GRAPEVINE, TX — The aftermarket proved it should never be an afterthought at the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week 2020 show floor, overtaking much of the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas.
On trend technology such as truck cameras were spotted at booths throughout the hall, as was much talk of how they’ll soon replace mirrors, a topic recently covered by Fleet Owner.
Electric vehicles were a big topic at the day-long conference preceding the event, the Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD), and those parts were on display as well. Though only a barely visible sliver of the current North American fleet powertrain pie chart, the technology was fiercely represented by Dana Incorporated, which can retrofit existing chassis with the necessary electric components and axles. As usual, diesel dominated the space and is projected to do so until at least 2030.
Ecommerce options were far more plentiful, with Meritor, Wabco and startup Diesel Laptops all debuting new functionality for their parts ordering systems.
Whatever the tech or brand, one thing is sure not to change in the supply chain: there’s no substitute for customer trust.
“We found many of our customers don’t necessarily pay a lot attention to what they’re buying from us, said Greg Klein, CEO of Inland Truck Parts at a HDAD panel. “What they really care about is if somebody is going to stand behind it. They don’t buy it from our supplier, they buy it from us.”
