Mitchell 1 — a provider of technical information for vehicle maintenance, service and repair — announced today, June 15 that ArvinMeritor — a global supplier of integrated systems, modules and components — has adopted Tractor-Trailer.net, Mitchell 1’s Web-based heavy-duty vehicle service and repair information database.
In use at ArvinMeritor’s OnTrac customer support center in Troy, Mich., Tractor-Trailer.net is the trucking industry’s first complete service and repair information source for all heavy-duty tractors, dry vans and reefers dating back to 1990, Mitchell 1 says.
“Tractor-Trailer.net improves our response time to customers and provides immediate support for technical assistance,” says Ryan Major, training specialist at OnTrac. “In the past, we relied on various sources, which was time-consuming and may or may not have yielded accurate information. The Web-based offering from Mitchell 1 was the only source available for highly accurate, quick and easily accessible service information, including repair procedures and wiring diagrams.”
OnTrac provides dedicated teams to respond to general and technical inquiries regarding extended warranty coverage for components on U.S. and Canadian trucks and trailers. Representatives also diagnose and offer repair recommendations to technicians for components that have exceeded their warranty periods. The center currently handles between 1,000 and 1,200 calls per day from OEM, fleet and independent repair facilities needing technical assistance.
In the ArvinMeritor OnTrac facility, 45 managers and support representatives are regularly accessing information on Tractor-Trailer.net; most common is the use of OEM wiring diagrams. “It’s a great advantage to us to have that access for solving wiring issues,” Major says. “In particular, the system’s Circuit Select functions lets us trace and highlight wiring circuits, isolate circuits using different colors, and hide unneeded circuits. The diagrams are also easily printed.
“We’re also very pleased with all the easy-to-navigate Web-based features of Tractor-Trailer.net,” Major says. “There’s no training necessary. We can just point and click and get the information we need instantaneously. Our goal is to support our customers quickly so their vehicles are up and running as fast as possible and to minimize any problem from reoccurring. With this capability from Mitchell 1, the entire process is streamlined and more efficient.”
Mitchell 1 says Tractor-Trailer.net, updated monthly, requires no software installation and comes complete with tractor, trailer and reefer service and repair information — including sub-circuit color wiring diagrams — for more than 1,100 Class 7 and 8 tractors, 1,800 trailers and 200 reefers. Content includes service and repair information for transmissions, axles, ABS and brake systems, suspensions, more than 6,000 color wiring diagrams and more than 100,000 graphic illustrations for more than 3,000 unique year/make/model configurations.
“Tractor-Trailer.net is an easily understood, simple-to-navigate service and repair database that is revolutionizing the heavy-duty vehicle repair and maintenance business,” says Dave Costantino, director of heavy-duty market development for Poway, Calif.-based Mitchell 1. “ArvinMeritor’s decision to use this Web-based technology is further proof that it is a highly valuable tool for the industry. We are very pleased to welcome them as a customer.”
