This is Part One of a three-part story. Click here for Part Two when it becomes available.
There’s nothing quite like the stomach-dropping feeling of realizing that you’ve forgotten something important, especially when that something is a Peterbilt 378. But that’s what happened to Jamie Wendt, CEO of HM Repairs and Services, and also alignment shop Madison Spring, both based in Wisconsin.
It was a busy Monday morning, and Wendt was expecting a customer’s truck to roll in that day. In preparation, he told the shop manager to get the vehicle on the schedule before it arrived.
“Well, he probably got busy, so it didn’t get put on the schedule, and the driver didn’t talk to [the employee], so the truck got forgotten,” Wendt recalled.
Two and a half hours passed before the customer called the shop to check on their vehicle. Realizing what had happened, Wendt pushed back another project and assigned two technicians to the truck to make up for lost time. They worked late to get the vehicle fixed that very evening, and the truck was picked up first thing on Tuesday morning.
While Wendt was able to save the situation with the Peterbilt, looking back, the CEO noted that he could have chosen another method of notifying his scheduler of the incoming vehicle, such as an instant message, so the shop manager would have been reminded of the task that needed to be done.
Such reminders are important when shops and fleets have to keep track of innumerable critical details on several vehicles at once. This can be especially difficult for shops like HM Repairs that have grown from a small operation to a busier one.
For example, while Wendt used to be the one fielding customer calls, they must now be directed to the service writer. But even so, longtime customers still may reach out to him about their vehicles, providing all the information that needs to be ferried to the service writer anyway, said the shop owner’s wife Jessica Wendt, who is CFO of both shops.
“The more people who you have on your team, the more important communication is to be able to make sure that everybody knows [critical information],” Jessica explained. “And I think that was a struggle for us initially—and still is a struggle here, too.”
Read more: Best practices to improve and expand your shop
But HM Repairs is not alone in experiencing miscommunication problems that affect the business. According to Forbes Advisor’s 2024 report on workplace communication, nearly half of workers surveyed said ineffective communication hampers their productivity.
And it’s even more important for leadership to cultivate their communication skills. That Forbes report noted 43% of on-site workers lost trust in leaders who could not effectively connect with them.
Having strong communication is not only critical for those in operations but also between those in the back office and on the shop floor. Without it, busy technicians may rush to fix a truck without getting enough information from the driver.
“Balancing communication and technical skills has a huge impact on both company success and each individual employee’s success,” said Ryon Packer, chief product officer at Motus, a vehicle reimbursement and driver risk mitigation software company. “But I think every manager has at least one story about the great technician who upset customers, was challenging for peers to work with, and ultimately wasn’t technically good enough to overcome the negative issues.”
How can a fleet juggle all of these moving pieces when it comes to communication? While ‘improving their communication’ might seem redundant, it is true, as long as we are aware of the various areas communication can be improved, from day-to-day notes to big-picture plans.
Putting the right word forward
Matthew Copot, VP of fleet management for Saia, a less-than-truckload fleet out of Georgia, believes the basics of good communication start with clarity.
“You’ve got to be clear when you’re communicating, and do it often,” he advised.
According to Copot, this clarity and repetition helps employees understand their jobs and responsibilities, which increases their overall engagement with the company.
Motus’ Packer leans on three basic tenets to communicate clearly:
- Answers first—Make sure the main point is the first thing communicated.
- Just say it—Use simple language and focus on being understood.
- Make it clear when you’re changing things.
“A lot of communication is the admission that we’ve decided we’re doing something wrong and now want to do it differently. Own it!” Packer asserted.
Make sure that you follow through on what you have promised, said Amanda Schuier, strategic maintenance director at Jetco Delivery and the 2024-2025 general chairman and treasurer for American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council. She also emphasized the importance of using simple, easy-to-understand language, particularly in instances when a technician may have far more information about a truck than the customer or senior leader they’re speaking with.
“From a technical standpoint, you can’t always assume that people know what you’re talking about,” Jetco’s Schuier noted. “So, if you’re typing up a super technical email, always say, ‘Let me know what needs clarifying.’”
As for what not to do when communicating, Packer again emphasized the need for simplicity and a direct approach:
- Don’t justify—Stick to the ask or directive, not the story behind it.
- Don’t use your own language—Deliver the message the way your audience is going to hear it.
- Don’t assume that because it matters to you, it matters to everyone.
In Part Two of this story, we'll discuss the tools available to fleets to stay connected and communicative, as well as how to avoid having too much data instead of too little.
