Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks are introducing a new model to truck ownership and maintenance that will ensure trucks are better maintained based on their actual needs, at a consistent, virtually all-in price.

Volvo revealed its new Volvo Blue service contract at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s spring meeting. It’s billed as a “comprehensive service plan” that covers all the trucks’ preventive maintenance needs based on data pulled from the trucks.

It replaces one-size-fits-all PM schedules with truck-specific attention based on the truck’s specific usage. Trucks are scheduled for service when the needed parts and technician are available, to expedite the maintenance process. Customers are billed on a subscription basis so there are no unexpected cost overruns when the truck visits the shop. 

“The Volvo Blue service contract is an enabler for best-in-class uptime. This new form of premium, adaptive maintenance is managed by the local connected dealership, who is monitoring the truck’s state-of-health and operations 24/7 by utilizing a suite of over-the-air services on-board the truck,” Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America, said in an accompanying release.

“This provides the dealership with vehicle data to dynamically tailor and schedule maintenance specifically to the truck’s operations, needs and availability. Further it enables dealers to work with the fleets in a much more predictive way to proactively address emerging repairs and avoid unplanned stops.” 

Service visits will include a 74-point inspection. Contracts will cover the trucks for anywhere ranging from 12 to 60 months. Customers can build the subscription fee into their truck payments through Volvo Financial Services or be billed via bank draft.

Mack Premium Service Contracts

Mack Trucks has a similar offering dubbed Mack Premium Service Contracts. It’s available for all models, including the Mack Granite. Customers can choose plans based on 100,000- or 50,000-mile (160,000 or 80,000-km) increments, depending on their application. Vocational customers can also choose to build a plan based on the truck’s usage hours rather than mileage.

“Our customers can see real results from the Mack Premium Service Contracts, including the prevention of unplanned downtime events as a result of our 74-point inspection,” said Patrick Brown, Mack Trucks services and solutions strategy manager. “This translates in time and money saved for the customer.”

Both Vovo and Mack customers can have their trucks serviced at participating dealers.

“This has been in pilot or soft launch mode for about a year. Five dealer groups throughout North America were trained on the process,” Mike Furst, director of contract services with Volvo, said during a TMC press conference.

He said those trials worked well for the dealers and the fleets who piloted the program. In addition to the 74-point inspection, oil analysis is used to optimize drain intervals. Most maintenance can be timed to coincide with oil drain intervals. Additional work that’s covered includes everything from DPF cleanings, to rear axle oil changes and valve adjustments. Even annual DOT inspections are baked into the contract.

“It’s all designed to prevent multiple stops at the dealership,” Furst said. “At its core, it’s a comprehensive maintenance plan…designed to optimize how that truck operates and to have fewer unplanned stops.”