Kenworth Truck Co. ranked the highest in customer satisfaction among conventional medium-duty trucks, while Hino Trucks led the cabover segment in the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study.
Represented by its T300 model, Kenworth performed significantly above average in each of the six factors considered in the vehicle satisfaction portion of the survey. Kenworth also ranked highest for dealer service satisfaction.
Peterbilt, Sterling and Freightliner follow Kenworth, and all were rated significantly higher than the industry average.
In the cabover segment of the survey, a strong showing in all six satisfaction factors put Hino on top. Vehicle quality and cab interior were noted as Hino's greatest competitive strengths, according to J.D Power.
The organization pointed out, however, that overall truck satisfaction declined significantly from the 2004 survey, driven by lower scores for conventional models.
Seven out of eight manufacturers in the conventional index ranked lower in engine satisfaction than they did in the 2004 study. This is most likely related to the new engine technology used to meet the stricter 2002 EPA emissions requirements.
www.jdpower.com.
