Goodyear dealers and member of the trucking trade press (including Bulk Transporter) recently had the opportunity to observe a live simulation of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s fleetHQ and business solutions programs. The simulation took place at Goodyear’s Danville VA commercial tire manufacturing plant.
In operation for several years now, fleetHQ is a wide ranging program that is based in Fort Smith AR. In addition to premium Goodyear and Dunlop tires, fleetHQ provides 24/7 roadside assistance and a variety of other services and tools to address the broad tire needs of tank truck carriers and other truck fleets. Goodyear officials estimate that a quarter of a million trucks will have been serviced under the program in 2011.
The simulation took attendees through the process of a fleetHQ road service sequence, but was more than just a step-by-step demonstration of the popular program, according to Bruce Woodruff, director of business solutions marketing, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems.
“We wanted to demonstrate all of fleetHQ’s many components, which, when fully leveraged and working together, can help fleets make better business decisions, improve truck uptime and drive down their cost of operation,” he says. “This program has very real benefits for our customers. It can help reduce downtime on the road, and our dealers can help fleets catch tire problems at the terminal.”
FleetHQ benefits are available to fleets of all sizes, from owner-operators to the largest national fleets. There is no cost for a truck operator to join the program, but fleets do pay an annual fee for the fleetHQ software. Goodyear solutions include:
*A preferred fleet program that includes nationwide pricing and billing available through the fleet or owner-operator’s hometown dealer. “Once you establish your tire and service program with your local participating fleetHQ dealer, you will pay the same price for covered fleetHQ services, regardless of where you get service throughout the fleetHQ network. For preferred fleets, billing is handled through your hometown dealer, so you don’t need to carry cash.”
*The fleetHQ Solution Center, where trained tire professionals work around the clock to help get trucks back up and running by dispatching service technicians from one of more than 2,000 dealer locations to downed trucks’ locations.
*fleetHQ users can contact the Solution Center via a dedicated phone number, 1-866-fleetHQ, online at fleetHQ.com, or through a smart phone web app.“Your smart phone’s built-in GPS can pass your location to the fleetHQ Solution Center, where trained tire professionals will quickly dispatch road service technicians,” he said. “The application is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry users.”
*TV Track, a powerful online tire management tool that helps fleets and owner-operators monitor their tire performance. TV Track can also capture vehicle information, tire wear conditions, and more. Individual fleet reports are available online.
*Gold Medallion retreaded tires, available in six of the most popular medium truck tire sizes.
*TirePix, a service that provides photos of tires that were replaced during a road service call.
*The fleetHQ Truck Stop Network, a network that includes more than 300 locations. Participants include Wingfoot Truck Care Centers, Travel Centers of America, Petro Truck Stops, PTP Truckstop Network and Boss Truck Shops.
FleetHQ benefits are available to trucking operations of every size. “Many benefits, such as the fleetHQ Solution Center, are offered at no cost to the fleet,” says Woodruff. “The fleetHQ program – including its diverse and powerful components--demonstrates Goodyear’s ongoing commitment to help our customers save time and money.”
Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems offers a broad portfolio of products and services to the commercial fleet industry, including a full range of original equipment and replacement tires. This includes the 24/7 fleetHQ Solution Center, national programs, tire management tools, online information, and business problem-solving tools for tomorrow’s commercial fleets. For more information on the fleetHQ program, go to www.fleetHQ.com. ♦
