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Service Bay
to not maintain a consistent level of per-
formance on a vehicle is becoming much
more diffi cult," says Petresh. "Years ago if
something worked [customers] would it
use forever, it didn't matter if something
better came along.
"Now you see more and more
customers looking at safety and perfor-
mance in the aftermarket, and I think
that's a good thing."
Bendix says NHTSA estimates
reduced stopping distances save approxi-
mately 227 lives and more than $169 mil-
lion in property damage from accidents
per year.
"Braking is one of those technolo-
gies where you don't understand its full
capabilities until you need it," Ganaway
says. "That's why we spend a lot of time
educating our [customers] and making
sure they know what to ask for when
ordering replacement parts."
"We can save lives with this technol-
ogy," adds Fabio Jurchaks, director of
sales and engineering, NAFTA at TMD
Friction. "That's one place where we've
really tried to educate fl eets; they need
to be very conscious about the friction
formulas they spec' [in the aftermarket].
Spending a few cents more can ensure
the truck always stops when it should."
Today's heavy-duty brake and friction
manufacturers all offer RSD compliant
aftermarket brake products designed
specifi cally to meet the needs of safety
and performance-focused fl eets.
Simply put, turning to an inferior
aftermarket component after using RSD
technology compromises a tractor's
braking performance.
"When truck operators ask which part
they should use, our district sales manag-
ers always reply, 'Purchase the exact same
part spec' that came with the vehicle
from the factory,'" says Craig Frohock,
vice president, aftermarket and trailer at
Meritor. "A component that 'just fi ts' a
given make and model may not neces-
sarily meet the customer's need for
performance, longevity and, especially,
value."
W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E
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The safety benefi ts offered by RSD systems are a
valuable selling point for aftermarket distributors,
suppliers note.
