Articles - Aftermarket - TruckingInfo.com

September 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Using Technology to Smooth the Repair Order Process

By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor

When a driver pulls a truck into a service shop for a repair, scheduled or not, a service writer must bring together a lot of information before a work order can be generated. At the bare minimum,

Tags: Technology

September 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Vehicle Electronics: How Have They Changed the Aftermarket Business?

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

As sophisticated electronics move from the engine to other parts of the truck, such as multiplexed dashboards, antilock brakes, stability and traction control and transmissions that talk to the engine, it becomes an ever more challenging tas

Tags: Technology

September 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Competing through Relationships

By Commentary Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

At a time when the independent parts and service provider is faced with increasing competition from industry consolidation, cheap overseas parts and online ordering, how do you compete

Tags: Business

September 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Customers: Give 'em What they Want

By Jim Park, Equipment Editor

A few three-martini lunches and a hunting trip won't hurt your chances of keeping a good customer, but it will take more than a few perks to keep today's fleets coming back

Tags: In The Shop

June 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

How Technology is Changing the Way Fleets Buy Parts

By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor

A decade ago, selling truck parts was mostly a face-to-face (or least voice-to-voice) business. Distributors used outside salespeople to call on fleets, independent repair shops or other service providers to build typical sales relationships

Tags: Technology

June 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Branching Out Into New  Markets

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

The heavy-duty aftermarket's been a busy place the past year as customers played catch-up on purchasing and maintenance after delaying both during the recession. That growth is slowing, however, which may make it a perfect time to consider branching out into new markets, new product lines and new endeavors

Tags: Business

June 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Owner-Operators:  Today's New Breed

Availability can often trump price on critical parts for many owner-operators, who don't have many options for backup if the truck goes down while under a load.

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief and Jim Park, Contributing Editor

There are three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. The recent recession culled many owner-operators from the latter category

Tags: Issues

June 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

The Whys and Hows of Investing in Technician Training

Everyone has time and budget constraints these days, so your plan to create a useful training program have to be realistic. Hands-on training is best, but you might need to look at other alternatives.

By Rolf Lockwood, Contributing Editor and Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

Starting this summer, the nearly 200 technicians who work for Inland Truck Parts at its locations in 10 states across the central U.S. will be heading to the Kansas City area to train in a new, dedicated training facility, complete with classroom space for nearly 100 students

Tags: In The Shop

June 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Aftermarket Service Providers Can Help Customers Over CSA Hurdles

Building a PM program and tracking maintenance records brings expertise to your small fleet customers that they may not have internally.

By Jim Park, Contributing Editor

With 514,000 carriers running 9 million trucks and buses to contend with, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has had to develop a more effective way of tracking safety violations. It's called CSA, short for "Compliance, Safety, Accountability.

Tags: In The Shop

May 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Near-Term Aftermarket Outlook a Double-Edged Sword

The burgeoning retrofit market offers opportunities for aftermarket sales as well as service and cleaning.

By Jim Park, Contributing Editor

The recession has been good for some aftermarket parts and service providers, but others took a bit of a thrashing between 2008 and 2011. Many cash-strapped fleets decided to keep trucks in service longer, which meant an increase in parts sales and service opportunities

Tags: Business

May 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Superior Distributors Celebrates 50-Year Milestone

Superior Distributors Founder Howard Klein sits in his office in the 1970s. Below, Klein with his granddaughter Dana Klein, chief information officer, and son Rick Klein, vice president.

By Genevieve Conti, Assistant Editor

Superior Distributors in Elmwood Park, N.J., has come a long way since its start in the trunk of founder Howard Klein's '62 Falcon station wagon in 1962.

Tags: Business

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Dealer Perspective

By Commentary Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

Each year, I spend some time chatting with some of the nation's top truck dealers, those nominated for the Truck Dealer of the Year award from American Truck Dealers association and sister publication Heavy Duty Trucking

Tags: Issues

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

The Great Secret

By Steph Sabo, Guest Columnist

Everyone is always looking for a competitive advantage, one that will take them over the top. Well, your search can stop, at least for today. Spend your time looking into the Technology & Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations

Tags: Issues

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Five Ways Software Can Improve Your Bottom Line

By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor

It's a rare heavy-duty service shop or parts warehouse/distributor that doesn't use some kind of computer software in its operation. It might be as simple as an accounting package such as QuickBooks, or as complex as a full-feature

Tags: Technology

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Are You Planning For Succession?

Lack of planning could mean the end of your business.

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

Last year, Midwest Wheel celebrated its 100th anniversary under a fourth-generation owner. Betts Spring is in its sixth generation and just promoted a sixth-generation Betts family member to vice president. But many more small businesses peris

Tags: Business

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Stronger Brakes on Class 8 Rigs Require Distributors to Learn About and Stock New Parts

New braking rules require shorter panic stops, but the resulting stronger brakes will have otehr benefits like increased fade resistance on long downgrades.

By Tom Berg, Senior Editor

Emerging from truck factories in the U.S. since Aug. 1 are road tractors that can stop in substantially shorter distances than those built earlier. It's due to a change in government stopping distance requirement

Tags: In The Shop

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Cover Story

Engines Today: How Are the EPA-Spec Engines From the Past Decade Performing?

By Tom Berg, Senior Editor & Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

A lot of truck owners aren't particularly happy with some of their EPA-emissions-spec engines from the past decade, and that could spell aftermarket opportunities as those engines come out of warranty.

Tags: engine

January 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

Engines Tomorrow: What Types of Engines Will You Be Selling Parts for in the Future?

By Tom Berg, Senior Editor, Jim Park & Rolf Lockwood, Contributing Editors

The next step in engine emissions is targeting greenhouse gas emissions in heavy trucks. Because burning less fossil fuel means lower GHG emissions, truck makers soon must meet North America's first fuel economy standards for medium- and heavy-duty truck

Tags: engine