Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/526047
2 D id you know you have prod- ucts in your showroom or warehouse that can save your customers $9,000 per year? It's true. According to the results of a recent study by the North American Council for Freight Effi ciency (NACFE), fl eets actively spec'ing their equipment with fuel effi cient products saved on average $9,000 per vehicle in fuel expenses dur- ing the most recent calendar year. Those totals, which were determined from a 14-fl eet survey featuring more than 53,000 power units and 160,000 trailers, totaled more than $477 million saved in total fuel costs. Those are incredible numbers, and they immediately lead my mind to ask two questions: What products were those fl eets using, and can you sell them in the aftermarket? The answer to that second question is yes. So it seems like fi nding the answer to the fi rst question should be the next thing you put on your to-do list. With aftermarket parts sales increas- ingly becoming a partnership business, I can't think of a better way to join a customer's team than by providing them the solution to a long-standing problem. Take a second and just think about it. How much would your customers love you if you could save them $9,000 per truck per year in fuel expenses? I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say they'd be pretty appreciative. I think these are products indepen- dent distributors should be actively promoting and selling in the aftermarket. Fleets are constantly looking for ways to lower operating costs and reduce total cost of ownership, and these products do that. The fl eets involved in NACFE's study saw an average payback of 30 months on the technology they implemented. The 53,000 trucks averaged 7.0 miles per gal- lon — well above the 5.9 mpg national average — with some 2015 power units posting numbers well above 8.5 mpg, NACFE says. Numbers like that can sell themselves, but if you need more than just a spread- sheet, NACFE's report shows there's no shortage of fl eets willing to offer up testimonials. The study found the North American adoption rate of fuel-saving technologies has more than doubled from 18 percent in 2003 to 42 percent in 2014. It's time to make these products a priority. And I know, maybe you can't get that bad memory out of your head of the time 15 years ago when you tried to sell some newfangled fuel economy product and couldn't fi nd any takers. Or even worse, you found some, and the product didn't work. But the trucking industry's recogni- tion, understanding and acceptance of fuel effi cient technology has changed dramatically in recent years. Customers that for decades relied on driver performance to maximize fuel economy are now supplementing that strategy with side skirts or 6x2 axles. Fleets that always hunted for fuel savings have turned their trucks into aerody- namic marvels. A culture change is occurring. NACFE believes the benefi ts will be signifi cant. "If we can get the owners and opera- tors of the 1.5 million tractor-trailers on the road today to invest in more of these technologies, we will see signifi cant re- duction in fuel consumption," says Mike Roeth, NACFE executive director. You can drive this change. You can save your customers money, and make a profi t at the same time. It's really no different than selling up- time. If you can prove to a customer you have a product or service that can lower their overall costs, you can make a sale. At least think about it. If you offered your customers $9,000 in fuel savings I don't think that's some- thing they'd take lightly. Though their wallets might. T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | J u n e 2 0 1 5 You can sell savings By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com Editorial | Lucas Deal How much would your customers love you if you could save them $9,000 a year in fuel expenses?