Forty percent of turbochargers are supplied by truck dealers. How do your parts buying practices compare to those of your peers? Results from the FLEET OWNER Aftermarket Monitor survey on diesel engines for 1996 showed that truck dealers were used as a source for turbochargers by 40% of respondents, compared to 48% for 1995 (see Fig. 1).
Engine specialists were the source for 34% of turbochargers, compared to 33% in 1995, followed by heavy-duty distributors with 10%, and jobbers/parts houses with 8% of the market.
Turbochargers were also purchased from independent garages (5%) and local rebuilders (2%).
Overall, the data does not show significant year-to-year differences. However, differences were found when the data was segmented according to variations in fleet composition.
Segmentation of the data by fleet size showed that smaller fleets (1-24 vehicles) used engine specialists less frequently, and jobbers/parts houses and independent garages more frequently than larger fleets (25 or more vehicles, see Fig. 2).
Comparing fleets composed primarily of heavy-duty vehicles with those made up of lower-GVW vehicles demonstrated that heavy-duty fleets were more frequent users of truck dealers and engine specialists, while light, midrange, and medium-duty fleets were more likely to use jobbers/parts houses and independent garages.
We took a closer look at heavy-duty fleets by comparing those that buy 100% of their heavy-duty vehicles new with those that buy 100% used. This comparison demonstrated that `100% new' fleets used truck dealers and engine specialists more frequently, while `100% used' fleets used jobbers/parts houses and independent garages more frequently to purchase turbochargers.
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: Jeff Brewer, Grandville Printing, Grandville, Mich.; Joseph Broder, Joseph Broder Associates Inc., Detroit, Mich.; and William Vaverchak, Trans American Technical Institute, Carbondale, Pa.
