In times like this, everyone is trying to squeeze more value out of every dollar, and the world of vocational trucks is no exception. Most vocational fleet managers and work truck owner-operators are running their trucks as long as possible. Additional miles of service mean owners and managers are paying even more attention to preventative maintenance. Quality aftermarket parts are more important than ever in ensuring that extra time in service is spent on the road and not in the shop. After all, a truck is only making money when it’s running.
“We don’t waver on quality,” says Todd Biggs, director, Aftermarket Parts and Service Marketing, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), referring to DTNA’s private label Alliance Truck Parts. “Everyone today is trying to be more efficient, which means that total cost of ownership is really critical to our customers. Not just the cost of the part, but the down time if a part fails.”
Biggs offers an example: “In the past, a refuse hauler typically had an average service life of six and a half years. Today, it’s often in use for eight. If you’re going to keep a truck for 650,000 miles or more – by choice or out of necessity – you’d better be sure you don’t skimp on parts or service.”
With 32 different product lines in its portfolio, Alliance Truck Parts constantly is adding more products to support the wide variety of customer needs. Alliance offers new and remanufactured parts for all makes and models of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles at Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses dealers in the U.S. and Canada, and at Travel Centers of America and Petro locations nationwide.
Jeff Larimer, parts manager for Jenkins Diesel in southwest Missouri, says: “You can’t overstate the value of a good preventive maintenance program. We know that many of our customers are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to purchasing new trucks in the current business climate, and they’re working more closely with us to maximize uptime for their older trucks. We rely heavily on Alliance Truck Parts to make sure we’re delivering the highest quality for the best price.”
No matter what the vocation, the bottom line is the same. Owners depend on their trucks to work hard and help keep their business running. They expect their trucks to be on the job, ready to do a full day’s work, every day. High quality, reliable products at an affordable price can make today’s tough times a little easier.
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Everyone today is trying to be more efficient, which means that total cost of ownership is really critical to our customers. Not just the cost of the part, but the down time if a part fails.
—Todd Biggs, Director, Aftermarket Parts and Service Marketing, Daimler Trucks North America
This article was redistributed with permission from the Freightliner Severe Duty Report enewsletter. To sign up for the enewsletter visit FreightlinerTrucks.com.