• AutoNation Inc., the largest U.S. automotive retailer with more than 325 locations coast to coast, plans to recruit and hire more than 500 technicians to fill positions in its service and collision centers.
• TBC Corp., in partnership with Citi Retail Services, is offering a consumer credit card tied to its direct-to-consumer tire sales site, Tire America. The online platform allows consumers to purchase tires and have them installed at nearly 5,000 locations across the Unites States. Now, the Tire America Drive Card adds a range of features, including flexible payment terms.
• The Car Care Council, in conjunction with AutoNetTV Media, has released a video that emphasizes the importance of a vehicle check before setting out on a road trip. It recommends inspecting filters, fluids, belts, hoses and tires, as well as the battery and brake systems. The council also advises vehicle owners to check NHTSA’s website for open recalls.
• Interstate Batteries has launched a digital series titled “Shop Goals” where experienced shop owners share tips and insights to mentor younger technicians and shop owners. The first two videos in the series are “Newbies in the Bay” and “When New & Old School Collide.”
• The roadside assistance platform Urgently is expanding into Mexico with partner Telasist, which provides roadside assistance services across Mexico. Urgently claims that this alliance makes it the only roadside assistance company delivering a fully integrated digital solution for all of North America.
• Alldata Europe has reached an agreement with Honda Motor Europe to republish Honda repair and maintenance information for cars. The addition of Honda brings the total number of brands in Alldata Repair to 23. The deal builds on a long-standing relationship between Alldata and Honda in the United States.
• TruckPro LLC has acquired assets related to the operations of Cornerstone Fleet Services Inc. of Oklahoma City. Founded in 2010, Cornerstone provides fleet vehicle maintenance and repair services from a six-bay facility, as well as on-site and emergency roadside service with a mobile fleet of service trucks. TruckPro sees the addition of Cornerstone as a complement to its truck and trailer parts store in Oklahoma City.
• Inland Truck Parts & Service has entered into the full-service truck repair business in Grand Junction, CO with the acquisition of Fast & Easy Services, a long-time independent service provider in the marketplace. Inland has relocated to the new facility to expand and upgrade its component shop and to create the capacity for the addition of a truck repair business. The new site has 14 service bays.
• All new subscriptions to Mitchell 1’s truck repair software suite, TruckSeries, now include the 1Search Plus interface introduced this year at the Technology & Maintenance Council meeting in Atlanta. 1Search Plus is designed to streamline search and navigation for diagnostic and repair information specific to the vehicle being serviced.
• Mitchell 1 is partnering with Decisiv Inc., a service relationship management (SRM) technology provider. The integration with Decisiv allows fleets or service providers using Mitchell 1’s suite of repair information and shop management software for Class 4-8 trucks to incorporate asset repair and diagnostic information into service event cases in the SRM platform. The pact also allows Mitchell 1 independent service providers to become a part of the SRM network.
• Rotary Lift (Madison, IN) has added a “Find My Lift” tool to its website.