Midas has come a long way since it opened in 1956 as a muffler repair company. Throughout the years, Midas evolved into a full auto repair service provider. In the late 1990s, the company introduced auto programs for tires, air conditioning, and maintenance, among others.

The fleet department has also evolved. The company recently rolled out a comprehensive fleet program at about 96 percent of its 1,700 locations in North America.

Midas Fleet Services offers a national fleet program with an extensive list of national accounts, including major fleet management companies, such as ARI, LeasePlan USA, and GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services..

The key to the Midas Fleet Services program is a Web-based fleet management application called Fleet Team. When a driver comes into a Midas shop, service staff pull up the vehicle’s history of Midas services. In turn, Midas corporate offices can view these transactions in real time.

“It makes it a lot easier at the store level to process these transactions,” said Nils Olsson, manager of fleet sales and development for Midas. “It also makes it much easier for the national accounts that we do business with, as the invoices are processed electronically.”

Midas Fleet Services also offers a program geared toward local fleet accounts. Individual Midas shops sign up existing house accounts or new businesses to the Midas local fleet program. Many of these fleets have fewer than 100 vehicles.

Local accounts can log on to the secure Midas Fleet Services Web site to track services performed on their vehicles. They can also set up services on a preventive maintenance schedule, receive service-due reminders, and set up security features such as fleet vehicle VIN registration for maximum work order authorization amounts.

Similarly, when a vehicle arrives at Midas shops, an automatic computer prompt notifies staff if a service is due on that particular vehicle. Any fleet manager notifications are also displayed. The features are provided free of charge.

Midas Fleet Services now has a fleet sales staff in place to support fleets at the local and national levels. Corporate field sales representatives work in the field with national accounts, regional and local fleets, and dealers. These support personnel also train Midas dealers to handle fleet service transactions properly and efficiently.

The company offers various fleet payment services. A Midas Fleet Services card is available for purchases made at Midas shops. Participating fleets can also use the card for fuel purchases at more than 180,000 fuel stations nationwide.

Also available to all fleet accounts are warranties offered to retail customers, including lifetime warranties on some Midas services.

Implementing a comprehensive fleet program required extensive training of Midas franchisees and employees on fleet needs and how Midas serves them. Each participating Midas location has been tested and certified to handle fleet account needs.