Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/949884
commercial carrier journal | march 2018 67 EQUIPMENT: AFTERMARKET WARRANTIES eligible for warranty coverage. Fick says trucks older than 10 model years with more than 1 million miles would require a more thorough evaluation, which could include a dynamometer test. Underwrit- ers also require an electronic control module download to check for any known faults. However, even if a truck doesn't pass inspection, there is still a path to obtain- ing a warranty. "Our inspection is very similar to what the OEM dealer is doing anyway," Fick says. "If there are issues, we ask that those be remedied before we put the warranty on that vehicle." Maintenance matters Getting coverage is one thing, but keeping it is another. Once the truck has passed inspection, ongoing maintenance is part of the policy. Policyholders are required to document each time the truck stops for service so that those records can be used to support a warranty claim's validity. "Our warranty has specific mainte- nance requirements for the class of ve- hicle," says Lindsey Stroschein, executive director of customer and retailer services for TruNorth Warranty Plans of North America. "Regular preventive mainte- nance at a licensed certified facility is required to keep the warranty in place." Under an aermarket warranty's terms, fleets are required to keep track of their PM receipts, making sure to include the VIN of the vehicle being serviced, date of service and mileage at time of service. "We don't monitor the PM process on an ongoing basis," Murphy says. "We ask for records at time of claim. If the owner cannot produce the record that matches the PM mandates, the claim will be de- nied." e truck's coverage also could be voided, he says. "If we pull the plug on the [oil] pan and it looks like jelly coming out of it because you haven't been changing the oil, then we're going to require oil change maintenance records," says Chad Lucky, regional service director for National Truck Protection. "If you haven't been maintaining the truck properly, it will void your warranty." Stroschein says customers are required to submit their PMs to the claims department for review as part of the claim itself. However, TruNorth makes exceptions for approved custom- ers with five trucks or more. "is is considered a fleet," she says. "Only in a fleet situation approved by TruNorth is the customer allowed to do their own maintenance." Truck Master also allows policyholders to perform their own maintenance, says Jeff Dobish, the company's president. "In the rare event that we ask for maintenance records, we will even accept invoices for purchasing the materials needed if the customer performs their own maintenance," Dobish says. For fleets with their own repair facility, internal records are accepted. "ere are very few claims that require us to ask for maintenance records," he says. Who does the work? When repairs are needed, the only requirement of the policyholder is to use a licensed ASE-certified mechanic who is available to the general public. "ere are no in-network restrictions," Dobish says. "We want our customers to use shops they trust and are comfortable with if possible." Fick says requiring ASE certification provides a measure of professionalism that ensures quality repair work, but it also unlocks dealerships and aermar- ket service providers nationwide by not requiring policyholders to use specific repair locations. "is prevents inconvenience to the trucker suffering a breakdown," Murphy says. "An OEM or network provider may be 50 to 100 miles or more away from the breakdown, but a qualified shop may be five miles away." Fisk says all OEM dealerships have ASE-certified technicians. "ere are any number of independent repair shops that are largely ASE-certified," he says. "at's kind of the standard." Stroschein says the warranty does not dictate what type of part to use or brand preference. e underwriter simply wants the shop to choose the part that fixes the problem the best for the long term. "We are open to the repair facility using OE parts or reman, refurbished or used parts," she says. "We just need to be aware of the quality of parts going into the truck during the repair." Dobish says the part's availability oen dictates whether it needs to be an OEM or aermarket option. "We prefer to use OEM parts when- ever possible to take advantage of the nationwide OEM warranty for the parts," he says. "Considering that the customer's Aftermarket warranty policyholders are required to document each time their trucks stop for service.