The expected merger between Heavy Duty America and Truck Pride, announced as a possibility in January during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, has officially been approved by the board of directors, management teams and memberships of both marketing groups.
The new organization, which begins operations Sept. 1, is called HDA Truck Pride. By combining memberships, it will be the largest marketing group serving the independent aftermarket.
According to the announcement, a jointly developed merger plan was recently presented to the memberships of both organizations and “received overwhelming approval.”
“Both organizations view the joining of the two premier heavy-duty marketing organizations as the initial step of a comprehensive plan to unify and expand their distribution network, consolidate product and program offerings and maintain the independent aftermarket channel as a viable alternative to the OE dealership networks,” the announcement states. “The combined organization will offer a vastly expanded footprint, providing marketing, training, fleet, service partner and vendor programs to our customer base.”
