Trucks, Parts, Service 0819

HDMA introduces new techcentric council

DETERMINING A QUALITY DATA SOURCE Part II of our Driven

by Data special report tackles the best methods for data evaluation for dealers and aftermarket businesses August 2019

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Don’t put a quality phone system on hold 16

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contents

Volume 56 Number 8 August 2019

TPSmagazine.com @TPSMagazine /truckpartsandservice Trucks, Parts, Service

Editorial

Editor: Lucas Deal Equipment Editor: Jason Cannon Online Associate Editor: Bill Grabarek Associate Editor, Trucking: Tom Quimby editorial@truckpartsandservice.com

Design & Production

Art Director: Richard Street Advertising Production Manager: Leah Boyd production@truckpartsandservice.com

Cover Story Driven by Data:

What determines a quality data source?

Sales

Director of Media Sales: Seth Becker sales@truckingmedia.com

Corporate

Chairman Emeritus: Mike Reilly President/CEO: Brent Reilly Chief Operating Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Financial Officer: Kim Fieldbinder Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Audience: Linda Longton Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Business Development: Robert Lake Senior Vice President, Data: Prescott Shibles Senior Vice President, Digital: Nick Reid Senior Vice President, Strategy and Marketing: Julie Arsenault

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Trucks, Parts, Service (ISSN 0895-3856) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly, LLC, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Periodicals postage paid at Tuscaloosa, AL and additional offices. Subscriptions: $50 for one year, outside USA add $10. For change of address and other subscription inquiries, please contact: truckparts&service@ halldata.com. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Trucks, Parts, Service 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406.

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8 Features 16 Implementing a customer-friendly phone system 24 How to straighten a damaged frame 30 Distributor of the Year Finalist: Action Truck Parts

Departments 1 2 6 32

Editorial Staff Editorials Industry Report News

34 36 39 40

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Online Resources

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editorial | Lucas Deal

Outside the box

By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com

I

have interview déjà vu. When you’re in my line of work you’ll get this from time to time. Start working on a story and it stands to reason that at some point you’ll have to ask the same question a couple times. After a while, you get used to it.

But that’s not what’s happening to me. I’m dealing with a new feeling.

I’m conducting interviews on different topics with different professionals from all corners of our industry. We’re discussing technician recruitment, data integration, customer service, branding, parts procurement. The talking points go on and on. Yet, somehow, all of those conversations seem to continue to flow in the same direction.

Like streams to a river, every time I get on the phone, I eventually find myself talking about training.

For what it’s worth, it makes sense. This is an industry of rapid change. Get up right now (or after finishing this column) and take a five-minute walk around your business.

Identify all the products, services and equipment found in your business that didn’t exist a decade ago — from the computers at your front counters with their enhanced management systems to the widgets and sensors on your shelves.

How much of your business is new?

Yet when it comes to training, I get the impression those scores of new products and systems are not what’s keeping you up at night. Because as advanced as they are, at least they come with support. Most new tech and software companies provide onboard training for new users and feature customer hotlines that can answer important questions 24 hours a day.

Additionally, the supplier community is building massive online training portals to supplement its longtime on-site training courses. On that note, I also know those training

resources are being collected and cataloged within even larger libraries by the independent buying groups and OEMs. As daunting as all that product training may be, at least the resources are out there. If you can find the time to make it happen you can educate your people about your new bells and whistles.

The problem comes with the other training. How to answer the phone.

How to deal with an angry customer.

How to control a sales conversation. How to communicate across departments. How to mentor a young associate or cultivate your next generation of leaders. That’s the training everyone wants and no one can find.

That’s where we (as an industry) have to remember our buzz words and be willing to think outside of the box.

What does that mean? With training, we need to accept all education doesn’t have to come from our industry. You don’t need to learn from another distributor or your OEM how to lead a sales call. If you have connections in our industry that can provide you that knowledge that’s wonderful, but it’s not a necessity.

Like any other aspect of your business, the best training comes from the experts. The people who live the material every day. Take Bill’s feature this month on phone systems and employee phone use as an example. Bill did a great job researching that piece and found trainers who specialize in educating businesses on how their associates should act when answering and speaking on the phone. That’s their niche and they’re great at it.

Businesses like that can never be overlooked, especially in our industry. It’s your job to be an expert on your products and services and provide that expertise to your customers.

But you don’t have to be an expert in everything. It’s OK to rely on others to fill in the gaps.

You don’t

have to be an expert

in everything.

2

Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

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editorial | MacKay & Company

Using data to find opportunities

By Lynn Buck MacKay & Company

O

to seek out those that match your desired criteria. ne of the themes in last month’s Trucks, Parts, Service Finding new opportunities: Finding new opportunities magazine was using data to find customers. I would with existing customers is the other way of increasing sales like to take that one step further: Using data to find or service. For parts sales, examine sales history by customer. opportunities. The goal of finding customers after all is to Develop customer profiles and compare purchases by customgain parts sales and/or service opportunities. I would argue ers with similar profiles. Analyze sales data for potential upsell that simply looking at new customers is potentially limitof complementary parts. What are customers purchasing from ing and that doing more for existing customers could be you and what are the complementary parts for that coman easier sell that might be overlooked in the race for new ponent? Do they purchase brake drums, customers. but not shoes and other hardware? These Finding new customers: OpportuniThe data complementary parts should be an easy ties to find new customers are plentiful, but you sell. If not, it could be a sign of “leakage” to effective resources at finding new customalready have a competitor. ers are much less so. Historically, it involves at your fingertips As I wrote in a previous article, “Parts buying lists and blindly soliciting to potencontains Kitting: Adding Value for Your Customer” valuable tial customers unaware of what their actual in 2016, bundling parts for PMs or other needs are. The method achieves a pretty low information. jobs into a kit adds value and separates you success rate, but the numbers game has been from competitors. Ask customers about the go-to method for decades. Attending their pain points and how you can address them. Are their trade shows, sponsoring customer events or conducting traintechnicians spending too much time searching for parts for ing events might be more effective (depending on your busicertain jobs? What about kitting those parts together, so the ness), but the number of customer “touches” will be smaller. tech gets one SKU to manage?

However, the opportunity to discuss customer issues Similar to parts, examine customer service history and directly and present potential solutions would likely have develop customer profiles. Is the construction fleet down the greater impact and higher potential to open the door for road outsourcing its PMs to you? Maybe the other construcopportunities.

There are also a number of services that provide fleet data. tion fleet you sold parts to would be open to that opportunity.

You also may find patterns in the service data that could allow Start off by analyzing your current customers’ fleet profiles you to proactively send a service offer to a previous customer, — number of trucks and trailers, type of freight, length of such as a local fleet that is no longer coming in for PMs. haul, vocation, fleet age, predominant make, vehicle classes, The data you already have at your fingertips contains valufleet service shops and types of parts ordered from you. You able information for finding and retaining customers, as well can then use one of the fleet profile services and find other as ways to grow sales and service opportunities. The stories fleets that have similar profiles. Alternatively, if you find are there, you simply need to look at the data to identify current customers fit a certain mold, develop a strategy to them. find a new customer fleet type and use the fleet profile tools Lynn Buck, information technology analyst, joined MacKay & Company in November 2012. His background includes more than 15 years of data analysis and reporting in a variety of settings. Most recently, he has performed the roles of pricing manager and inventory manager for two aftermarket parts distributors. Prior to that, he analyzed markets for new parts and service locations for Navistar.

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

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New truck market inches upward Class 8 truck orders rose slightly in June but remain well behind industry norms, FTR and ACT Research announced last month.

FTR reported preliminary Class 8 orders for June at 13,000 units, up 24 percent from its estimation in May. ACT’s preliminary total was slightly higher at 13,100 units, a 20 percent bump over its May total. ACT said June’s total is down 69 percent year over year.

Including June activity, FTR reported 2019 is the weakest six-month start to a year since 2010.

“The orders are truly a mixed bag.

One OEM reportedly started to take

orders for 2020, but the other OEMs apparently did not. Without the 2020 orders, the total would have dipped below the 10,000 unit mark,” says Don Ake, FTR vice president, commercial vehicles.

Ake adds FTR’s research doesn’t provide encouragement for the second half of the year.

“The latest manufacturing data is not promising. The consumer sector is sturdy, but freight growth is expected to moderate the rest of the year.

As a result, Class 8 truck build rates should begin to decrease in the coming months,” he says.

New truck orders

n ACT n FTR

“Weak freight market and rate conditions across North America and a still-large Class 8 backlog continue to bedevil new Class 8 orders,” says Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst, ACT Research.

Trailer orders plunge to lowest point in a decade

Shaky pricing in used market creates concern

The bottom has fallen out of the trailer order market.

Preliminary trailer orders for June were 5,500 and 6,200 units, respectively, according to FTR and ACT Research. Those monthly totals were the lowest point for the market since September 2009.

The plummeting order totals can be tied to many factors, though softer freight volumes are likely a leading cause. Frank Maly, ACT director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research, says market discussions now indicate fleets “may have shifted to an extremely conservative stance.”

“Carriers are reluctant to order at this time since commodity and component prices are uncertain due to the tariffs,” adds Don Ake, FTR vice president, commercial vehicles.

Reactions concerning used truck volumes have become negative and pricing data supports these observations, J.D. Power announced in its July 2019 Commercial Truck Guidelines industry report.

J.D. Power states auction volumes and prices trended lower in June and says in the first six months of 2019, 4to 6-year-old examples in J.D. Power’s benchmark model brought 1.4 percent less money than in the same period of 2018. This marks the first negative year-over-year comparison since fall of 2017, according to the report.

Additionally, J.D. Power says the average sleeper tractor retailed in June was 69 months old, had 460,840 miles and brought $57,211. Compared with May, the average sleeper was identical in age, but had 4,713 more miles and brought $356 less money.

HDMA announces new council to focus on tech trends The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) has formed its newest council, the Heavy Duty Advanced Technology Council (HDATC).

The HDATC is comprised of top technology executives from HDMA member companies and will provide a forum for members to discuss advanced technology trends and issues impacting on- and off-highway heavy duty commercial vehicles, HDMA

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

says, such as advanced driver-assistance systems, automation, connectivity, electrification and telematics.

The council will meet twice annually, with its first meeting scheduled for next month in Southfield, Mich. HDMA says meetings will be geared towards expanding knowledge on current and future technologies, forecasting advanced technologies and keeping pace with the newest industry developments.

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New Lower Prices

Driven by Data

Part II: Data evaluation

By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com

What determines a quality data source?

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

trucks

A

ny business owner who has so much as attempted a data integration project understands the concept of data overload. While nearly all data has value, in many industries, including trucking, the amount of actionable data available to businesses often far exceeds the amount of data any one business can realistically use within its operation.

This overabundance of information therefore requires businesses and their leadership to be careful and measured in their approach to data implementation. Acquiring too much data can drown a business in information, while acquiring too little, or the wrong data to fit one’s needs, can result in the investment of time and resources ultimately becoming a fruitless endeavor. And that’s something no business owner wants or can afford.

In Part II of our three-part series on data integration, Trucks, Parts, Service investigates best practices for business owners and executives when evaluating data sources to incorporate into a business.

Though last month’s TPS dove deep in chronicling the number of data sources feeding the dealer and aftermarket channels, TPS starts this month’s feature on data evaluation with a step backward. Because when it comes to data implementation, the best integration plans all begin in the same place: inside one’s business.

Any dealer or independent aftermarket business contemplating a data acquisition project must first define its wants, needs and goals. A good first step in that direction comes through the answering of a couple important questions: What are you trying to do, and what are you trying to learn?

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August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

9

trucks

What do you want to do?

“I

think dealers, suppliers and the aftermarket have always understood they needed to know what was happening in their business, but now they’re becoming more aware of the importance of understanding the broader marketplace. The entire industry,” says Eric Starks, president, FTR Transportation Intelligence.

Yet acknowledging that task and knowing how to do it isn’t easy. Starks says sometimes he interacts with business owners who don’t even know where to start.

“Big data is this big sexy topic but that can mean a lot of things. If you weren’t using data before, why would you want to use it now? You have to understand the data you need and how you can use it,” he says.

In the dealer and aftermarket channels, data is most often used to accomplish three primary goals: sell more products and services, evaluate market position and increase business efficiency. At a glance those goals may seem similar, at least interconnected, but when approached using data it becomes clear that each objective requires a different information stream.

Before undergoing any data acquisition and implementation project, business owners should first determine exactly which goal they intend to aim for and how they intend to achieve it. This requires careful business planning and strategy.

For example, a goal to raise sales by 10 percent in a single quarter is nearly too broad to be actionable. Does that mean 10 percent of net sales or gross sales? And sales of what? Parts, service or equipment? If it is parts, which categories and product lines offer the most growth potential? And which existing customers are most likely to add those lines? Or, should the focus be on generating new customers?

Data sources exist to answer all those questions, but it’s only after they are posed that those sources can be identified.

“Everyone wants to be able to [acquire] as much information as they can consume, but I think sometimes doing that gives you too much information,” says Paul Moszak, vice president and heavy-duty evangelist, MOTOR. “If you’re going to go out and get data, you need to know how to use it and what you want to do with it.”

“You need to be able to come up with the questions that data will be able to help you answer,” adds Adam Madsen, Karmak vice president of business solutions.

Once a business has determined why it seeks and values data, it can begin the process of evaluating available sources to find the right information for its business. Regardless of a company’s business goal, all data should be evaluated against three questions.

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How much does it cost?

While the wide selection of data sources in the trucking industry means there’s likely no data set that hasn’t been uncovered by at least one provider, dealers and aftermarket operations still face difficult decisions when it comes to acquiring valuable data on a budget.

For those operations, experts say finding the right data provider to supplement internal information requires a keen understanding of what one wants to know and how it plans to use the data. Without those questions answered, Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting President Chris Brady says data acquisition can get expensive pretty fast.

“You can’t just take in everything and see what you learn,” he says. “No one can afford that.”

Fortunately, once a business does narrow in on its goals, the data market offers quality information at a number of price points.

Many providers offer tiered packages and subscriptions for their information that vary in price based on number of users and depth of information. Some data providers also produce customizable single-use data reports and offer performance-based cost-per-lead campaigns to support budget-conscious customers.

At Excel Truck Group, Director of Business Development Brittany Soika has found success splitting her data budget among multiple sources to achieve the company’s goal of expanding its parts business. She says the multi-pronged investment decision was influenced by a previous role, where she successfully used customer-centric data and industry market reports to uncover new customer leads.

“I can confidently say with both [data sets], we have a finger on the pulse of our customer base,” Soika says. “We have full transparency into those businesses.”

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trucks

Data should be used to answer questions and solve business challenges.

Is it relevant?

D

yet the latter could be incredibly useful ue to the multitude of data for that same distributor if its sales obsources found in the truckjectives expand to converting new leads. ing industry, starting with a Additionally, some data sources can screening question regarding relevancy prove valuable to mulwhen evaluating data is tiple business objectives. a good way for business “Once you Brittany Soika says owners and executives that’s something she’s to eliminate ancillary learned first-hand while data and focus on the and mining data sources to specific information support strategically that will truly benefit know how to use focused sales planning their operation. it you can really as Excel Truck Group A company’s aforedirector of business mentioned goal or development. endgame also has a “Once you get comstrong influence on the .” fortable with data and relevance of any data set.

Brittany Soika, director of business know how to use it you A distributor seeking development, Excel Truck Group can really get surgical to raise sales revenue with it,” she says. among existing customers would have There’s also the matter of timeliness. little use for a list of carrier prospects,

get comfortable with data

get surgical with it

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

The climate of the trucking industry changes rapidly. Data that was valuable in the first quarter might not be the best indicator of business opportunities in the fourth quarter. Taking a moment to ensure a data set has value in the present and immediate future can save significant headaches during future implementation steps.

Chris Brady, president, Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting, says that’s something he focuses on when promoting his company’s aftermarket parts index. Developed as a market indicator, Brady says his index was designed to provide immediate insights on the next three to six months in the aftermarket and is most valuable when used as such.

“I think our index gives businesses a flashing light of what may be coming,” he says.

trucks

Does it provide clarity?

T

his is a big one, particularly in the dealer and aftermarket channels, where most businesses lack the resources to devote to data science and analysis.

Any data being considered for acquisition must be concise and understandable to someone who isn’t a data professional by trade so it can be efficiently integrated into a business plan.

Fortunately, this requirement hasn’t been overlooked by the trucking industry’s data providers. Many industry research firms and data providers employ customer service professionals to help translate mountains of raw data into easily digestible packages of content.

“There’s enough data out there today

business objectives. Data should serve for you to get lost in it,” says Adam Morrison, senior client success manager, as a solution; it shouldn’t produce more difficult questions.

Randall-Reilly — publisher But it’s also imperaof TPS and owner of Rig“There’s tive to recognize that not Dig Business Intelligence. all data that is easy to “One thing we try to do is act as a translator and out there understand is a worthwhile acquisition target. show the client how the today for you Customer base, market data works.” position and business Adds Randall-Reilly objectives should define Data Analyst Laura a data source’s value, not Hoover, “We want our cli.” accessibility. As an examents to think of us as their — Adam Morrison, senior client outsourced analytics team.” success manager, Randall-Reilly ple, on-highway vehicle maintenance data is easy And clarity doesn’t to understand, but it won’t help sell just refer to how data is understood, suspension parts in an oil field. Strong but also how it illuminates answers data is as useful as it is digestible. to the questions posed by a company’s

enough data

to get lost in it

Is it actionable?

T

ACT Research, says one good way to hough this question is likely to gauge the actionable potential of any be posed throughout any data data source is to imagevaluation, ine it in the hands of a experts say it still de“If you’re not using rival. serves special attention “If you’re not using it, once potential sources it, would it be would it be a competihave been vetted. The tive advantage for aninvestment required to procure quality data for other player?” he asks.

It’s important to demands it. another player?” note here that business Most data is actionowners and executives able one of two ways — Jim Meil, principal, industry analyst, don’t have to make this — either as standalone ACT Research evaluation alone. insight (into a market, Similar to their aforementioned customer or business) or as compleefforts to produce simple, digestible mentary information that supports, information, many data solutions confirms or refutes other (internal or providers also will work with clients external) data sources.

Jim Meil, principal, industry analyst, to create customizable data sets, while

a competitive advantage

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

others employ liaisons to answer questions and educate customers about their data products.

“With the mountains of data available today, organizing it and presenting it in a way that is useful is very important,” says Mike Mallory, president, AutoPower. “We want our product to be comprehensive, but we also want to present our information in a way that [customers] can understand it and actually use it every day.”

“We will provide as much training as a customer requests,” adds John Blodgett, vice president, sales and marketing, MacKay & Company. “The last thing we want is to have the information sitting on the corner of their desk not being used.”

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Phoning it in A feature-rich phone system and friendly staff are vital to good customer service.

By Bill Grabarek, Online Associate Editor billgrabarek@randallreilly.com

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

parts

Y

our customers are as busy as you are and, when they call, can’t afford to be placed on hold for an inordinate amount of time or mistakenly bounced around from person to person.

If you don’t have a staff tasked with answering calls all day, good customer service requires a good phone system, such as one that includes a clear menu system, voicemail and a function to reach your employees directly.

But that’s only part of the equation. Once customer calls are routed to employees, how are they answering the phone? Do they sound terse and impatient or do they “The goal should be sound eager to help and to happy to have that customer’s business?

Maximizing accessibility

get callers to the correct person to help with their needs as

Royal Truck & Trailer has a master phone number with as a menu enabling callers to as reach each of its four locations and then connect with possible.” the various departments at — Dennis McCloskey, network administrator, those branches. In addition, Purchasing Group, Point Spring & Driveshaft many employees can be reached via their office extensions or mobile phones.

“If a customer ends up at wrong place somehow, we can transfer between branches and departments seamlessly and, if the power is out at one of our facilities, the phone system will automatically send those calls to a different branch so we don’t miss any calls,” says Adam Pigeon, chief operating officer, Royal Truck & Trailer.

Pigeon says the company implemented the VoIP phone system in 2010, when the economy was beginning to

quickly and efficiently

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August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

17

parts

recover from the recession. “Ownership didn’t want to bring in staff to help with the phone calls, so they decided to improve the phone system,” he adds.

Point Spring & Driveshaft installed a PBX phone system at its main location in 2005 and by 2013 the system was rolled out to all of the company’s eight locations. The phone system includes menu-driven routing of calls as well as provides voicemail for all extensions, says Dennis McCloskey, network administrator, Purchasing Group, Point Spring & Driveshaft.

“This [phone system’s] purpose was two-fold: provide a quicker and easier method for our customers to reach the correct contact to help them as fast as possible and to remove the stress from administrative assistants,” he says.

For companies that have a phone menu system, or plan to implement one, they are not bound to the voices and messages that might come with the system. What’s more, it would be in companies’ best interest to personalize them, says Nancy Friedman, founder and president, The Telephone Doctor, a customer service training company, which provides training online, on-site and via webinars.

“You are not married to the robotic, monotone voice on the machine or the script that comes with the automated attendant. It’s not that it isn’t a professional voice, but it’s not a businessfriendly voice and that’s critical,” Friedman says. “The machine is an outside employee. You need someone who works for you, so find the friendliest, happiest voice you can.”

Improved communication

Distributors and dealers with an effectively designed phone system can reap the benefits of better communication

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

within the company as well as with their customers.

“Customers love that they don’t have to go through 10 people to find the right person and if they know who they’re trying to call, they have a direct extension they can enter,” says Pigeon.

And should a customer end up with the wrong department or employee, he says “to get transferred to the right location takes a matter of seconds.”

Pigeon adds the company’s phone system helps him and his colleagues, too, because calls can be routed to their mobile phones. “It helps me because I answer everything on my cell phone; I don’t really use my landline all that often. I am able to answer more calls instead of having to call people back,” he says.

Not all customers like menu-driven phone systems, McCloskey admits, but for those who have embraced the

technology, “they can program one phone number for all of Point Spring and use the menu to navigate to whichever branch or department they need to speak to. They can even reach our computerized faxing system from our main number,” he says.

The system’s voicemail feature helps employees, too. Citing himself as an example, McCloskey says he is on the phone up to four hours a day and if sales representatives call about a product order, they can leave a voicemail.

“The same applies in reverse. I might need to talk to a certain parts person or the branch manager and they might be tied up with a customer. They can glance at their phone, recognize it is my extension and let me go to voicemail and call back when things calm down,” he says.

The companies that have invested in advanced phone systems are glad they

parts

Point Spring & Driveshaft began phone training for its employees several years ago.

The training stresses being friendly and helping customers quickly.

did because of the ability to be easily reached by their customers as well as reach fellow employees.

“The goal should be to get callers to the correct person to help with their needs as quickly and as efficiently as possible.” McCloskey says. “For example, if callers contact one of our branches and they have a question about their last billing statement, our sales team can easily transfer the callers straight to our accounts receivable department.”

Should a distributor or dealer decide to invest in a voicemail-driven phone network with menu prompts, McCloskey offers some advice.

A main menu obviously is required and the greeting should be concise, under a minute. After the main menu, there should be no more than two submenus, he says.

“Our menu has one sublevel. The main greeting instructs users to ‘Press

TPSmagazine.com

“Customers love that they don’t have to go through 10 people to find the right person.”

— Adam Pigeon, chief operating officer, Royal Truck & Trailer

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August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

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parts

1 for parts and service.’ And the second level tells them which number to press to get to each of our branches,” McCloskey says.

Ian Coburn agrees menus cannot be too complicated. Coburn is president, director of learning, at GPA Training, which provides e-training, in-person training and gaps analysis consulting. He also is a public speaker and the author of the book, “The Customer is Never Right.”

“Lots of callers won’t go past two menus and, instead, will hang up and call your competition,” Coburn says.

“And offer the option to press ‘0’ at any time in the menu process for customers to either reach a person or leave a message.”

Ian Coburn, president, director of learning, GPA Training, says staff should be trained in all aspects of customer service, including answering the phone.

Importance of training

Just as important as a good phone system are the employees answering the calls. Training is essential to ensure they know how to operate the phone system and that they are greeting customers properly.

“Customers don’t come to you for parts or service; they come to you for expertise, sometimes without even realizing it. Without customer service, you won’t get the chance to provide that expertise,” Coburn says.

Point Spring & Driveshaft began phone training for its employees several years ago, says McCloskey. “They should answer by saying, ‘Point Spring, HDA Truck Pride, this is Bill how can I

help you?’ They should be as friendly as possible on the call,” he adds.

Friedman says whoever answers the phone needs to have a greeting that identifies themselves and the department. “‘Hi, thanks for calling the parts department. This is Bob,”’ she says.

“Picking it up with, ‘Parts,’ is cold and rude.”

Pigeon says Royal Truck & Trailer currently does not train its employees on how to answer the phones, but it’s something the company is looking into.

“We want to make sure the professionalism is there and that each employee is presenting Royal in the light

“Customers don’t come to you for parts or service; they come to you for expertise, sometimes without even realizing it. Without customer service, you won’t get the chance to provide that expertise.”

— Ian Coburn, president, director of learning, GPA Training

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that the owners want it to be presented.

Also, if customers reach the wrong number, we want to make sure employees get them to the correct person on the next transfer,” he says.

Although misrouted calls can be caused by employee error, customers also can accidentally press the wrong button on a menu system. When this occurs, there is a proper way to handle it, advises Friedman.

“The worst thing you can say is, ‘You have the wrong department.’ You’re accusing the customer. The better way is, ‘Oh, you’ve reached parts; you need service; let me transfer you. By the way, it’s extension 101 if we get disconnected.’ The more information you can give to someone who is getting bounced around, the better off the company will be,” she says.

Friedman offers some additional tips for training staff on how to answer the phone after the system has routed customers’ calls to them. Don’t be too

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busy to be nice, one-word answers can be perceived as discourteous; putting someone on hold without asking is very frustrating to the customer; “and, count on it, customers can hear a smile,” she says.

Coburn says staff should be trained in all aspects of customer service, including answering the phone. “Define customer service to ensure everyone across the company is on the same page and moving in the same direction,” he says.

“Make sure everyone understands ‘customer friendly’ means solving the customer’s problem. The goal when answering the phone isn’t just being polite. Yes, be polite, but the goal is to control the conversation,” he says.

Controlling the conversation by asking questions enables staff to identify

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

Nancy Friedman, founder and president, The Telephone Doctor, says don’t be too busy to be nice, one-word answers can be perceived as rude, and don’t put a customer on hold without asking.

and serve the true needs of the customer, he says, which means teaching techniques for controlling the conversation should be part of the training.

Coburn also advises companies to own their training, meaning if they use an outside party, make sure they can buy the rights for their permanent use.

“This enables you to have consistency in the training by accessing it whenever you wish,” he says. Being able to revisit the training materials prevents the lessons from “not sticking” or “fading away,” he says, adding it’s also needed for new hires.

“When a customer calls, they need something. If the need is there and you have the answer, you have a sale and you make money,” Friedman says.

“Customer service is often overlooked in this industry. I get many calls that say: ‘Hey I need your help,’” she says. “More business is lost due to poor customer service than poor product or services.”

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Framing your shop for success While frame repair business is on the rise, be sure to ask the right questions so your shop doesn’t get burned

By Tom Quimby, Associate Editor, Trucking tomquimby@randallreilly.com

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

service

Frame twist being corrected with Blackhawk’s frame straightening rack.

W

hen it comes to collision repair, expertise is a must. Whether it be repainting a new fender or replacing a damaged component, collision service is too complex to undergo without a clear understanding of its challenges.

That’s especially true when it comes to frame service. Repairing a damaged frame is unbelievably complicated work.

One of the most important aspects of frame service has nothing to do with the latest equipment and repair techniques and must be addressed before equipment even enters a bay. Service shops must first take time to secure a properly authorized repair.

“The first and often most overlooked issue is: Who actually owns the vehicle?” says Gordon Botts, president, Botts Welding, and education chairman at the American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists. “Are the persons or company that presented the vehicle for repairs the ones that have the legal authority to do so, i.e., do they have the final say?”

Shops that shoot first and ask questions later may be in for a rude awakening after

TPSmagazine.com

learning that another company actually owns the damaged truck and refuses to pay for repairs they never approved.

Leased trucks and those financed through OEMs come to mind.

“If the vehicle is financed through an OEM finance company, the finance company may claim the frame needs to be replaced, rather than repaired, as your straightening may diminish the value of their vehicle,” Botts says. “This could lead to a ‘We didn’t authorize the repair, thus we will not authorize payment’ situation.

The finance company could then require you to replace the straightened frame rails at your expense.”

In another potentially painful twist, a trucking company may opt to let its insurance pay for frame correction work while keeping the lease company, the owner of the truck, in the dark about the damage and the repairs. A shop may profit from the work in the short term, but the cost to its reputation for taking on unauthorized repairs could leave it worse off in the long run.

August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

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service

“Many leasing companies are wary of repair shops and unauthorized repairs,” Botts says. “They complain and call the integrity of your shop into question.

As we all know, bad news travels fast.

You may have received payment for your work from the lessee’s insurance company, but just how much future business have you lost if the leasing company attacks your business practices throughout the industry?”

Using technology to your advantage

Doubtless, a damaged frame can be repaired without the use of high-tech equipment. But having another set of eyes, such as a frame scanner, can provide a shop plenty of evidence and support for repair work.

“We’re not saying the traditional methods don’t work because they do,” says T.J. Schultz, heavy-duty product manager, Chief Automotive. “The problem is you can’t document you did it correctly. That’s why we developed the TruScan HD so [service technicians] can identify the damage when it comes in, know exactly what they have to do, create a repair plan and then repair accordingly. More importantly, if they leave the system on the frame machine they can actually watch the damage being corrected as they’re pulling because it’s live.”

Howard Williams, Bee Line corporate technical training and sales specialist, says frame assessment takes less than a half-hour from gauge setup to finished scan with his company’s OM8000 Optical Scanner.

“This is actually providing the customer with before and after [analysis] for both the insurance company and the owner so that there’s not a question,” Williams says. “You know the work that’s been done and you can see

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

Bee Line’s OM8000 optical frame correction system uses a camera to scan for frame damage and provides real-time feedback relative to frame correction specs as repairs are being made.

it yourself. You don’t have to be trained on how to read frame gauges when you come to pick up the vehicle to take a look at it.”

Infinity’s FLEET laser measuring system allows shops to analyze and report the status of frames up to 60 feet.

“After a brief setup of attaching live targets in up to 16 locations and starting the laser scanner, the system will go out and determine what, if any, damage exists and record it for later printing or emailing,” says Sam Deering, chief operating officer, Infinity 3D Laser Measuring. “We automatically check

for diamond, twist, sag and sway at any points the technician would like to check.”

As with all equipment, training is the key to success, especially when it comes to frame repair. Quite a few times, Williams says, he has come across shops that attempt to handle training on their own.

“Eventually we end up coming in and training because [new technicians] either start to damage equipment or worst-case scenario, they end up pushing a truck off the side of a rack,” he says.

service

Most frame damage, including frame twist on this dump truck, can be repaired through careful service and the use of advanced frame shop equipment.

Safety first

In general, Truck Frame and Axle Association (TARA) President Bill Hinchcliffe says frames will exhibit four types of damage: mash, twist, sway or diamond. Frame distortion is measured off a center or datum line.

“If a frame is off more than a 1 ⁄4-in. it is going to need attention,” Hinchcliffe says.

While shops will employ different frame correction methods, they all rely on heavy equipment and extremely powerful tools to ensure the integrity of a repair. With that said, the topic of safety figures prominently in heavyduty frame correction.

Let’s start with chains, one of the most ancient pieces of equipment.

According to chain-guide.com, chains were used as early as 225 B.C. to draw water from wells.

Advancements in materials and manufacturing techniques have made chains stronger than ever, but nonetheless like the old saying goes: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

TPSmagazine.com

Chains have long played a role in frame repair, but some service shops are minimizing their use.

“The system using posts and chains can be dangerous inasmuch as when a chain breaks, there is no way to determine where it is going to fly and who is potentially going to be severely or fatally injured,” Botts says. “Does your shop provide partitions or have other safety rules or protective devices in place to protect your techs?”

Schultz says chains are frequently used in pulling and pushing a frame.

“Typically, what our customers will do is they’ll throw a chain blanket on the tower when they’re making a pull so that if the chain does fail it doesn’t allow it to travel,” Schultz says.

Yet despite all the warnings and safety protocols in place, are there still some shops out there not using chains properly?

“Yes, absolutely,” Williams says.

“There are different strength chains and there are different chains to be used, different materials. You don’t want to

generally use a tow chain that they use for towing and everything else.

“Even the towing companies are required to change out their chains after a certain period of time and to check them to make sure they’re still good,” he says. “Those are not as strong as those we would use for body frame work. The strength of the chain is a lot more than what it would be for a regular chain itself. There are differences between the two.”

Williams recommends checking with chain manufacturers to ensure that their product is up to the challenges of frame correction. Bee Line supplies 5/8-in. chains.

“We don’t like to use chains for the most part for ours but there is an occasion when we’re doing a twist or a sag that we will have to get one out just because of accessibility on the truck,” Williams says.

Heavy equipment used in frame correction is tough on technicians and not exactly what you would call an effective job recruiting tool.

“Honestly, I see a lot more shortage on the frame straightening side of it than I do the technicians for repair or body work,” Williams says. “It’s because of the amount of labor and the physical work that goes with it. One of the reasons we made some of the changes in the advancements in technology with aluminum is to make it easier on the technician.”

A 181-lb. piece of equipment at Bee Line has since been cut down to 78 lb.

Heat treatment also has come under fire recently given the changes in frame material and the risk posed in undermining the strength of the metal.

“There is debate from some of the repair equipment manufacturers on the topic of heating frame rails,” says Chris Sterwerf, COO and chief

August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

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service

Bee Line’s frame presses include drive-through, floor, pit and portable models, all of which are used to diagnose and correct sway, sag, twist and diamond frame damage. Pictured above is Bee Line’s Aluminum Frame Tool Group set to push a side-sway condition on its 36-ft. frame press.

Bee Line’s Advanced Aligner Runway system tops have been removed for easy access to the damaged frame.

financial officer, Fairfield Auto & Truck Service. “Some produce equipment to heat rails even though the OEMs typically do not want their rails heated. If too much heat is introduced it can cause the rail metallurgy to reach embrittlement.”

If your shop opts to use heat, the learning curve may prove to be too much of a headache for some techs.

“The system using heat requires the technician to become a metallurgist,” Botts says. “Too much heat can deaden the steel, not enough can require too much pressure and cause the frame rail to stretch. If the frame rail is heattreated, tensile strength will be lost, thereby weakening the rail. Are your techs knowledgeable about the level of stress a material can withstand without permanent deformation?”

Of course, there are times when safety and repair costs mean passing on

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

a frame repair.

“Truck frames are rejected when a repair will not make the frame suitable for highway use or is structurally distorted beyond repair,” Hinchcliffe says. “Rejection damage can be caused by rusting, burning/heat, molecular distortion from stretching or uncontrolled heating.

Or when it’s economically not feasible.”

However, the topic of replacing frame rails versus repairing them can conjure up some puzzled looks, particularly among insurance reps.

“I had one earlier this year that had a hard hit on the side,” Williams says. “Once we got it pushed and got it straight there were stress cracks in the flange area so now it’s a candidate to get the frame rail replaced. The insurance company comes back and says, ‘I wish we would have known that before we did all the work on it. We could have saved the cost.’ And I said, ‘No,

you still would have to repair the frame rail at least close enough to straight otherwise you go to put the new one in and it’s going to be all bound up and you’re not going to be able to slide the new frame rail in.’”

As Hinchliffe reminds, arriving at a safe and road-worthy repair is the critical end-goal of frame correction and, while methods may vary, success centers around knowing how to safely use extremely powerful equipment.

“TARA group requires a shop to have capability of pushing using 150,000-lb. hydraulics,” Hinchcliffe says. “Bee Line uses a frame press and it is probably the most predominate equipment in the heavy-duty repair industry. Chief has a bench type system. Josam works off an in-ground rail system. Several shops have self-built frame cages. They all work and it is no more than a matter of preference for the shop.”

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distributor of the year finalist

By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com

Action Truck Parts

S

ince earning its first nomination for the TPS Distributor of the Year Award in 2016, Action Truck Parts has been in growth mode. The Chicagoland distributor doubled its footprint that year with a second location in Rockdale, Ill., then followed that expansion by opening a store in January within Chicago’s city limits.

The swift expansion is the culmination of a business plan Vice President Nick Seidel put into action more than five years ago. Now standing firm with three locations and three nominations (2016, 2017, 2019) for the Distributor of the Year Award, Seidel says he’s pleased with how his company has grown. He admits Action Truck Parts is a larger and more complex company than it was when he first came on board but says that’s a good thing.

Action Truck Parts is facing challenges because its thriving. It’s growing at an incredible rate. And considering it just entered its teenage years, Seidel says he and his team are thrilled by how the business is growing up.

“It’s been a lot of headaches but it has also been a lot of fun.

I’ve truly enjoyed it,” says Seidel, who was first introduced to the trucking industry though his family’s business, Midwest Fuel Injection. He was named Action Truck Parts’ branch manager in 2010 and vice president in 2013.

Seidel says the time he has spent watching his grandfather, father and Midwest Fuel Injection President Paul Thoms lead that business has been crucial in navigating Action’s growth.

Seidel has a stable of experts he can turn to for advice, and he’s using them.

Action Truck Parts opened its third overall location earlier this year in Chicago.

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

Inventory is a priority at Action Truck Parts. The company invests in a wide selection of warehouse and showroom product to meet all customer needs.

One piece of advice he has implemented across Action’s three stores is constant collaboration and communication.

The company may now have three locations but it still functions as a single team. Employees are encouraged to share experiences, customer information and product knowledge from store to store, and each month Seidel brings the staff together to discuss goals, expectations and long-term plans.

“I think it’s important [employees] know what’s going on,” Seidel says. “You can’t build a culture if you don’t tell them what you want them to do.”

The company’s willingness to listen and evolve with its customers also has helped it break into the tough Chicago market, where prices are low, margins are slim and competition is cutthroat.

“It’s been a learning curve. We used to have customers say they’d go into the city for certain products because it was cheaper and we never believed them,” Seidel says. He says the company has played the pricing game on some items, but has maintained its margins on others, instead focusing on cultivating an inventory that provides a one-stop shop for the city’s diverse customer base.

Seidel believes that focus on customer experience will be important as the company considers additional growth opportunities.

“One thing we want to do is show the customer more,” he says. “We want the customer to see when they need a part that we’ll have it, or we’ll get it for you and stock it.

“We want to make their lives easier.”

Volvo to roll out updated driver assist platform Volvo Trucks North America announced it will roll out an updated version of its Volvo Active Driver Assist platform (VADA) 2.0.

The company says a comprehensive collision mitigation system, VADA 2.0, will be standard on new VNR and VNL models, and available on VNX models. The system enhances the original VADA platform by integrating radar and camera capabilities to help drivers maintain a safe following

distance through alerts and improved traffic awareness, Volvo says, as well as emergency braking to reduce the risk of collisions.

VADA made its debut two years ago and uses camera and radar sensors to detect vehicles within the truck’s proximity.

Updates are slated for later this summer, the company says, with improvements scheduled to roll out through late 2020.

brick & mortar Navistar plans to make capital investments of approximately $125 million in new and expanded manufacturing facilities in Alabama over the next three years.

Talbert Manufacturing has expanded its Liberty, N.C., facility 58,000 sq.ft. to 120,000 sq.-ft. The expansion houses two painting booths, overhead cranes and a finishing area.

Penske Truck Leasing in Spartanburg, S.C., has rebuilt and reopened for business after a tornado struck its maintenance and rental buildings in October 2017.

Ryder System has opened a maintenance facility in Marysville, Wash.

The 16,000 sq.-ft. location includes nine work stations, conference rooms and two 24/7 mobile maintenance units.

Custom Truck One Source has expanded by moving from its Midland, Texas, location to a larger facility in Odessa. The 16,200 sq.-ft. facility includes six service bays, a retail parts counter and administrative offices.

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

West Michigan International and Idealease of West Michigan opened a 56,000 sq.-ft. facility in Kalamazoo, Mich. It includes 14 service bays, a service department, eight-bay body shop and parts warehouse.

CIMC Intermodal Equipment opened a new facility expanding its headquarters in South Gate, Calif.

The expansion adds over 50,000 sq.-ft. and another 50,000-plus sq.-ft. of parking space. The expansion includes an educational training center, PDC and chassis showroom.

The Volvo Group plans to invest nearly $400 million over six years to upgrade the New River Valley, Va., plant that produces all Volvo trucks sold in North America. The upgrades include expansion of the industrial footprint and installation of equipment to improve plant efficiency.

The Kenworth MontrĂŠal dealership in SaintLaurent, Quebec, celebrated its $2.6 million (CAN$3.4 million) renovation project. The two-story, 31,000 sq.-ft. building sits on three acres off of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Work Truck Solutions has opened a sales office in Dallas to expand its geographic reach.

news

mergers & acquisitions Dickinson Fleet Services acquires Maryland operation Dickinson Fleet Services, with majority shareholder Ridgemont Equity Partners, has acquired American Fleet Services (AFS) of Baltimore.

“AFS has built a strong reputation for providing exceptional mobile repair services in Baltimore and the surrounding area that will serve as a solid base to accelerate future growth for our mobile fleet repair division in the Northeast Region,” says Ted Coltrain and Mike Dickinson, executive officers, in a joint statement for Dickinson Fleet Services.

Dickinson Fleet Services says it is seeking acquisition opportunities to broaden its service offerings and geographic reach.

TruckPro acquires Cornerstone Fleet Services TruckPro has acquired Cornerstone Fleet Services in Oklahoma City. Cornerstone provides fleet vehicle maintenance and repair services at its six-bay facility and on-site and roadside service.

“Cornerstone has built an impressive repair services business which is an ideal complement to our truck and trailer parts store located next door in Oklahoma City. By leveraging our combined resources and expertise, we have created a robust parts and service operation that will enable an enhanced, more convenient experience for our customers,” says Chuck Broadus, TruckPro CEO.

Doggett Industries expands in Texas with acquisition Leslie Doggett Industries, through its Doggett Truck Group, has acquired Truck Enterprises, an authorized Western Star, Detroit Diesel and extreme heavy-duty trailer dealer located in El Paso, Texas, and Carlsbad, N.M.

This gives Doggett its third location in El Paso and adds Carlsbad to the dealer network. Doggett says it will operate these dealerships under the name Truck Enterprises.

Co-founder Lanny Golucke will stay as leader of Truck Enterprises.

FleetPride acquires New York facility FleetPride has acquired the assets of Goose’s Diesel Truck Parts & Service of Pleasant Valley, N.Y. Founded by Michael “Goose” Bucey, the company recently relocated to a larger facility and offers fleet maintenance, repair and parts for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. FleetPride says Bucey will stay to continue managing daily operations.

“This is another great acquisition … filling whitespace between our New Windsor, Danbury and Albany locations,” says Mike Harris, FleetPride senior vice president of sales and branch operations.

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safety recalls

The following are safety recalls issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Blue Bird Body Company is recalling certain 2015-2020 Vision and All American school buses equipped with Bendix ADB22X air brakes. The driver side rear brakes may drag. A dragging brake reduces the ability to stop or slow down a vehicle, which increases the risk of crash.

A dragging brake may cause thermal damage to the brake components, which may activate the ABS warning light. The warning light may cause the driver to immediately stop the vehicle and transfer occupants, which increases their risk of injury.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling certain 2004-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Cascadia, Columbia, Classic, FL80, FLD 120SD, Business Class M2, Western Star 4700, 4900, 6900, Sterling Acterra, L7500, LT7500, L8500, LT8500, L9500 and LT9500 vehicles. The vehicles may have an insufficient service brake air reservoir capacity. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, “Air Brake Systems.”

An insufficient air reservoir volume may reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of crash.

Mickey Truck Bodies is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-750 based vehicles equipped with ASA Electronics Voyager monitors used to display the back-up camera image. The affected monitors may revert back to the factory default settings which may cause the camera image to be reversed. The driver may inadvertently turn the wrong direction to avoid an object behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Micro Bird is recalling certain 20182019 GT and T-Series school buses. The heavy-duty solenoid may overheat nearby components, possibly causing them to malfunction. If the nearby components malfunction, the vehicle may unexpectedly stop, increasing the risk of crash. If the nearby components or wiring overheat, there is an increased risk of fire.

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UTI, employers partner to address tech shortage Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has launched an initiative that engages transportation industry employers in developing their talent pipelines and gives students an inside track on longterm careers.

UTI’s Early Employment initiative combines post-secondary skills education with on-the-job, apprenticeshiptype training. Under the program, students learn about and can apply for local jobs with participating employers

as soon as they enroll at UTI’s Avondale, Ariz., campus, UTI says.

“The Early Employment initiative breaks down the common barriers between students who could greatly benefit from a technical education and the employers who want to hire them,” says Kim McWaters, UTI president and CEO. UTI says it plans to start the program in Arizona and then take it national to 12 campuses across the country.

people in the news Stertil-Koni announced Kevin Boyer has joined the company as service manager.

Mack Trucks has named Maxsle “Max” Butler vice president, national accounts.

Titan International has appointed Max Guinn to its board of directors. Guinn also was appointed to the Boyer Audit Committee and as chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee.

CIMC Intermodal Equipment has hired Al Anderson as director, fleet Anderson business development, and Brian Hofmann as regional sales manager.

Dayco has appointed Mike McTeer vice president of sales and marketing, U.S. aftermarket.

McTeer Spartan Motors has appointed Todd Heavin chief operating officer.

Volvo Trucks has appointed Anna Wrige Berling traffic and product safety director.

Denso has named Hirokatsu Yamashita as president, Denso Products and Services Americas.

Berling

Work Truck Solutions has hired vice president of sales Keith Nordin.

TTN Fleet Solutions has hired Tyler Harden as vice president, service provider network.

Nordin

Truck-Lite has appointed David McKean executive vice president, business development.

Continental has named Denzel Lall sales technical training specialist.

Gordon Exel has been appointed president of Cummins Westport.

Western Global has hired Mike Nelson as national accounts manager for infrastructure as part of its Fuel Solutions Group of Hofmann the Americas.

Lall

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America has promoted Peter Young to director, dealer network development.

BettsHD has hired Stacy Swedenburg as sales representative for the southwest region.

McKean

XStream Trucking has appointed Mitch Williams chief operating officer and hired Benjamin Bowman as vice president, supply chain and quality.

news

industry calendar Aug. 22-24 Sept. 5-7 Sept. 14-18 Sept. 14-19 Sept. 16-19

Great American Trucking Show (GATS), Dallas North American Trailer Dealers Association (NATDA) Show, St. Louis Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN) Aftermarket Distribution Summit, Banff, Alberta, Canada ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Fall Meeting, Raleigh, N.C. RSquared Marketing Summit, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mitchell 1 repair software includes new interface New subscriptions to Mitchell 1 TruckSeries repair software suite now include the 1Search Plus interface, which streamlines search and navigation for diagnostic and repair information specific to the vehicle being serviced.

Technicians select the vehicle they are working on, enter a search term for the type of repair required and 1Search Plus

provides all relevant information in a user-friendly layout.

The interface’s format presents results in specific categories, leading the technician to the needed information, including vehicle specifications, test procedures, component connector information, component locations and labor estimating, the company says.

Navistar debuts hotline to assist sales reps during sales, spec’ing Navistar’s Severe Service team introduced its Application Engineering Hotline, which provides International dealers with quick access to the experts who designed the vehicles as part of an effort to provide added expertise for complex vocational truck sales.

Navistar says the hotline can be reached by phone from any International dealer. Calls are immediately directed to an application engineer who listens to the dealer’s request and offers support.

During a pilot, Navistar says the hotline quickly amassed more than 100 calls from dealers. Typical phone calls ranged from general questions on severe service truck configurations to advanced, application-specific questions from customers. Some dealers also reached out simply seeking an update on their orders or special quotations, the company says.

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August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

5/23/19 1:47 PM

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The Buzz The five hottest products as determined by readers of TPSmagazine.com

Articulating light, hub scrubber Snap-on has introduced two tools, a flexible work light and a hub scrubber.

Snap-on ECSPA032 LED 300 lumen articulating detail light produces up to 300 lumens supported by an 18-in. neck for various angle adjustments, the company says.

The water- and dust-resistant light provides a comfortable grip or technicians can use the magnets at the base to adhere to metal surfaces. It is rechargeable via included USB cable.

The Blue-Point ATHUBSCRUB hub scrubber with pad is a preventative maintenance tool. It removes rust, dirt and corrosion from studs, rotors, hubs and wheels. Its disposable abrasive pads can be used with any 1/2-in. drive impact wrench, the company says.

One-piece hub cover Alcoa Wheels has introduced a hub cover to offer heavy truck customers an easy way to upgrade the appearance of their trucks while reducing installation time.

Alcoa says its One-Piece Hub Cover with Secure Fit Retention is an advanced hub cover system that ensures proper fitment through the addition of threaded nylon nuts, three per cover, that provide consistent contact points to secure the cover to the wheel end.

Taller lug nut towers accommodate for increased stud standout found on applications like wide-base wheels, disc brakes and other new truck trend variations, the company says.

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

Cordless heat gun Dewalt introduces the 20V Max cordless heat gun, which features up to a 990°F maximum heat output with two temperature settings. The heat gun also has a specialty lock-on and -off feature enabling hands-free operation, the company says.

The nozzle is universal to standard heat guns, allowing it to be used with attachments from many corded and competitive units, the company says. The Dewalt 20V Max 5.0Ah battery gets up to 42 minutes of runtime and an output airflow of up to 6.7 cubic feet per minute.

The heat gun comes with nozzle attachments, a 5.0Ah battery and a charger. It is also available without a battery or accessories.

Tube bumper latch Magnum Trailer & Equipment has launched an improved latch system for its tube bumpers.

The redesigned locking cam is securely fastened by a retractable knob that keeps the latch in place and prevents any movement, reducing wear on all components.

To ensure ease of use for daily inspection under the hood, pull the knob out and lift the latch. The knob is spring loaded, so it automatically locks into place once the latch is in the closed position, the company says.

Harsh-duty scissor lift rack Hunter Engineering has released an optional harsh-duty variation for its standard RX scissor lift racks.

Hunter says the rack addresses the challenges of brine solutions that have become harmful to vehicles and shop equipment in recent years.

The harsh-duty rack features stainless steel slip plate top surfaces and turnplates. A zinc-rich primer base coat and powder top coat covers lift runways, ramps and bases, providing two layers of protection.

The rack also features epoxy caulked joints that prevent salt seepage between adjoining pieces of metal, the company says.

products

Synthetic eet engine oil Hot Shot’s Secret now provides a full synthetic 15W-40 engine oil in its Green Diamond Fleet line of diesel oils.

Recommended for most diesel applications, the oil is infused with Hot Shot’s Secret FR3 Nano Technology and a CK-4 additive.

Developed specifically for severeduty fleets hauling heavy loads, stop-and-go deliveries or operations where there are high levels of airborne particulates, Green Diamond Fleet Engine Oil keeps the injectors, turbo and engine cleaner and provides lubrication for improved protection, the company says.

Green Diamond Fleet engine oil is available as a 5W-40 or 15W40 blend, in 1-gallon or 5-gallon container.

Wireless kits for A/C recovery machines Robinair has introduced the 80211VCI and 80211TMP wireless add-on kits the company says provide feature and performance improvements to all existing new platform A/C recovery machines.

Both kits give technicians enhanced service capabilities when documenting or confirming an A/C service diagnosis and repair. An SD card included in the contents of each kit enables Wi-Fi functionality and the ability to receive OTA software updates on connected Robinair NI, NI-H and AC1234-4 machines, the company says.

TPSmagazine.com

Universal DPF regen tool Redline Emissions Products has partnered with Diesel Laptops to offer a REP-branded universal diesel particulate filter (DPF) regen tool.

The tool performs DPF regens, resets and related emission system commands for all makes of on-highway diesel engines, the company says. It also performs DEF system tests and resets maintenance lights for engine and transmission oils, among other functions.

Redline says the package includes IT and diesel technician support from Diesel Laptops, free upgrades and support for 24 months, online training software with an in-classroom training voucher and more.

Air disc rotor part numbers added Raybestos has added four air disc rotor part numbers to its specialty rotor line and the company says it intends to release additional part numbers later this year.

Raybestos air disc rotors are designed to meet or exceed OE fit, form, function and SAE metallurgy, the company says.

All rotors are coated with Grey Fusion 4.0 technology for corrosion resistance. Raybestos air disc rotors are qualified by the new SAE J3080 crack test procedure for air disc brakes, the company says.

Expanded torque arm components, drag links World American has added replacement torque arm bushing kits to its heavy-duty product offering.

The company says the eight new products fit Reyco applications and include, in addition to multiple bushing kits, a bolt kit, a bolt and bushing kit, one equalizer shaft assembly and a bushing assembly. Applications for the components include single drive axles and rear axle positions.

The company also has in stock nearly 25 new replacement drag links. The company says the drag links come in various sizes and can be used for Dayton, Meritor, Spicer and Euclid applications.

Wider parts washer debuts Renegade has released the TMB 8150 Stretch Automatic Top Load Parts Washer, which the company says is nearly twice as wide as the standard TMB 8100 model for a wider wash zone and features dual 5 HP heavy duty wash cycle pumps and 170-gallon sump capacity.

Renegade aqueous parts washers clean without solvents to lower environmental impact, increase automation and reduce labor costs for engine, industrial, machine shop, remanufacturing, automotive and aviation operations, the company says.

August 2019 | Trucks, Parts, Service

37

products

Off The Line

Spotlighting a new OEM innovation

Kenworth adds setforward front axle for midroof sleepers Kenworth Truck Company says its T880S with a set-forward front axle is now available for order with the company’s 52-in. and 76-in. mid-roof sleepers.

Kenworth says the T880S sleeper configurations are focused on heavy-haul and severe-highway applications where ruggedness is especially required. The two sleeper options enable the T880S to meet both overall combination length and weight distribution needs and are applicable for Canadian and U.S. markets, the company says.

The T880S is offered with a set-forward front axle ranging from 14,600 to 22,800 lb. and is standard with the Paccar MX-13 engine with up to 510 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft of torque. For weight-sensitive applications, the 10.8L Paccar MX-11 engine is 400 lb. lighter than larger displacement engines and provides up to 430 hp and 1,650 lb.-ft of torque.

Accessory battery charger Purkeys has introduced its SteadyCharge accessory battery charger.

The SteadyCharge is designed to monitor and maintain an optimal charge level in accessory batteries serving trailer refrigeration and heating units by preventing battery depletion during periods of inactivity.

Purkeys’ 10-lb. SteadyCharge maintains accessory batteries during months of non-use without overcharging them and is operational whenever the tractor is connected to the trailer. It eliminates the need for extra charging cables, automatically charges using the trailer’s existing seven-way cable and it won’t interfere with other devices on the auxiliary circuit.

SteadyCharge comes with a threeyear warranty, the company says.

Air compressor for 2019 Ram diesel trucks VMAC has released its UnderHood 70 air compressor for 2019 Ram trucks with Cummins diesel engines.

This rotary screw air compressor is designed specifically to be installed in the engine compartment of the Ram truck. The UnderHood 70 air compressor can produce up to 70 CFM of continuous air flow at 100 psi (max 175 psi), the company says.

The UnderHood 70 is designed for Ram 6.7L Cummins inline 6 diesel trucks. The application for 6.4L HEMI V8 gas is slated to be released in fall 2019, VMAC says.

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Trucks, Parts, Service | August 2019

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