Service inthe fast lane
Quick lube and oil changes offer speed, predictable service at competitive prices.
PATRICIA SMITH
SENIOR EDITOR
Ten years ago, a 30-minute lube and oil change was little more than wishful thinking for most truckers. Today, it's the hot trend in "aftermarket" services. "Some say it's also a new focus on preventive maintenance that's long overdue.
Fast lube in the auto industry dates back to the 1970s when the local gas station attendant stopped looking under the hood. Car owners got worried about regular service, but hated the idea of long-term parking their vehicle at a dealership or other full-service shop just to get the oil changed.
Pennzoil claims to be the fast oil change pioneer with its Jiffy Lube concept started in 1979. By the late 1990s there were some 15,000 freestanding stores offering fast oil changes, including hundreds of chain operations. According to one study, about a fourth of all car owners now have regular service done by "lube & oil" shops.
Trucking's need was similar. When Petro Stopping Centers opened its first Petro:Lube facility in 1983, there were three places a truck could get preventive maintenance, recalls Dave Latimer, vice president, operations.
One was the dealer. Most required appointments ahead of time and even then couldn't guarantee a readily available bay.
Many truckstops offered "fast" PM services in the 1980s but, like truck dealers, they also did other repairs. "You could wait in line five or six hours for a one-hour job," Latimer notes.
Do-it-yourself was the third option but fleet shops weren't always convenient for trucks on the road. And for owner-operators, do-it-yourself meant that rare days at home were partially spent under the truck.
Fast Lube Focus
Competitors argue that Speedco Truck Lube wasn't the first lube and oil specialist for medium and heavy duty trucks, but most quietly admit that it has pushed some hot buttons.
It started in 1991 with one facility in Effingham, Ill. Now a joint venture with Shell Oil, Speedco has 31 stores across the country. Number 32 is under construction.
The current plan calls for 10% annual growth over the next two or three years. "When we get up to 40 or 45 stores, we'll take another long look at where the company needs to go and what's happening in trucking," says Jim Dudley, vice president, product development.
The free-standing shops, all built from the ground up, are designed so that an 18-wheeler can move from the staging area through the service bay without unhooking the trailer or backing up. Some sites are located next to a truck wash, but truckers shouldn't expect to eat dinner, get a shower, or fuel up at a Speedco.
"Our focus is on anything related to lube and oil changes," Dudley says. That includes air and oil filter replacement, fifth wheel and wheel hub lubrication, transmission service, reefer service, and on-site oil analysis.
Speedco now offers tire pressure checks, but the service was added only after numerous customer requests and after management determined that it could be done without tying up the bays more than an extra 10 minutes.
"We're trying to maintain our focus on lube and oil related services and the ability to get customers in and out quickly," he explains. "We don't change tires or work on brakes. We don't do inspections. Some of our customers would like us to expand our services, but if we changed our focus we'd be just another truck shop."
Dedicated bays
The truckstops have clearly set their sites on expedited service. Flying J offers Express Lube at its expanding network of J Care Service Centers. TravelCenters of America promises "minimal wait time" and dedicated bays at its TA Express Lanes.
"It's not the guy getting service who benefits from the dedicated bay, it's the guy behind him," explains Jack Horan, general manager of the Iowa 80 Group, a TA franchise in Walcott, Iowa. "If you find a problem with a truck that's in for an oil change, the guy who thought he only had to wait 30 minutes is now looking at an hour and a half."
Petro:Lube's first facility was two bays dedicated to lube and oil changes. According to Latimer, the 86 company-owned and franchise Petro:Lube shops now average five bays. Two are for tire sales and service, one or more does truck repairs, two are still dedicated to lube and oil changes.
"If you need an oil change, you won't pull in behind someone getting a clutch installed," he points out. "Even our repair business is trying to concentrate on work that can be done in two hours or less."
PM programs
Truck dealers, still geared to full-service, say they're pushing "thorough" over "quick."
International Truck & Engine's Quick Lube program, introduced in the early 1990s, was originally promoted as a "quickie get-you-in, get-you-out," says John Pfennig, service development manager. When the company began developing its Performance PM program a few years ago, Quick Lube wasn't part of the plan.
"We wanted to stay away from the focus on speed," he recalls. "A truck isn't like a car. It's a piece of equipment needed to do a specific job. When you start adding speed to inspections, some of the quality goes away."
After some fleet customers told them they wanted a no frills lube and oil service to augment their in-house PM, International made Quick Lube one choice in a program offering four levels of inspection and service routines.
"What we wanted was a full-fledged PM program that could be bundled to address a broad range of customer needs," he explains.
For instance, an engine may be on a 20,000 mile oil drain interval but the axle manufacturers requires lubrication at 8,000-10,000 miles. The owner might choose an A level "wet" (lube, oil and filter change, 70-point inspection) at 20,000 miles and come back for an A level "dry" (no engine oil and filters) 10,000 miles later.
Pfennig says most International dealers in the performance PM program have dedicated PM bays and all have agreed to no more than a 60 minute wait when a customer shows up for a Quick Lube or PM appointment.
Peterbilt's QuickCare is designed to get trucks in for lube, oil and filter service plus a 20-point safety inspection with the least amount of downtime, says Scott Pearson, general marketing manager.
Participating dealers aren't required to have dedicated bays, but they must have designated bays set up for lube and oil changes. Non-PM work done in those bays must be something that won't take long or can be moved to accommodate QuickCare service, he says.
Peterbilt also offers customized PM packages handled through its Truck Care Customer Assistance Center. Among other things, the Centers schedule appointments with the nearest participating dealer when service is due, provide a list of PM work that needs to be done, and expedites paperwork.
"They'll be set up and ready for you when you roll in," Pearson says.
Information Please
Over-the-road truckers who don't always return to the same shop benefit from computerized service records maintained by many PM service providers.
Petro customers, for instance, have Internet access to records of work done at Petro shops.
"If a fleet does seven of 10 oil changes on a particular truck, that leaves them with a 30% hole in their maintenance records," explains Latimer. "Our objective is to fill those gaps."
Kenworth's PremierCare program includes a 60-minute ExpressLube option but also features customized PM programs complete with maintenance management services like service schedule, warranty tracking, and Internet-based software systems.
"We record all expenses and repairs scheduled through PremierCare," says General Marketing Manager Steve Gilligan. "Customers receive secure Internet access to enter all other maintenance and repairs."
CITGO branded fast lube operations feature the oil company's Heavy Duty LubeAlert oil analysis program that makes reports and recommendations available on the Internet. An owner-operator or fleet manager that doesn't have Internet access can get the information from any participating lube and oil shop.
Price & Predictability
The going rate for heavy duty trucks seems to be in the $110-$160 range, depending on the services included, but most lube specialists say price is only an issue if someone is out of line. For the most part, lube and oil service is sold on quality, consistency, and predictability.
Dedicated shops and/or bays are a key element to predictability. A trucker who is second in line at a 30-minute service bay knows he's got no more than 60 minutes to wait and 90 minutes before he'll be back on the road.
To capture the repeat business of over-the-road truckers, price and service must be consistent.
In a 1998 survey of some 5,000 customers, International found that most relied on dealers for major repairs but only about 10% came back for PM work. The biggest complaint: inconsistency of pricing and inspections.
"If you took your truck to a dealer in, say, New York, he might check 25 items and charge $175," explains Pfennig. "The next time you go to a dealer in South Dakota who might check 15 items and charge $100."
International's response was to switch from a "recommended" program to a required one with standardized inspection routines, training, service, and prices.
"In the oil change business it doesn't really matter what part of the country you're in," he notes. Oil and filter costs are pretty much the same nationwide. And, unlike rates for journeymen mechanics, pay levels for oil change and PM technicians don't vary dramatically from region to region.
Uniform nationwide pricing also enables truck buyers to purchase customized PM programs which can be financed with the truck or paid for at a set monthly rate. During the recent push to move trucks off dealer lots, pre-paid PM programs were reportedly a popular bargaining chit.
Shell may be the only oil company that has an equity position in the truck lube and oil business but most others are heavily involved.
ChevronTexaco, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Castrol and CITGO offer training, merchandising programs, billing and computerized recordkeeping systems, market surveys, oil recycling programs, help with building design and site location, even equipment leases and financial assistance in some cases.
The programs may not be as strict as franchise agreements, but they do bring continuity to independent lube shops through standardized training and procedures.
Wendy Miller, Pennzoil-Quaker State, says truck owners are more quality conscious than car owners, especially when it comes to oil and filter brands. Experienced fast lube customers also look for well-trained, knowledgeable technicians and a clean shop.
"At the beginning of business and at the close of business, the shop should be immaculate," she counsels. "Bays should be clean. There should be a sense of organization. I think that really reflects on the quality of service."
BOON FOR ALL FLEETS
Pennzoil-Quaker State research indicates that over 40% of the fast lube and oil change customers are small fleets.
"The small fleet manager's mission is to focus on return-on-investment, not to be a vehicle maintainer," says Miller. In-house maintenance is "a real undertaking," she adds, thus fast, reliable PM service can represent a significant savings for a fleet.
On the top of everyone's target customer list: owner-operators and over-the-road fleets that don't have shops or don't want to take trucks and drivers out of route for in-house service.
Pfennig says many major fleets use International's PM program as a back-up when their own shops are busy. Down the road, we may even see manufacturers offering their dealer-based PM programs as an alternative to fleet shops.
"This has been a test for us internally," he says. "What if a customer came to us and said ÔI'm going to buy 500 trucks but I want you to handle the maintenance.' Could we do it? This has shown us that we could."
CITGO's Paul McCusker says many of the lube operators his company works with are freestanding facilities in commercial areas with a lot of local fleets. Extended warranties and extended drain intervals have made periodic maintenance "absolutely critical" for all truck operators, he points out. Specialty truck lube shops can typically do routine maintenance in 50%-75% less time than a full-service shop and at 25%-30% less cost. With recordkeeping and other fleet management assistance, "it's a good maintenance partnership," he says.
Even vocational fleets with their own specialized shops are potential fast lube customers.
"Logging. Construction. You name it," says Dudley. "These people aren't in the oil change business. Why have someone changing oil in their shop when they can come to us for a quick grease job and oil change?"
While the fast lube trend may fill a need for convenient, predictable service, Pearson thinks it may also signify a trend in truck maintenance.
"There's a tremendous focus on cost of operation," he explains. "People recognize that if the truck is properly maintained they can actually drive down their cost of operation long term. We think PM is the way of the future for our customers and our dealers."
