Hydraulic brake part sources

July 1, 1998
Jobbers/parts houses supply 36% of medium-duty hydraulic brake liningsHow do your parts buying practices compare to those of your peers? Our 1997 survey on hydraulic brakes showed that for medium-duty vehicles, truck dealers were used as sources for hydraulic brake linings with shoes 35.6% of the time.For this group, for-hire fleets/owner-operators used truck dealers most frequently as sources of

Jobbers/parts houses supply 36% of medium-duty hydraulic brake linings

How do your parts buying practices compare to those of your peers? Our 1997 survey on hydraulic brakes showed that for medium-duty vehicles, truck dealers were used as sources for hydraulic brake linings with shoes 35.6% of the time.

For this group, for-hire fleets/owner-operators used truck dealers most frequently as sources of hydraulic brake linings with shoes (see Fig. 1). The most frequent users of jobbers/parts houses were severe-duty private fleets (41.6%) and "other" fleets with 39.8%.

The top users of heavy-duty distributors were severe-duty private fleets ( 27.4% ) and regular-duty private fleets ( 24.2%). The only meaningful reported use of independent garages as sources of hydraulic brake linings with shoes was by the for-hire fleets/ owner-operators (6.4%). The 1996 source data for medium-duty vehicles showed very similar results.

Segmenting the data by those fleets buying only new vehicles vs. fleets buying only used vehicles showed that "new only" buyers used truck dealers 18.9% of the time as the source for hydraulic brake linings with shoes, compared to 10.5% of the time for "used only" buyers. Conversely, "new only" buyers used jobbers/parts houses 34.8% of the time, compared to 52.1% of the time for "used only" buyers (see Fig. 2).

The stronger use of truck dealers by "new only" fleets is as expected (see "Aftermarket Monitor," 6/98). Also of interest here is the fact that the truck dealer numbers for both "new only" and "used only" are relatively low in comparison to parts in other component groups, while the jobber/parts house numbers are relatively high. This is an indication that hydraulic brake shoes with linings are bought on somewhat of a commodity basis, with lower than average brand specification. This is supported by Aftermarket Monitor brand preference data that shows that the strongest hydraulic brake brands have smaller than average market shares, and that hydraulic brake part brands show smaller differences from one brand to the next in comparison to other components groups.

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: Alan Clark, Eagle Express, Mars Hill, Neb.; Chris May, May Trucking Co., Greenville, Ga.; and Rodney Green, The Kids Trucking Inc., Pierce City, Mo.

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