Right to Repair Act Support Grows
The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2057) gained nine more co-sponsors for a total of 60 House of Representatives supporters. The new co-sponsors are: Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.), Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-La.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Charles Wilson (D-Ohio).
“We thank these nine members of Congress for backing this critical piece of pro-consumer and pro-small business legislation,” said Ray Pohlman, president of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE). “The Right to Repair Act does not cost tax payers money, does not create a new agency and, more importantly, does not ask taxpayers for a bailout. It simply requires that vehicle manufacturers provide car owners and their trusted neighborhood repair shops with the same access to the same safety alerts, technical service bulletins, diagnostic tools and repair information they provide to their dealer network – nothing more, nothing less. The top priority of the Right to Repair Act is motoring consumer safety, ensuring that motorists know what is happening with their vehicles.”
Adds Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), “Allowing independent repair shops to compete on a level playing field promotes fair competition and ensures that car owners throughout the country continue to have access to affordable and convenient automotive repair. Supporters of Right to Repair are not seeking an unfair advantage, nor are they looking for access to the proprietary information protected by the bill. Instead, they are asking Congress to ensure that car owners, and not the car companies, decide where their vehicles are repaired.”
The Senate version of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (S 3181) recently was introduced with bipartisan support by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.).
People in the News
Following are personnel changes and announcements in the trucking industry:
Kirkland* Affinia Global Brake & Chassis appointed Charlie Kirkland its director of Program Distribution for Branded Sales.
* Ancra International named Darrin Paul its Western regional manager.
* Bridgestone Americas, Inc. promoted Dan MacDonald to vice president, Community and Corporate Relations, and promoted Don Darden to executive director, Communications.
Casanova* Champion Laboratories hired John Casanova as its vice president of sales and marketing.
* The Heavy Duty Representatives Association elected three new board of directors: Lawrence Rosenthal of Rosenthal Fleet Parts Sales Inc.; Walt Sirman of T&S Sales & Marketing Co. Inc.; and John Stojak of Sherman-Pearson Company.
Navistar Launches Vehicle Reconditioning Program
Navistar announced a new program that identifies and replaces mechanical and aesthetic components specific to the needs of each vehicle, resulting in “a reconditioned truck with a refreshed look, reliable critical components and a life expectancy well into the future.”
The ReStar program is offered for Class 5-8 vehicles and is performed through the company’s International Truck Specialty Center locations throughout North America.
“From powertrains to wiper blades, brakes to hoses, every truck has unique requirements,” said Jim Hebe, Navistar senior vice president, North American sales operations. “With ReStar, we can provide customers with a customized refresh package that maximizes vehicle uptime and increases brand reputation.”
The ReStar program is available for most makes and models of commercial trucks and, according to Navistar, is “ideal for fleets wanting to extend the life of their vehicles while minimizing costly downtime, unexpected repairs and driver turnover.”
For the latest aftermarket news, announcements and trends, visit www.truckpartsandservice.com
TMC Expands Best Practice for Comparing Aftermarket Brake Linings
While performance of original equipment brake linings is regulated by FMVSS 121, linings sold as replacements for these friction materials are not. TMC says such information will assist fleet operators in choosing aftermarket brake linings that will perform adequately on typical combination (tractor-trailer) vehicles and single trucks. The revised RP will appear in TMC’s 2010-2011 Recommended Practices Manual, scheduled for release this spring.
Truck Pride Selects Timken
Truck Pride Partners announced it named The Timken Company its preferred supplier of bearings.
“This significant support of The Timken Company’s product line will not only help bolster our growth initiatives but also enhance efficiencies within our supply chain model,” said Jeff Sandt, director of product management for Truck Pride Partners.
SKF Introduces First Distributor Economic Series Booklet
SKF has announced the availability of its Price Cutting booklet – the first of several in the SKF Distributor Economic Series.
Written for automotive and heavy-duty aftermarket distributors, the Price Cutting booklet offers tips for maintaining a healthy business and improving overall profitability. The booklet currently is available through the new SKF distributor portal located on the SKF VSM Web site at www.vsm.skf.com.
“The SKF Distributor Economic Series is geared at providing distributors with the knowledge and tools to maintain profitability no matter what the economic scenario may be,” said Katie Noga, manager, marketing communications, SKF USA, Inc. “We are pleased to offer this literature on-line and encourage distributors to visit the distributor portal on the SKF VSM Web site to take advantage of these invaluable resources.”
FleetPride Acquires Express Truck Parts
FleetPride Inc. announced it acquired the assets of Express Truck Parts Inc. in San Jose, Calif. The acquisition, terms of which were not announced, includes an approximate 10,000-square-foot facility and brings the total number of FleetPride locations in California to 21. Express Truck Parts’ previous owner, Ken Stahl, will stay on in the role of branch manager, and employment offers were extended to all employees.
“The Express Truck Parts acquisition is the most recent step in FleetPride’s strategic initiative to continue to grow our branch locations to better serve our valued customers,” said Woody M. McGee, president and chief executive officer of FleetPride, based in The Woodlands, Texas.
Express Truck Parts is located on Highway 101 near the intersection of Interstate 880, both of which are key thoroughfares from San Francisco, said Steve Turnlund, regional manager, Western region.
Grote Plans Trilliant Technology Tour
Grote Industries announced an initiative aimed at getting its staff and its LED WhiteLight Work Lamp Portfolio up close and personal with its customers. Dubbed the Trilliant Technology Tour, the road show-style program will highlight Grote’s group of six high-tech, high-performance LED WhiteLight Work Lamps.
The company said it is taking a break from several industry trade shows in favor of spending more time personally visiting customers, showing them Grote’s latest technology, listening to their feedback and responding to their needs.
“As the economy begins to stabilize, our customers need our time and attention more than ever before,” said John Grote, vice president of sales and marketing. “Trade show attendance remains down industry-wide, and many of the people who could benefit from seeing our new technology simply aren’t at the shows. Most shows simply aren’t structured to offer us an opportunity to spend much meaningful time with our customers or those we wish to reach out to. So in 2010, we’ve made a strategic decision to focus our time, effort and resources on building stronger relationships with those who matter most – our customers.”
Grote said the company is still exhibiting at a significant number of trade shows this year, but that select appearances have been canceled and the dollars redirected to a variety of new customer-centered initiatives. The Trilliant Technology Tour will allow Grote’s executives and sales staff to visit hundreds of distributors, OEMs and fleets in more than 80 cities, reconnecting with customers, raising brand awareness and demonstrating its LED WhiteLight products.
The mobile exhibition will include a specially outfitted vehicle, an inflatable mobile theater and other displays and communication components, and will be supported 24/7 by a dedicated staff. Guests will be able to enjoy live demonstrations, watch videos and interact with the products. Grote sales professionals have been engaged in establishing advance plans that will allow the vehicle to make multiple stops in each city and town visited in the United States and Canada.
“Lighting is experiential by its nature,” Grote said. “People have to see how one lamp performs in comparison to others, and we’re taking that experience straight to our customers.”
Grote said the mobile exhibit will allow guests to compare and judge the differences in physical features like lamp construction and heat management – as well as optical characteristics such as light beam intensity, color and pattern evenness – in both Grote work lamps and competitive offerings.
Association of Diesel Specialists 2009-2010 Directory Available
Copies of the directory may be purchased from ADS for $10 each (member rate) and $75 each (non-member rate). To order, individuals may contact ADS at 816-285-0810 or download an order form at www.diesel.org.
Companies Unite to ‘Revolutionize’ Wheel Changing
Four manufacturers have joined forces to create Wheel Torque Solutions, a new wheel changing process the companies said will “revolutionize” how this work is done.
The companies – Alcoa Wheels, B&D Cold Heading, Chicago Pneumatic and ITW CIP – said the “innovative, highly researched and developed wheel installation process” will significantly reduce wheel-off incidents.
“Wheel Torque Solutions identifies and addresses all points of failure in the traditional wheel installation process,” said David Walters, manager-warranty & field service for Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products and a Silver Spark Plug member of TMC. “A clearly defined procedure combined with the careful selection of tools and components significantly reduce the potential for human error that can result in costly and dangerous wheel-off incidents. This group of companies, through the research and development conducted with a large environmental services fleet in North America, have accomplished what others in the industry said couldn’t be done.”
According to the announcement, Wheel Torque Solutions brings together the optimum nut, bolt, wheels, tools and processes for increasing torque retention. The components and wheel installation processes were researched and developed with a large environmental services fleet in North America. The research, they said, proved that increasing torque retention not only improves safety, but also provides maintenance cost savings over the life of a wheel. This innovative process relies on the unique product attributes of the companies involved, combined with detailed wheel-end maintenance and fastening processes.
“The key to strengthening the clamp force is maximizing the preload and grip length without comprising the structural integrity of the components,” said Ross Hill, business development manager at ITW CIP and chairman of the ISO wheel committee. “Wheel Torque Solutions accomplishes this through the use of industry-leading components that have been tested to achieve maximum clamp force at torques greater than 600 ft-lb.” n
