Penske Truck Leasing Digitizes Preventive Maintenance
Penske Truck Leasing has implemented fully digital and voice-directed truck fleet preventive maintenance processes for its fleet of more than 266,000 vehicles.
Photo courtesy of Penske Truck Leasing
Photo courtesy of Penske Truck Leasing
Penske Truck Leasing has implemented fully digital and voice-directed truck fleet preventive maintenance processes for its fleet of more than 266,000 vehicles. Penske’s innovative digital preventive maintenance approach improves accuracy and consistency while also reducing and eliminating paperwork, and ensuring documentation and compliance with regulations.
“Our approach uniquely positions Penske to care for and maintain the increasingly complex vehicles on the market today, and the emerging vehicle technologies that will be part of the trucking industry in only a few years,” said Gregg Mangione, senior vice president of maintenance at Penske Truck Leasing. “We’re putting the technology our technicians need to work smarter and faster right at the point of repair to keep our customers and their businesses moving forward.”
The system in use across Penske’s expansive network of truck fleet maintenance facilities in North America taps into a robust, high-speed Aruba indoor and outdoor gigabit Wi-Fi network, uses rugged mobile tablet devices for maintenance technicians, and supplemented with an innovative voice-directed preventive maintenance system.
Penske Truck Leasing, Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions, and Vitech collaborated on the design of a voice-directed preventive maintenance system that leverages a fully customized version of Honeywell’s Voice Maintenance & Inspection (M&I) solution. Vitech supported Penske’s world-class project team as they implemented the solution for hundreds of locations and thousands of users. Vitech continues to support the solution and provide enhancements to further drive value from voice.
“We were first introduced to Penske through their logistics business unit in 2012, where we implemented voice to support their picking procedures. They experienced tremendous benefits early on and expressed a desire to explore using the technology for preventive maintenance. Penske’s foresight and intuition regarding the use of voice-directed technology in their maintenance operations have enabled them to take a leadership position in the industry,” said Gary Oldham, vice president of sales for Vitech Business Group.
The system provides voice prompts via a headset to direct maintenance technicians through a preventive maintenance (PM) inspection. It is the foundation of Penske’s proprietary PM process, providing the ability to tailor inspections to the specific vehicle, its age, specifications and technologies now and in the future.
“With this solution, workers make fewer errors, have higher job satisfaction rates and are more productive,” said Taylor Smith, president of Honeywell’s Workflow Solutions business. “By leveraging our industry-leading voice technology that has improved distribution center operations for more than 25 years,
Watch a video on the new solution below:
More Maintenance
Oil Crisis Squeezes Trucking Lubricant Supplies
Fleets report higher lubricant costs as Middle East disruptions tighten supplies of ingredients used in synthetic engine oils and some driveline lubricants.
Read More →
Shell Prepares Rotella Oils for 2027
New CL-4 and FB-4 formulations will begin arriving in early 2027, with improved protection against oil breakdown, wear and deposits, according to Shell.
Read More →
Mack Expands Extended Coverage With Four Chassis System Plans
Mack Trucks' new system-specific coverage options allow heavy-duty fleets to select protection for driveline, cab, HVAC, electronics, and advanced safety components.
Read More →
What an Out-of-Service Order Really Costs, and How to Plan for One
The repair invoice is the first number you see — and often one of the smallest. Here’s what else an out-of-service order can cost a fleet, and how planning can reduce the damage.
Read More →
International Launches Online Truck Parts Store
Fleetrite.com lets fleets and repair shops find OEM and all-makes parts, check prices and availability, and order without calling a parts counter.
Read More →
Continental Introduces New Regional Truck Tires
Continental says its new Generation 5 steer and drive tires for regional operations offer longer tread life, with estimated mileage gains of 22% and 19%, respectively.
Read More →
How AI Can Help Your Techs’ Efficiency
The technician shortage isn't going away, and no single fix can close the gap on its own. Trent Broberg makes the case that AI's real job in the shop is protecting the billable hours and job satisfaction of the techs you already have, not asking them to work faster.
Read More →
Color Match Smarter: Tools That Restore & Perform
For fleet managers and collision repair professionals keeping heavy-duty trucks on the road, getting the color right the first time isn't just about appearance — it's about efficiency, turnaround time, and bottom-line results. Discover how today's digital color tools are transforming the repair process from guesswork to precision.
Read More →
Wrong Repair Prompts Recall of Freightliner, Western Star 4x2 Trucks
DTNA is recalling more than 2,400 trucks that received an incompatible software fix instead of the hardware repair required to address brake valve corrosion.
Read More →
Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
Read More →