35 years of DAF ITS

In the early 70s, DAF was the first truck manufacturer to introduce an international assistance service that stranded drivers could call on for help. This year, the service is celebrating its 35th anniversary. DAF ITS, still a pioneering force in the commercial vehicle industry and one of the most valued and professional service organisations.

By the late 60s and early 70s, international road transport had already taken off in a big way. DAF drivers who had been stranded due to a breakdown or accident would call the DAF headquarters in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and usually spoke to someone from the "International Sales" department. They were always offered help immediately, but the need for a structured and professional way to deal with these calls led to the creation in 1972 of ITS (International Truck Service), which at the time was unique in the field of commercial vehicles.

In the UK, DAF launched an equivalent organisation – DAFaid – two years later, in 1974. Then it worked through 15 dealers and averaged six ‘jobs’ a day. Today it works through 136 dealers and deals with almost 200 jobs a day.

It was the first such organisation in Britain and today continues to set the standards to which others aspire – currently the all important ‘time to attending incident’ average for DAFaid stands at a remarkable 46 minutes, with the average time from first call to truck back in service being just 98 minutes. Its freephone number – 0800 919395 – provides instant assistance for anyone on the system, whether it’s a DAF vehicle, a truck of another make or even a trailer.

Fifteen languages
Across the Continent, anyone calling the DAF ITS number (+31 40 214 30 00) today is answered by one of the ITS operators, each of whom speaks at least four languages. These operators can offer ITS drivers assistance in a total of fifteen different languages. Modern computer equipment ensures that the nearest DAF service point to the stranded vehicle can be determined extremely quickly. The speed of response has always been one of the great strengths of ITS. After all, the sooner a truck is back on the road, the better. What's more, assistance is not limited just to the vehicle itself — help is also provided for the trailer, the superstructure or even the driver.

ITS in 41 countries
Whenever a call comes in, ITS does not just contact the dealer or service point that will provide the assistance, but also the dealer where the vehicle is normally serviced. This enables the ITS operator to immediately organise a guarantee of payment, so that the driver does not need to worry about financial matters. It goes without saying that ITS also alerts the driver's home base, if this has not already been done, and keeps the company up to date on the progress of the repairs. In consultation with the operator, who is continually updated on any developments, it can also be decided whether to order a replacement truck or to arrange express delivery of a part that the dealer happens not to have in stock. Throughout the whole of Europe, ITS boasts an extensive and well-distributed network of around 1000 DAF dealers and service points. DAF customers can be assured of prompt assistance in the event of a breakdown or accident in no less than 41 countries — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The near future
ITS is continuing to work on the professional quality of its network and service. For the time being, the telephone will remain the most important means of communication for ITS. However, developments in the field of telematics, for example, also offer ITS new possibilities. The DAF Telematics data communication system, to be introduced next year, offers a function that allows the driver to send all the information necessary for rapid assistance directly to the ITS Call Center in Eindhoven at the touch of a button. The details of the vehicle and customer are sent by email, as well as the exact location of the vehicle.

Crossing to the US
ITS from DAF Trucks served as the model for the PACCAR Customer Call Center for North America and Canada. Taking advantage of the expertise DAF has gained with ITS, PACCAR was the first truck manufacturer in the United States to offer a unique assistance service for customers of the PACCAR brands Kenworth and Peterbilt, as well as for the customers of PacLease, the leasing company belonging to PACCAR. As happens at ITS, PACCAR also uses the Call Center to gather valuable technical information about the breakdowns, which is fed back to the development departments at Kenworth and Peterbilt and to the PACCAR Technical Center.