ALPHARETTA, Ga. and CINCINNATI -

Two fleet management companies announced vehicle maintenance initiatives this week, one that addresses COVID-19 challenges by providing contact-free vehicle maintenance services for cars and light-duty vehicles.

Fleet management and driver mobility services company LeasePlan USA on Wednesday said it has partnered with automotive mobile maintenance and repair services provider YourMechanic to provide those contact-free maintenance services in partnership with YourMechanic’s nationwide network of more than 700 certified technicians across more than 2,500 cities.

In other fleet management company news, Mike Albert Fleet Solutions launched AlbertIQ, a proprietary analytics platform that monitors the mechanical health of fleet vehicles.

The moves have been made as the entire automotive industry navigates the hurdles created by the coronavirus pandemic.

LeasePlan is adding a mobile option to its maintenance and repair management offering, allowing customers to schedule contact-free service on-site at the driver’s home or office location. Customers can use LeasePlan’s new service, powered by YourMechanic, to gain access to more than 600 automotive repair services.

LeasePlan said that strategy allows “a safe and convenient experience.”

LeasePlan continues seeking ways to transform its business to better meet its customers’ demands, said Felipe Smolka, EVP transformation for LeasePlan USA.

“We’ve been working on a partnership with the team at YourMechanic for some time now,” Smolka said in a news release.

Smolka continued, “Given the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the timing was right to implement this contact-free solution for our customers.”

YourMechanic president and chief executive officer Anthony Rodio said that with YourMechanic’s partnership with LeasePlan, YourMechanic can bring auto care directly to thousands of drivers’ doorsteps nationwide, and the partnership allows his company to “move toward our goal of powering the entire mobility landscape,” Rodio said.

YourMechanic’s network of background-checked and certified vehicle technicians average more than 15 years of industry experience. YourMechanic backs all services performed on its platform with a 12-month or 12,000-mile guarantee, and a $1 million liability policy.

More details about AlbertIQ

As part of recapping the platform piloting and launch, Mike Albert Fleet Solutions highlighted AlbertIQ also monitors when, where and how long the fleet vehicles are used and how safely they are driven.

In the area of vehicle health monitoring, AlbertIQ collects and crunches diagnostic data from fleet vehicle telematics. It scores the top items in order of importance, creates real-time vehicle health reports, and generates tickets.

It also collects and tickets open recall data. After review and consolidation of all the tickets, it sends notifications to fleet administrators and drivers.

It also performs vehicle behavior monitoring. AlbertIQ acquires data on vehicle use. That data includes when a trip is outside business hours and days, when the number of daily authorized stops and trips is exceeded, and when the daily authorized distance and total trip time is exceeded.

Regarding driver behavior monitoring, AlbertIQ compiles data on how each vehicle is driven by tracking events such as speeding, seat belt non-engagement and harsh acceleration, braking and cornering.

Ciara Romero from Bancsource is an AlbertIQ pilot site client, describing it as a “wonderful tool.”

“With the help of the Mike Albert team, we have been able to identify and quickly repair necessary recalls and engine faults to keep our drivers safe on the roads,” Romero said.

Romero continued, “Access to the live data has been simple and easily accessible on all levels of management and our drivers. Previously, Bancsource depended on the recall notifications from the manufacturers and engine faults through less-timely sources. We are definitely excited to continue using AlbertIQ along with our services through Mike Albert."

Another pilot site client is Mark Buechel from Tech Electronics Inc., who said his company’s traditional telematics provided “an overwhelming amount” of data regarding potential issues within the Tech Electronics fleet. 

“With AlbertIQ, I can log into one portal and quickly see a prioritized list of issues my drivers and I need to address,” Buechel said.

Buechel continued, “This has been an amazing time saver and truly allowed us to gain better control over the health of our fleet.”

“AlbertIQ uses the latest serverless technologies to merge telematics data with the expertise of our Mike Albert ASE-certified maintenance team to provide fleet administrators with a prioritized list of mechanical issues and open recalls that need attention,” said Mike Albert president Jeff Hart.

Hart continued, “It also tracks and reports when vehicles are used outside of company guidelines and are driven unsafely. With AlbertIQ, fleet administrators are empowered to resolve potential problems in their earliest stages to increase safety, prevent costly repairs, minimize driver downtime, ensure compliance, maximize vehicle life, maintain vehicle resale value, prevent missed customer appointments, and protect their company’s brand image.”