Truck dealers supply 51% of exhaust flexhose.
How do your parts buying practices compare to those of your peers? Results from the FLEET OWNER Aftermarket Monitor survey on exhaust components for 1996 showed that truck dealers were used as a source for exhaust flexhose by 51.2% of heavy-duty vehicles (see Fig. 1).
When the data is broken down by vocational operations we see that the pattern of flexhose purchases by owner-operators and regular-duty private fleets was similar to that for fleets in general; for-hire fleets were considerably more likely to use truck dealers; and severe-duty private fleets were considerably more likely to use jobbers/parts houses.
Data for heavy-duty vehicles from the 1996 exhaust components survey was segmented into two groups: fleets that purchase only new vehicles and those that purchase only used vehicles. The data showed that vehicles from "new only" fleets purchased 48.3% of their exhaust flexhose from jobbers/ parts houses and 41.5% from truck dealers (see Fig. 2).
"Used only" fleets purchased 61.2% from jobbers/parts house (26.7% more than "new only,") and 27.5% from truck dealers (34% less than "new only"). These differences result from the strong dealer relationships associated with the purchase of new vehicles, which are often under warranty during the entire period of ownership by the initial purchaser.
The Aftermarket Monitor divides components into 15 major groups and sends out more than 4,000 questionnaires each month to commercial vehicle operators. Parts categories covered are diesel engines; gas engines; electrical and lights; air brakes, wheel seals and bearings; hydraulic brakes, wheel seals and bearings; manual transmissions and clutches; automatic transmissions; drive axles, universal joints and drivelines, and PTO drives; exhaust components and engine cooling systems; front suspension and shock absorbers; rear suspensions and springs; engine oil and filtration systems; tires; electronics, wheels and fifth wheels; seats, mirrors, tanks, and leak detection equipment; and paint.
For more information on FLEET OWNER's Aftermarket Monitor, call Tom Duncan at 914-287-6710.
The following individuals recently received prizes for participating in last month's survey: J. Schultz, U.S. Dept. of the Interior/Davis Dam, Bullhead City, Ariz.; Dennis Jorenby, Madison Water Utility, Madison, Wis.; and Tim Pietsch, Farmington Fire Dept., Farmington, Minn.
