Truck Pride Partners, a heavy-duty parts distribution and marketing organization, has signed a new supply agreement with Exide Technologies to make Exide its preferred vendor for the Truck Pride Partners battery line.
Separately, Truck Pride Partners also named Donaldson Company as its Exhaust Preferred Vendor.

In the new two-year agreement, Exide will supply a full aftermarket line, including automotive, heavy-duty, marine, golf cart, electric vehicle, lawn and garden and power sport products. The agreement includes Exide branded and Truck Pride private label batteries sold in the U.S. and Canada.

Truck Pride Partners was recently formed from the dissolution of the former program distribution group Independent Warehouse Distributors. While Exide has had a long-time supplier relationship with the original Truck Pride organization, this new agreement marks the first time that Truck Pride has selected a sole preferred battery line supplier.

"This initiative in the area of product management was a critical strategy, allowing the new Truck Pride Partners to strengthen ongoing vendor relationships," said Bruce Greer, product committee chairman and member. "Our goal was to gain supply chain efficiencies on certain product categories, with commercial batteries being a principal focus."

Truck Pride Partners also strengthened its ongoing vendor relationships by naming Donaldson Company as its Exhaust Preferred Vendor.

"The first product category that went through an analytic review process was heavy-duty exhaust," said Greer. "We need to gain a stronghold on certain product categories we market and compete within, and so exhaust has a new focus for Truck Pride Partners."

"This preferred status for exhaust systems with Truck Pride Partners will expand our distribution channels for Donaldson exhaust products," said Joe Lehman, vice president, engine aftermarket business at Donaldson Company.