Fleetio expands Maintenance Shop Network to Canada
Fleet maintenance software provider Fleetio has expanded its Maintenance Shop Network (MSN) into Canada, allowing fleets north of the U.S. border to access its ecosystem of vetted repair shops, as well as access to real-time repair tracking, automated approvals, and streamlined payments
“Expanding Fleetio’s Maintenance Shop Network…allows Canadian fleets to have an unparalleled level of visibility around approvals and cost controls, reducing unwanted spend,” said Miles Rand, director of product management, Marketplace at Fleetio.
The company added the move “makes it easier for fleets to secure timely, high-quality maintenance, while providing original equipment manufacturers and verified maintenance providers across Canada with stronger ways to keep essential work at the forefront.”
Basically, the MSN gets assets in and out of the shop quicker and helps leadership track costs more accurately. It starts when a driver in need of service finds a shop in the network through the Fleetio Go app. Once the vehicle is dropped off and the technician examines the truck, the repair order can be automatically approved based on the vendor or dollar amount, or sent digitally to a manager for authorization. The work is done, the driver picks up the truck and the shop is paid, and everything is tracked in the system.
How the Maintenance Shop Network works
- Service need identified
- Driver uses Fleetio Go app to find shop
- Shop submits repair order
- Repair order approved automatically or manually by fleet manager
- Shop completes work
- Driver retrieves vehicle and payment is posted
- Data reviewed by fleet manager
This allows fleets to gain more transparency regarding their spend history, as well as more accuracy in operating expenses by tracking true labor, parts, vendors and line item costs. Using these insights, customers can extend service intervals and avoid unnecessary repairs. The company said this has allowed some customers to save millions of dollars.
These features have greatly benefited U.S. customers, such as 3S Services, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contractor operating in the Permian Basin.
“Without Fleetio, I’d need to hire two to three more people just to handle data entry for our 1,500+ vehicles,” 3S fleet manager Keith Eddings said. “I process 20,000 to 25,000 line items a week, and the Maintenance Shop Network makes it simple to review. I can reject unnecessary work, hold shops accountable and see our full service history in one click.”
According to Fleetio, its Maintenance Shop Network can now cut transaction times by an average of 17 minutes due to the automated approval, faster scheduling, and consolidated billing. The approval process was streamlined with the acquisition of Auto Integrate, a maintenance authorization platform that allows repair shops to electronically submit repair orders for approval. Fleetio acquired the platform earlier this year.
About the Author
John Hitch
Editor-in-chief, Fleet Maintenance
John Hitch is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, where his mission is to provide maintenance leaders and technicians with the the latest information on tools, strategies, and best practices to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving.
He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked in the B2B journalism space for more than a decade. Hitch was previously senior editor for FleetOwner and before that was technology editor for IndustryWeek and and managing editor of New Equipment Digest.
Hitch graduated from Kent State University and was editor of the student magazine The Burr in 2009.
The former sonar technician served honorably aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), where he participated in counter-drug ops, an under-ice expedition, and other missions he's not allowed to talk about for several more decades.