A recent survey of more than 40 fleets conducted by CK Marketing and Communications shows fleets in North America have a strong desire to specify their new vehicles with component brands of their choice.

The multi-communications survey conducted by Columbus-based CK president Chris Kemmer and her staff asked fleets for their preference regarding 50 component categories likely to be included on their tractor and trailer equipment. Results show that 75% of the total responses favored specifying a brand of their choice rather than accepting the original equipment manufacturer's standard.
The study ranks the components, in order of importance to the group of private and for-hire fleets, from the most commonly specified to the options more likely to be driven by OEM standards. Additional information was gathered from the respondents covering the reasons for choosing particular suppliers and products; and their plans for adding new technology options to their fleet equipment.
The study supports predictions by industry experts that fleets are moving toward keeping trucks longer and therefore need to spec more premium equipment than in the recent past.