime spoke openly about how aftermarket service providers need to evolve to serve their customers.
Coleman says despite her recent struggles with third-party service providers, she isn’t wholly opposed to outsourcing maintenance. She just says she needs to know it is the best.
“We deliver your food so our trucks have to run well,” she says. “We can’t be on a roadside with a truck full of food.”
And Coleman’s concerns are not hers alone.
