Fleet maintenance controllers are set to be better equipped to manage service, maintenance and repair (SMR) following an agreement between Fleet Assist and CarWeB.

The partnership will see Fleet Assist provide a range of vehicle SMR data to its contract hire and leasing company clients to help them manage costs and vehicle downtime.

Linked to a vehicle’s registration number, the comprehensive range of data available includes: service schedules, specific repair times as stated by vehicle manufacturers, original equipment parts data and pricing and access to service bulletins issued by manufacturers and typically only available to franchised dealers.

Until now the core market for CarWeB, part of Solera which also owns Cap, HPI and Audatex, has been to supply garages, workshops and fast-fit centres with technical data that includes accurate vehicle repair times and costs including parts pricing, step-by-step fault diagnostic and other information such as technical drawings and wiring diagrams.

The new agreement with Fleet Assist introduces CarWeB’s wealth of technical data to the contract hire and leasing sector. It is a bespoke product for Fleet Assist and its customers.

Sam Wallace, vehicle technical data sales manager at CarWeB, said: “The data empowers maintenance controllers in both Fleet Assist and its contract hire and leasing company clients to have critical information at their fingertips in real-time.

Vincent St Claire, commercial director, Fleet Assist, said: “It is essential that maintenance controllers have the very latest technical and mechanical information at their fingertips so work can be costed accurately and then authorised and vehicle downtime effectively and efficiently managed.”

He continued: “Cost control and vehicle downtime management are both critical to contract hire and leasing companies and their customers. The data that we are now able to provide through our agreement with CarweB gives maintenance controllers total visibility of the work required, the time it will take and the cost for every job.”

Fleet Assist provides contract hire and leasing companies with a nationwide network of more than 7,000 service outlets which undertake service, maintenance and repair work on vehicles supplied to customers across the UK.