Amidst all the attention being paid to Volvo's announcement of a new 13-liter LNG engine that will debut in 2014 (see story here), another introduction at the same time may have been lost in the shuffle. Yet it might be more important, if less sexy, to more people.

The company's Remote Diagnostics aftermarket service is said to provide a seamless, dynamically connected system of vehicle management tools to help maximize uptime. It will be standard on all Volvo-powered VN model highway trucks. It's been tested for nearly a year with carriers in the U.S. and Canada, 15 unique customers operating more than 1300 Volvo VNs with the service, including Challenger Motor Freight in Cambridge, Ont..
 
The company says it "maximizes vehicle uptime by reaching far beyond proactive diagnostics to deliver total connectivity among the vehicle, Volvo and the decision-makers responsible for maintenance.”

It leverages Volvo’s support network and service management tools to address service issues before they occur, the company says. Volvo has offered such fleet-management tools since 2002.

Remote Diagnostics provides proactive diagnostic and repair-planning assistance with detailed analysis of critical diagnostic trouble codes. The remote communication platform facilitates live dealer and customer communication through the Volvo Action Service 24/7 support team. You'll see confirmation of parts on-hand before a truck arrives at a service location.
 
Remote Diagnostics also provides service case communication and documentation among Volvo Action Service, dealers and customers through ASIST, Volvo’s web-based service management tool, which comes free of charge for two years with the purchase of all new Volvo trucks.
 
Click here to view a video about Volvo’s Remote Diagnostics.