Regardless of fleet size, vehicles, application and vocation, all fleets face a number of the same challenges with regards to parts and service. That was the message of the Meeting the Parts and Service Needs of Today’s Fleet panel discussion, held at this year’s Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD) in Las Vegas late last month.
An annual outlook conference, HDAD is tailored specifically for the heavy duty aftermarket supplier industry. It is presented by the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Assn. (HDMA) and MacKay & Company.
The Panel
Making up the panel were:
- Dwayne Haug, principal owner, Dwayne O. Haug Consulting, a company that provides expertise and total consulting services to fleets, OEMs, suppliers and manufactures.
- Lee Long, director, fleet services, Southeastern Freight Lines (www.sefl.com), a leading provider of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services.
- Scott Perry, chief technology and procurement officer, Ryder Systems (www.ryder.com), an industry leader in truck rental, fleet management and supply chain solutions for businesses of all sizes.
- Gloria Pliler, director, parts procurement, Swift Transportation (www.swifttrans.com), a truckload carrier.
- Dan Samford, Association of Equipment Management Professionals (www.aemp.org) executive advisor, and principal of Peak Performance Asset Services (www.ppasllc.com), which consults in mixed fleet telematics integration, fleet management best practices, purchasing and more.
- Roy Svehla, senior manager, fleet maintenance, Republic Services (www.republicservices.com), an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste.
Highlights
The panelists said the following are significantly changing vehicle maintenance practices.
- Aftertreatment system maintenance, which had to be added to PMs, has been taking lot of time and effort.
- A shift to extended drain intervals to get the most from every dollar spent on oil.
- With the increasing complexity of electrical systems, more work has had to be sent out for OEM dealer repair.
- A move toward predictive analytics as a way to extend equipment life.
- The need for more technician training as the complexity of vehicles increases.
- The challenge of effectively managing dig data and using it for improved decision making.
- Being able to find qualified technicians.
Top Expenses
The panelists said their top maintenance expenses were: fuel, aftertreatment systems, engines repairs and tires.
From Suppliers
Asked what they would like to see from suppliers, the panelists said they wanted help with staying abreast of new technology and regulations. Plus, they would look like to see suppliers create “technical advisors” to help them with new products, especially electronics.
Parts Purchases
Research by MacKay & Company took a look at where parts were purchased when completing vehicle service in-house versus utilizing outside service providers during 2015.
- In-house: 72 percent OE brands; 28 percent other branded parts.
- Outside service: 77 percent OE brands; 23 percent other branded parts.
Organizations
HDMA (www.hdma.org) provides industry leadership for NAFTA based original equipment and aftermarket suppliers in the on- and off-highway commercial vehicle equipment industry.
MacKay & Company (www.mackayco.com) is a specialized management consulting and market research firm that focuses on commercial on-highway vehicles, construction equipment, farm field machinery and related components such as engines and transmissions.
