Cox Automotive has acquired fleet mobile maintenance provider Dickinson Fleet Services to bolster the capabilities and geographic reach of its nationwide Pivet fleet services marketplace, and focus on powering a fleet future that is dependent on mobile maintenance and repair services.

Dickinson Fleet Services provides services for medium and heavy-duty trucks and trailers in North America, Cox said. Its preventative maintenance and mobile emergency repair service capabilities, including a fleet of more than 700 mobile repair units and 800 repair and maintenance technicians, are aimed at enhancing Pivet’s existing network of fleet service offerings.

“Cox Automotive is building a fleet optimization marketplace designed to manage every fleet asset’s complete lifecycle, and the acquisition of Dickinson Fleet Services both strengthens and diversifies Pivet’s growing portfolio,” said Joe George, president of Cox Automotive Mobility. “The mobile repair segment will only become more significant over time, and the seamless integration of Dickinson’s capabilities provides a considerable leap forward on our path to making Pivet the industry’s most comprehensive fleet services resource.”

Fleets and technology will play a more substantial role in an A.C.E.S. (autonomous/aerial, connected, electric and shared) future, resulting in significant increases in miles traveled per vehicle and a more frequent need for service and maintenance, Cox announced. Several indicators also point to the growth of mobile fleet services, including the rise of e-commerce and an on-demand economy offering real-time fulfilment of goods and services.

Operating within the Pivet fleet optimization and services marketplace, Dickinson’s expert mobile repair services will be the cornerstone of Pivet’s future growth trajectory, Cox said. The new operations will be highly complementary to Pivet’s existing network of fixed and high-capacity service centers.

“A core foundation of our business, and key to Manheim’s 75-year legacy, is about exploring and growing what’s next in the transportation business, and then delivering those insights to our customers,” said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. “Nearly half of the manufacturers and thousands of dealers have engaged us in varying levels of conversation around executing service in new ways, including mobile maintenance. The learnings we’ll gain operating the Dickinson Fleet Services business will be beneficial to helping our customers learn, grow and execute in this space.”