The average quick lube shop gets 11 percent of its business through fleet accounts, according to the 2022 NOLN Operator Survey (new survey out soon!). That’s not a bad mix, though it’s likely one of those averages that’s made from a whole spectrum of fleet-heavy or fleet-light operations.
Fleet work can certainly depend on how big your market is. It’s great if you’re a small-town quick lube that can give the local municipality or police department all its maintenance needs to keep those vehicles on the road. It’s also impressive if you’re working in a big, crowded market and you’re able to secure those sweet, sweet fleet accounts.
Of course, you don’t need fleet business to run a successful quick lube. But they are nice assets in the customer mix. Reliable fleet owners know that routine maintenance is the key to get the most mileage out of their vehicles, which can be used far into six-digit odometer territory.
Whether you’re looking to land that first fleet partnership or just want to explore new possibilities for your existing mix, this month’s feature story takes aim at how operators approach their fleet business. Associate Editor Hanna Bubser put together a great roster of operators, offering perspectives from both the big national networks to the local powerhouse shops.
They talked about how to approach fleet business based on regionality, your shop’s capacity, what kind of fleet owner you’re working with, and much more. It’s a great guide that I hope you’re able to keep around and reference from time to time.
This month’s profile is a follow-up from an older story. A couple years ago, we featured Great Bear 15 Minute Oil Change in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, as a Shop Look after one of the owners reached out to us about their brand-new operation. It’s a sharp building, and in 2023 we decided to reach back out and see how the first couple years of business is going. It’s great to see how new operators enter the industry and put down roots for years of successful business, and it looks like that’s what Great Bear is doing.
Speaking of Shop Look, this month’s feature is a great one. Matt Webb’s Premier Oil Change & Car Wash shop in Central Point, Oregon, is a unique head-turner. I think you’ll agree that it’s one of the best-looking shops out there.
Wishing all of you a happy May, and be sure to stop by and say hello at iFLEX this month.
