News & Media
Wheels Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Maintenance Assistance Program (MAP)
Des Plaines, Ill, January, 2018 – Wheels, Inc., a leader in the automotive fleet management and services industry, celebrated the 45th anniversary of its Maintenance Assistance Program (MAP).
The first maintenance program of its kind in the fleet industry, MAP originated as a service that enabled drivers to obtain replacement tires locally through national suppliers. Today the program includes an extensive nationwide network of 38,000 strategically-selected facilities offering a full scope of maintenance and repair services including tires, oil changes, brakes, glass, rentals and towing.
Wheels has carefully grown the network over the years by selecting the right suppliers, monitoring their performance and building solid relationships with them in order to help clients achieve optimal fleet. “An important part of the success of our Maintenance Assistance Program over the past 45 years has been the partnerships we’ve built with our network maintenance providers. The relationships are transparent, collaborative, and focused on delivering the best experience and value possible for our clients,” said Brian Simek, Sr. Manager, Maintenance & Mechanical Repair.
Also integral to the program’s success are the highly qualified advisors who approve and oversee work, handle supplier questions and provide accountability at national and local levels. Wheels’ strong commitment to continuing education requires that all MAP technical advisors become ASE-certified. The majority of Wheels advisors have also achieved advanced certification, with more than 30 advisors holding Master Technician or Dual Master status (car and truck repairs). Eleven Wheels technicians hold World Class status (car, truck, and auto body repairs). Just 1% of U.S. automotive technicians – fewer than 2,000 – have achieved World Class status since the program began more than 30 years ago.
Last week, Wheels hosted an employee open house at its Des Plaines headquarters to showcase a variety of artifacts documenting MAP’s history. “We’ve come a long way since those days. Today everything is automated: we push emails to alert drivers of upcoming or past-due maintenance work, and just launched an updated version of our mobile app that uses a combination of GPS and ZIP code locator technology to provide drivers faster access to nearby network suppliers,” said Brian.
About Wheels
Wheels, Inc. was established in 1939 as the world’s first automotive fleet leasing and management company. Seventy-nine years later, Wheels is one of the largest privately-held companies in North America, featuring a portfolio of more than 325,000 vehicles under management across the continent, capabilities in 54 countries worldwide, and a client base that consists of some of the best-known businesses in the world. In addition to vehicle acquisition and leasing, Wheels provides numerous specialized services that help all sorts of organizations manage their fleets. These include driver/vehicle support functions like maintenance management, fuel cards, and registration processing, as well as strategic account-level consultation to drive optimal fleet efficiency and measure results. For additional information, please contact info@wheels.com.