AKRON, Ohio, September 13 - High-tech computerized mapping capabilities and a dealer responsiveness rating system have helped Goodyear's revamped roadside tire assistance program significantly reduce the time a stranded truck driver waits to return to the road.

And as the response time has gone down, the number of calls for roadside tire and/or wheel repair has climbed nearly 30 percent compared to 1998.

"Since the inception of the 4-TIRES-NOW program, the time between the initial call and the moment the driver returns to the road has decreased more than a hour. The average driver is back on the road in slightly over two hours," said Jeff Vasichek, manager of Goodyear's commercial truck tire administration. "Our goal now is to get it under two hours."

Goodyear was the first tire maker to offer 24-hour roadside assistance for truck drivers, initiating its first program in 1985. During the ensuing years, competitors entered the market, technology improved and drivers expected more out of a roadside service program. Consequently, Goodyear felt it was time for change.

In October 1998, Goodyear contracted with InterStar North America, a maintenance and repair management service located in Northern Kentucky. InterStar offered a sophisticated system that could pinpoint the stranded driver's location, display all Goodyear service centers in the area and have the driver back on the road in the shortest time possible. Soon thereafter, Goodyear launched a new roadside service program: 1-877-4-TIRES-NOW.

Thanks to the computerized mapping system, a customized dispatch program specific to Goodyear and experienced dispatchers, the entire process has been streamlined. For example, the time drivers spend talking to the road service dispatchers has dropped dramatically. Under the previous program, drivers were on the phone for an average of 20 minutes with dispatchers who were attempting to obtain information and locate a nearby service center. The average call with InterStar lasts a mere three minutes.

A key innovation by InterStar is a system of rating dealers' responsiveness. Armed with that information, dispatchers need not waste time calling dealers who are less likely to respond. While rewarding the most responsive dealers with more business, the rating system also gets the drivers back on the road more quickly.

"Time is everything to truck drivers and fleet operators. Down time means a loss of money," said Mike Barrueta Jr., manager for the 4-TIRES-NOW Emergency Road Service Program. "Through programs like Truckwise, Goodyear essentially is partnering with fleets and independent drivers to make their operations more efficient. Reducing the amount of down time is a crucial element of that partnership, and that's where 4-TIRES-NOW comes in."

All Truckwise dealers are required to provide 24-hour roadside service through 4-TIRES-NOW, although the program is open to other Goodyear dealers who qualify. In all, more than 1,600 commercial locations in the United States and Canada are providing roadside service through the program.

"Truckwise dealers have seen quite a variety of problems on the road - truckers with multiple blow-outs, stranded buses, produce truck drivers trying to get to the grocers before the load spoils and even NASCAR team transports traveling between race sites," said Vasichek. "Fast response was important to all of them."

Both Barrueta and Vasichek are quick to credit InterStar for contributing to the program's immediate success. InterStar President John Shortridge and his staff designed technology specifically to fit Goodyear's needs.

"Goodyear provided us with an opportunity - and a challenge," said Shortridge. "We put our top people to work to design a system tailor-made for a program of this magnitude."