i fTuor rtohewbeudsbyrhotuliaerg,rtohaen and the "downtime" causes a
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the drooped shoulders of
resignation. No matter how much time we spend forward planning, downtime happens to the best of us. But I'm constantly
exasperated. In this age of laptop truck diagnosis, you would think the task of ordering spare ) ,t parts would be one of the many z z normal day-to-day procedures a 0 transport manager would have to
-cs undertake. How wrong courd I be? =
Ordering spares is a complete nightmare, and the price 2.' differences can be astronomical. I find myself caught between a , E. rock and a hard place on the issue of spare parts. Where do I get ‹L E them—from dealers or from motor factors? 0
Here is an example of the sort of conversation l find myself
0
-ct having all too regularly with my parts suppliers.
Me: "Can you quote a price for a starter motor?"
Large truck dealer: "Yes certainly, that'll be 2xxx."
After wiping the sweat from my brow I phone a well-established truck motor factor. We have a similar conversation, but with a price difference of £100. I then call the large truck dealer back with the motor factor's quote and am told: "That's cheap; let's see what we can do." After being put on hold for 15 seconds I'm told that the price can be matched after all.
My axe is totally blunt with the amount of grinding it gets, but how on earth can they justify such a drastic price difference of up to £100? And how many hauliers are there out there who think buying only dealer parts gives them peace of mind?
My advice is, if you can afford the time, phone around and play one off against the other to get yourself a fair price. Who can afford to pay more in this industry?
My confidence in the suppliers to this industry is rapidly waning for another reason. How many of you have suffered the truck salesperson? The one who gives you the old chitchat about how allsinging and ail-dancing his trucks are, and once you've written the cheque disappears into the woodwork? No-one then wants to know about an aftersales problem with one of the trucks. Sympathy and understanding disappear out the window when you tell them you're getting fed up with their parts department, which says it has not got certain parts in stock and needs to order them and have them airfreghted. Guess who has to pay this extra cost? Yes—me!
One solution would be a uniform price range for fast-moving lines such as oil filters, headlamp units and brake pads and hoses. This would enable dealers and motor factors to be more realistic about larger items.
How is it that everyone in this industry except the haulier manages to pass on their mounting costs? Any answers?