There is no such thing as a “typical” fleet. There never has been. In fact, it would be hard to name a more diversified industry in North America than trucking. As the acquisition cost of a single truck and the cost-per-mile to maintain it continue to increase across the industry, maintenance options provided in truck leasing plans have become stagnant. When it comes to providing the maintenance your trucks need — while keeping costs in check and plans simple to track — a full-service lease with a one-size approach doesn’t make the grade for every company.

Ryder is looking to change that. As a fully diversified transportation and supply chain solutions company, Ryder has announced three highly flexible leasing and maintenance options that are an industry first. “These options have been designed so fleets can mix and match their preferences for financing, lease terms and maintenance to create individualized solutions suited to specific needs,” says John Barlow, Vice President, Global Products, Leasing.

Leasing, from a financial perspective, can save businesses a significant amount of money.  For example, food and beverage distributor Apple Valley Creamery (AVC) reduced its maintenance costs by more than 75% after partnering with Ryder. Pair the savings with additional benefits, such as fleet up-time of over 95%, and it’s clear that AVC has been able to focus on customers and grow their business while leaning on Ryder to help keep operations running smoothly.

Addressing Industry Challenges

Rapidly-changing technology, regulations, and the need for more efficient logistics can put a lot of stress on fleets today. Couple these pressures with the fact that commercial vehicle prices have shot up approximately 40 percent in the past few years, and it becomes clear that keeping trucks on the road and maximizing lifecycles are top priority.

At the same time, average fleet per-mile maintenance costs are also approaching double-digit increases. And yet, opting out of new technology is no longer an option for fleets looking to control costs due to government regulations and competitive pressures. In fact, recent industry studies have suggested that failing to keep up with new technology could put a fleet so far behind its competitors that it can become impossible to catch up.

The challenges don’t end there. A serious technician shortage in the United States is exacerbated by the reality that the vast majority of available technicians are unable to work on the highly complex drivetrains currently manufactured. This means that maintaining your own network of shops or finding a local partner can be difficult just from a staff and skill-level perspective. Many fleets have made significant investments in their own infrastructure, equipment, tooling and personnel to keep modern trucks on the road, but to have the reach needed in every area of operation is simply impractical.

For some fleets, outsourcing maintenance is an obvious solution to these problems. But this can often result in a disjointed network of in-house and outsourced maintenance. Imagine instead having the flexibility to outsource maintenance as needed to get repairs done out on the road, while also leveraging your own existing infrastructure — and all within one cohesive maintenance program.

Ryder has more than 5,000 certified technicians on the job, working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at over 800 maintenance facilities.

Ryder has more than 5,000 certified technicians on the job, working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at over 800 maintenance facilities.

Making Flexibility a Reality

Historically, Ryder’s maintenance program has been consistently recognized as one of the best in the industry. In large part, this has been due to the extremely high skill levels of Ryder’s best-in-class technicians as well as the tooling and equipment the company operates. There is also the sheer scale of Ryder’s North American operational footprint: The company is one of the largest procurers of commercial vehicles in the country, with a commercial fleet numbering over 230,000 vehicles. It also operates one of the largest networks of maintenance facilities in North America. The numbers are stunning, with more than 5,000 certified Ryder technicians on the job, working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at over 800 maintenance facilities nationwide.

For a long time, the only way lease customers could take advantage of these strengths was through a long-term, full-service lease with a comprehensive maintenance package. Taking a large step ahead of competitors, flexibility is now a reality:

  • Ryder ChoiceLease Full Service offers both new and pre-owned trucks, tractors, and trailers bumper-to-bumper maintenance coverage. All maintenance is always covered – even tires and brakes.
  • Ryder ChoiceLease Preventive is for both new and pre-owned trucks, tractors, and trailers. Ryder provides your preventive maintenance. You choose where and when you go for any other repair work.
  • Ryder ChoiceLease On-Demand is for new trailers and pre-owned trucks, tractors, and trailers. It offers the ultimate flexibility with pay-as-you-go maintenance accessed when and where you need it. You benefit from pre-negotiated rates.

Supporting Your Choice

Ryder can deliver maintenance through its network of maintenance facilities, on-site at the customer’s location or through its mobile maintenance program. These consistencies can equate to an increase in truck uptime through better preventive maintenance, which also often results in lower long-term costs for parts and labor.

Some fleets have already made investments in their maintenance and infrastructure when it comes to the equipment and tooling needed to repair units. However, many of these fleets still need the option to take advantage of other benefits of a full-service lease or need help in managing the overall maintenance process. Before ChoiceLease, fleets didn’t have any options to piece together a maintenance plan with their leasing provider.

So what does “piece together” really mean?

The process of finding the right choice begins with a thorough needs assessment conducted by highly trained Ryder transportation experts, enabling Ryder to intimately understand the customer’s needs and determine the best solution.

This consultative approach creates a partnership between Ryder and the customer, while examining crucial operations data, such as the types, makes and models of equipment in use, and the specific applications in which those assets are used.

From there, Ryder looks at a fleet’s long-term asset management strategy. For example, some fleet managers are looking for new equipment that can significantly increase fuel economy. Others run in low-mileage applications in which longer vehicle life is a priority.

Considering all of these objectives and understanding the fleet’s cost structure, Ryder can then begin to recommend leasing and maintenance solutions that maximize uptime in a cost-effective manner.

“The ChoiceLease program is built to work for any North American fleet, regardless of size, vehicle type or application,” Barlow says. “With scalable solutions, this program offers fleets an easy way to take advantage of Ryder maintenance and leasing services — when and where they need them.”

Ryder’s ChoiceLease philosophy is simple: Leverage the company’s 80-plus years of transportation and logistics expertise to create a leasing and maintenance plan that brings more flexibility, more expertise, more peace of mind and more profitability to any fleet’s operations.

Putting Ryder’s Expertise to Work

This new ChoiceLease portfolio increases the power of Ryder’s management expertise when combined with the company’s portfolio of fleet-focused products. Working with Ryder means you can focus on your customers and core business.

Overall leasing choices:

  • Equipment — from light-duty vehicles, vans, heavy-duty trucks, tractors and trailers
  • Lease term— short-, medium- and long-term options to meet any fleet business plan
  • Financing — competitive, fleet-optimized plans tailored to meet specific business requirements
  • Maintenance delivery options — including onsite and mobile service support as well as Ryder facilities nationwide

Value-added services:

  • Fleet protection — Exception liability and physical damage coverage to protect your equipment, personnel and assets
  • Safety services — including driver training, compliance services, products and up-to-date webinars.
  • Fueling — preferred fuel pricing via Ryder’s purchasing power and complimentary inspections at a network of more than 6,400 fuel partners.
  • Rental vehicles — a wide array of trucks, vans, tractors and trailers to get your fleet through crunch time while keeping your customers happy.

Learn more about the ChoiceLease program from Ryder.