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Episode 329: Being reactive costs the trucking industry millions of dollars every year. Once something breaks down, it is costing you so much more money than if you planned for it in advance. Most people understand this for fleets and owner-operators, but we see this all the time as we consult with heavy-duty parts manufacturers, distributors, and service companies as well. Ignoring parts of your business that are not working well or are looking like they will soon break down, is not a good solution for a lasting and successful business.

Our featured guest is Bill Fortney, Western Regional Sales Manager for Webasto. He explains that Webasto has a full line of fuel operated heaters which save fuel and reduce wear and tear on the engine by keeping the engine and cab warm without requiring idling. Planning ahead in the summer and fall and proactively making sure that commercial vehicles are ready for the winter can help us avoid spending more time and money when the winter does come.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

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Episode 328: In these volatile times it is more important than ever to pay attention to the important things in your business rather than only focusing on the urgent day to day tasks. Being proactive and having a solid plan can be the difference between your business struggling or even failing during hard times or emerging from those hard times and being stronger than ever.

Our featured guest is Charles Bowles, Director of Commercial Truck OEM & Strategic Initiatives at Commercial Truck Trader. He discusses 4 things that are really affecting the trucking market right now; high interest rates, trade-in prices, low freight rates and tight credit. All of these factors are continuing to affect the volatility of the heavy-duty industry and must be navigated.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

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Episode 327: Retaining skilled technicians in the heavy-duty repair industry is a challenge that many businesses face. High turnover rates can be costly and disruptive, impacting the overall efficiency and productivity of repair shops. Our host, Jamie Irvine, starts out this episode with a list of 7 things that owners and managers can do to improve their retention rates.

Our featured guest in this episode is Brett Delp, National Account Manager for Fleets at Stertil Koni. Brett tells us about their lifts for heavy-duty trucks. He explains how using these lifts keeps technicians safer and prevents many of the aches and pains associated with doing repair work by traditional methods. Technicians who feel safe and who are not wrecking their body on the job are more likely to stay longer at your company. Using these lifts also benefits the bottom line and results in better quality repairs so it is a win-win all the way.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

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Episode 326: We start this episode discussing the essential phases of remanufacturing—including disassembly, thorough cleaning, failure analysis, reassembly, and testing—and reveal how you can apply these steps to identify and resolve issues in your heavy-duty parts business.

Our featured guest is Joe Kripli, President of APRA, the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association. He explains that reman has always been part of the history of heavy-duty and there will be even more need for it in the future. We also discuss the importance of right-to-repair legislation and the environmental benefits of not sending your cores to the landfill.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

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Episode 325: Brake Safety Week is coming up at the end of August. Last year, over 500 commercial vehicles were removed from North American roads after just one day of surprise inspections for having brake components that were unsafe. To help us prepare ahead for this year we talked to brake expert Don Orrell, Founder and CEO of TorqStop Brakes.

Don tells us what to watch for when it comes to contamination or cracks on our brakes, and also discusses his firm belief that new is better than remanufactured. We end this episode with a video clip that shows the horrible consequences of not maintaining your commercial vehicle and having a complete brake failure in traffic.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

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Episode 324: In this episode, we talk about contaminants that need to be filtered out – out of your business and out of your commercial vehicle air and fuel system. In our That’s Not Heavy Duty segment, Jamie tells a story of an irate and unreasonable customer and talks about a solution he found for customers that are impossible to please.

Our featured guest is Jay Stephenson, North American Training Leader at Fleetguard. We discuss how high-quality filtration products are essential for preventing unscheduled downtime and costly maintenance issues. With the rise of counterfeit parts being sold online, Jay emphasizes the importance of buying genuine parts and not just ‘racing to the bottom’ on price. We also discuss how Fleetguard is unique because they make their own filter media to ensure quality.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

Sign up for our weekly email so you never miss out on an episode: Follow the Show

Send us a Text Message.

Episode 323: In this episode we discuss the need to change with the times in order to avoid being left behind. Things are certainly changing fast with technology in the trucking and parts industry and there are certain things that just don’t work anymore. There are also ways of doing things that are better than before and that can save time and money.

For example, with new and exciting AI solutions, fleets are now able to shift from being reactive about their maintenance, to being very proactive. Our guest this week is Alan McMillan, President of Intangles. Intangles uses physics-based AI to create a virtual twin of your commercial vehicle. This allows them to predict when each specific truck will break down so that it can proactively be repaired and avoid down time.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

Sign up for our weekly email so you never miss out on an episode: Follow the Show

Send us a Text Message.

Episode 322: Tracking parts cost trends is vital in the heavy-duty parts industry. The last 6 months of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 were flat or even down for many heavy-duty parts companies as the freight recession affected the industry. Encouragingly, there seems to be an uptick in activity over April and May which gives us hope of better months ahead.

Our featured guests are Dick Hyatt, CEO and President, and Nick Pittinger, Director of Data Services, at Decisiv. They discuss the need for accurate data about parts costs, especially at the VMRS level, and compile reports on this data to help the rest of the industry better understand the trends.

Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.

Sponsors of this Episode

Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com

Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.

Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.

HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.

Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy Duty Parts Report may receive a commission.

Sign up for our weekly email so you never miss out on an episode: Follow the Show