Patent ID: 8296197

Claim:
A method of centrally managing using a turnkey maintenance system the performance of maintenance on fleet vehicles for a customer, said management by a single management service provider (MSP), said MSP a separate business entity from said customer, said customer an operator of said fleet vehicles, maintenance on said fleet vehicles not provided or determined by said customer, comprising the steps of: (A) said MSP providing maintenance services for the vehicles by contracting with a plurality of maintenance service providers to provide said maintenance, said maintenance services not provided or determined by said customer; (B) said MSP providing the parts required to support the maintenance service provided in step (A) by obtaining said parts from a plurality of part suppliers and arranging delivery of said parts to said maintenance service providers; (C) said MSP centrally managing the maintenance service providers and the part suppliers from a central operations center to perform said maintenance on said vehicles, said central operations center comprises a network of computer servers providing communication with said parts suppliers, said maintenance service providers, and said customers; (D) said MSP charging and receiving from the customer a fee for managing the maintenance of the vehicles; and, (E) said MSP providing information to the customer over a shared communications network controlled by said MSP and comprising said central operation center, said information enabling said customer to evaluate the maintenance provided wherein said information comprises real time vehicle on-board systems operating information including historical and current vehicle operating configurations including vehicle faults recorded on-board, said information wirelessly received from each of said fleet vehicles by said MSP at said central operation center, said information used by said MSP to determine said maintenance provided for said vehicles and to determine said fee charged to said customers.