'JIFFY LUBE ON STEROIDS'

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CUSTOMER IS KING

As Clark began to pioneer quick lube in the heavy-duty sector back in the early ‘90s, he made sure his crews stayed focused on a simple objective.

“We advertised oil changes in 30 minutes,” Clark says. “Our facilities were built for speed. Customers started coming to us for the speed so they could get back on the road.”

Though the concept of an oil change is the same across both light- and heavy-duty maintenance facilities is essentially the same, the process of getting the oil changed on a semi is a little more cumbersome.

Most semi-trucks take around 11 gallons of oil, and other fluids and services are proportionally larger than those required by passenger vehicles.

“Everything is just on a much larger scale,” Clark says. “We were a Jiffy Lube on steroids.”

A large factor in what allowed Clark and his crews unprecedentedly fast service were the facilities themselves. Each Speedco location had three bays with full pits on each. Each bay was staffed by a lower tech, upper tech and crew chief.

Once the teams got a 30-minute oil change down and could get it done in closer to 20 minutes, Clark’s shops began adding services. Now, at LubeZone locations, Clark’s teams are able to provide oil changes, fluid checks, greasing, federal and state inspections, alignment, air condition services and others within a 30- to 40-minute window.

Clark says that expansion of services comes from the desire to help give his customers the best experience possible, and his 20-plus years of experience with Speedco has helped pave the way for that expansion at Epika.

With knowledge of building design optimal locations, as well as a willingness to help from other people throughout the industry, Clark was able to kickstart Epika--and LubeZone specifically –and quickly build up its reputation, which is critical in the heavy-duty maintenance community.

Since truck drivers are generally much more knowledgeable about their vehicles than the average light-duty quick lube customer, they tend to have preferred brands and products, and they are more keenly aware about what is being done to their vehicles

“Word of mouth in the truck driver community, especially with social media, (is powerful),” Clark says. “Word gets out quickly if you had good or bad service.”