Volvo Trucks North America introduces an upgraded Blue Service Contract that utilises advanced artificial intelligence to optimise maintenance schedules, promising to enhance fleet uptime and reduce operating costs for operators.
Volvo Trucks North America has announced a significant upgrade to its Blue Service Contract, a preventive maintenance programme designed specifically to enhance fleet uptime and efficiency. This enhanced service contract employs advanced proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) models to dynamically adjust service intervals according to real-time data such as fuel consumption, idle time, and oil sample analyses. In doing so, Volvo Trucks replaces traditional, static service intervals with a more flexible, customised schedule tailored to the unique operating conditions of each truck.
The aim of this data-driven approach is to optimise maintenance schedules, bundling necessary services into fewer planned stops. This results in maximising truck uptime and reducing operating costs for fleet operators. In instances where a truck operates under particularly demanding conditions, the AI model can prompt earlier maintenance to preemptively address potential issues, thereby reducing the risk of unplanned downtime.
Volvo Trucks’ sophisticated integrated connectivity solutions, which are part of this initiative, allow ongoing, real-time monitoring of vehicles, connected 24/7 to the Volvo Trucks Uptime Center. This connectivity enables fleet managers and dealers to manage vehicle maintenance efficiently, ensuring the service bay and technicians are ready and stocked with genuine Volvo parts when the truck arrives for service. Available across Volvo Trucks’ extensive dealer network, this seamless service ensures that regardless of where customers have purchased their trucks, they have access to consistent maintenance services.
Magnus Gustafson, Vice President of Connected Services at Volvo Trucks North America, noted the advancement saying, “Applying AI to optimise maintenance intervals based on truck specs, operating conditions and actual use ensures our customers can maximise the uptime of their Volvo trucks. The Blue Service Contract leverages the integrated connectivity of our trucks and incorporates our uptime services to provide customers with a simplified and more effective maintenance solution.”
Additionally, the Blue Service Contract provides increased flexibility for users, who can choose specific services to include in their contract. These options extend to a variety of maintenance tasks such as fuel filter changes, valve adjustments, and truck washes. The availability of tailored service packages allows operators to customise their maintenance strategy, improving ease and efficiency of fleet management.
Payment for the Blue Service Contract is adaptable as well, with options including ACH, FleetPreferred, or integration into truck financing through Volvo Financial Services, billed as fixed monthly payments without interest. This updated service contract applies to all Volvo trucks model year 2023 and newer. Feedback from customers during the launch of the new Volvo VNL indicated that downtime can lead to substantial revenue losses, highlighting the utility of the contract.
Volvo Trucks is actively onboarding dealer locations with training and support to ensure comprehensive rollout of the enhanced Blue Service Contract. Among the certified dealers are well-established groups with multiple locations such as Bruckner’s Truck & Equipment, Vanguard Truck Centers, and Nextran Truck Centers, thereby broadening the accessibility of the service for a wide range of customers across North America.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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