Hello, I run a HGV repairs workshop, so this is a little bit of market research!
I’m interested to know what’s important for you when it comes to selecting a maintenance provider and what do you expect from your provider once you are using them.
I’ll leave this fairly open for comments rather than a bunch of questions but I wondering what is more or less important to you from the following topics.
Price
Service Department effectiveness
Specialist tooling inventories
Mobile or workshop based
Trained technicians
Assistance with O licence compliance
Time off road
Warranty
We were with a Scania dealer who reckoned a gearbox needed to come out, we disagreed. Took it to another one who repaired it for a few hundred quid and three years later it’s still fine.
Like wise I don’t want things ignored or allegedly looked at when they haven’t been. Had a 7.5 break down on the M25 with brake problems, got an independent engineer in and he was shocked at the state of them. We’ve never cut corners on maintenance, I want something to come out of Inspection/Service knowing that if we get pulled there’s no problems.
Thank you for your thoughts, it’s funny, I didn’t really think of trust and confidence as a possible issue.
I often remark that I have enough trouble getting paid for what needs doing, let alone trying to get paid for what doesn’t need doing!
I guess just because I know we are always giving our honest opinions of what needs doing and doing our upmostt to achieve the best and most economic outcome, doesn’t mean that the customer knows that. I guess like any trade where you don’t know it yourself, you have to put yourself in the hands of that tradesman.
IanTCR:
Thank you for your thoughts, it’s funny, I didn’t really think of trust and confidence as a possible issue.
I often remark that I have enough trouble getting paid for what needs doing, let alone trying to get paid for what doesn’t need doing!
I guess just because I know we are always giving our honest opinions of what needs doing and doing our upmostt to achieve the best and most economic outcome, doesn’t mean that the customer knows that. I guess like any trade where you don’t know it yourself, you have to put yourself in the hands of that tradesman.
Thanks again
Ian Taylor
Trust and Confidence, yep I’d pretty much agree, it takes a little while to build that and not long to lose it.
Although I don’t pay the bills, I’m responsible for making sure our company vehicles are fit for the road and we aren’t spending a fortune.
We’ve built up a good relationship with our commercial vehicle workshop, they’ve kept the trucks running and work with us to solve problems (which aren’t always we’ll replace that expensive part).
I can also talk directly to the mechanic who’s working on my truck, which helps sometimes and when I’ve had any issues with the work or the bill, a chat with the boss man has sorted it out.
This is a very different experience to the main dealer we take our company cars to, just trying to talk to the right people on the phone to book a service is a major mission and leaving a message is pointless as they never get back. And anything out of the ordinary is just hard work to get done.
I look for a provider that is open when I need them to be, as I need my trucks inspected and repaired when I don’t need them working, which is usually the weekend or at night.
I need the truck inspected and any repairs required done at the same time. I need the truck repaired first time, every time. Someone who knows my trucks inside out. I aim for zero unplanned maintenance.
In return I pay a good hourly rate, and pay promptly.
IanTCR:
I often remark that I have enough trouble getting paid for what needs doing, let alone trying to get paid for what doesn’t need doing!
I guess just because I know we are always giving our honest opinions of what needs doing and doing our upmostt to achieve the best and most economic outcome, doesn’t mean that the customer knows that. I guess like any trade where you don’t know it yourself, you have to put yourself in the hands of that tradesman.
Thanks again
Ian Taylor
Some people pay well/quickly, some people don’t. I’m in the camp of thinking if you pay poor money, you get poor service, not that I want to be ripped off either. I work on the theory that my customers feel the same way.
There’s some really good hauliers out there and some bad ones - it’s the same with garages. I’ve got an office in Salford and in Herts and up here I’ve been with the same two garages ( one for trucks, one for vans ) for a long long time and I take their advice and trust them. Down South we’ve had a couple of bad experiences, which is where the trust and confidence comes in. Sending out a vehicle with virtually defective brakes - well you lose all confidence in them and makes you question what else they cut corners on.
albion:
Some people pay well/quickly, some people don’t. I’m in the camp of thinking if you pay poor money, you get poor service, not that I want to be ripped off either. I work on the theory that my customers feel the same way.
There’s some really good hauliers out there and some bad ones - it’s the same with garages. I’ve got an office in Salford and in Herts and up here I’ve been with the same two garages ( one for trucks, one for vans ) for a long long time and I take their advice and trust them. Down South we’ve had a couple of bad experiences, which is where the trust and confidence comes in. Sending out a vehicle with virtually defective brakes - well you lose all confidence in them and makes you question what else they cut corners on.
Yes, certainly I am guilty of not going the extra mile for those customers that can’t be bothered to pay me on time!
When VOSA comes to visit, they like to see a paper trail:
a drivers defect note (showing name, vehicle, mileage date)saying e.g. a fns side light has failed. And a note confirming the rectification, signed and named by the repairer.
the 6-weekly maintenance report must be completed and signed and stamped. They don’t like it if there is a defect note stating “no defects” when the maintenance report the following day shows that there are defects
Don’t do a quick fix that “will sort it for now” thus the driver and operator are wondering when the problem will return.
Even worse don’t tell the driver that “it’ll do until the inspection.”