Bill WadeCommentaryMy fear about private brandsI am concerned about a continuing trend toward so called ‘private’ brands — both by independents and dealer ‘all-makes’ programs. Users of this marketing tool are trying to make one of the following points as…July 18, 2013CommentaryLooking for love in all the wrong places…Both suppliers and distributors add a lot of value for their customers. No question. However, Making Value Mean Something to Customers is a different story, recently studied by Tim Underhill of Strategic Business Solutions. Basically,…June 17, 2013HomeThe first rule: Only do what only you can doOh to be a headline writer today (if there were just a few more surviving newspapers and magazines): •  3D Printer Creates Body Parts to Save Baby •  U.S.to Become Leading Oil Exporter Again •  …June 5, 2013CommentaryKirkland Truck Parts?First, know that I don’t have an ‘I-told-you-so’ bone in my body. But the November 2004 issue of Truck Parts & Service carried a column of mine detailing concerns with China as the end-all solution…May 22, 2013CommentaryFirst quarter train wreck not necessarily an anomalySo we got through a universally stinky first three months of 2013. Don’t wipe your brow and relax with the idea that now ‘everything will return to normal’. News flash! This is normal. There are…May 3, 2013CommentaryVolume Speaks Volumes, Especially When Economies Slow DownHere are three key ways dealership OES programs, national ‘chains’ (FleetPride or NAPA in a local market) or Internet parts sales sites are impacting independent distributors’ financial results: Margins are squashed: Even when the independent…April 19, 2013CommentaryTipping PointThis month marks 45 years since Bud Reese and Jim Moss got together to form the Council of Fleet Specialists (now CVSN). That event was a watershed moment because it was the first formal acknowledgment…April 11, 2013Previous PagePage 5 of 5Top StoriesIndustryRegulations making California ‘next to impossible’California fleets and their customers are beginning to feel the pinch from the state’s aggressive push toward zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).Trucks & TrailersHow customer feedback can drive design changesComponentsThe parts business isn’t shrinking anytime soonPay and benefitsChanges coming to labor lawsFeatured SponsorMaster Tech Recruitment and Retention
