Understanding truck trends is a task that demands time and patience. It's not merely about grasping the reasons behind service occurrences; rather, adopting a long-term perspective on truck service requirements enables one to perceive maintenance operations in a way that was previously unimaginable. This profound insight often serves as the catalyst for in-depth feature stories filled with the latest connected truck technologies. In this particular instance, it holds true with absolute sincerity.

Unlock the Secrets of Truck Service with Decisiv

Seasonal Impact on Truck Service Operations

Decisiv has been sharing exclusive truck service data with us for over a year, meticulously charting millions of truck service transactions across different seasons and equipment duty cycles. This provides us with a valuable window into the truck service realm. For instance, in the second quarter of 2024 data, air conditioning (AC) and heating systems witnessed the most significant quarter-over-quarter jump, with an astonishing 71.8% increase. This clearly reflects the fleet managers' proactive preparations for the summer months. Subsequently, tire, wheel, and hub activities also surged significantly, marking a 15.7% rise in wheel-related services during the quarter.The seasonal variations have a profound impact on truck service operations, influencing various components and systems. It showcases the importance of staying attuned to these seasonal trends to ensure the smooth running of truck services.

Persistent Trend of Automated Manual Transmission Service

Year-over-year, in the second quarter of 2024, there was a notable 53.8% increase in manual transmission services and a 16.8% rise in automatic transmissions. This trend indicates the continuous evolution and significance of transmission systems in the trucking industry. There is more on the horizon, suggesting that these trends will continue to shape the future of truck service.Nick Pittinger, the vice president of data services at Decisiv, noted that there was a recall in May related to gear shifter communication with the transmission. However, no significant activity related to this recall has been observed yet. They plan to revisit this when the Q3 data is available.

Truck Service Staples: Engine and Aftertreatment Systems

The power plant remains the dominant force in service activity, accounting for 19% of all operations. Exhaust systems follow closely at 11%, and these components consistently rank among the most serviced areas across different vehicle age brackets.Pittinger emphasized that among the 25 VMRS systems tracked by Decisiv, the power plant continues to have the largest impact not only in terms of service volume but also in terms of cost share. This highlights the criticality of the power plant and its associated systems in truck service.

The Role of Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS)

The Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) plays a crucial role in making it possible to track truck service trends. Decisiv has developed automated VMRS encoding, which utilizes machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze individual service operations. It interprets the information captured during the creation of a repair order and assigns appropriate VMRS codes to completed operations.Pittinger stated that they have incorporated their VMRS Code Key 31 system and encoding model directly into their platform. This has significantly enhanced the VMRS encoding process, increasing its completion rate from around 10% to 15% coming from the dealers to an impressive 65% to 70% of the operations flowing through their platform.Watch the video to gain a deeper understanding of the truck service data, as well as the latest developments in automated manual transmission (AMT), cab and sheet metal, and power plant service.