Customers took center stage for a panel discussion to close out Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue Monday in Grapevine, Texas.
Featuring Pitt Ohio’s Taki Darakos, Scott Ewell of H.R. Ewell and Adam Wolk with Challenge Motor Freight, and moderated by Molly MacKay Zacker of MacKay & Company, Monday’s panel spent most of its time addressing how commercial carriers survive the day to day challenges of managing a Class 8 truck fleet — a job that’s never been easy yet has become even more demanding since the pandemic.
The carriers agreed the biggest issues they’ve faced over the past three years have been on the supply chain side. Trucks, trailers and parts have all been hard to come by. All three segments are improving but uncertainty still permeates their businesses due to the shortages they’ve experienced to date.
The carriers said they were forced to accept allocations and/or seek out alternative dealer partners to meet their equipment ordering needs in 2021 and 2022. The trio is hopeful those tactics will not be needed beyond this year — early data indicates production is finally catching up to demand — though no one was willing to claim the market has been repaired.
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“If you don’t have stuff on the order boards now, you’re in trouble,” Darakos says.
