The new year isn’t so new anymore, with nearly six full months under our belts.
Here’s a look back at 14 of the “biggest” stories from Truck Parts and Service so far in 2014. Top stories were determined chosen by looking at the number of views on our website.
14. VIPAR Heavy Duty rang in the new year with the acquisition of Power Heavy Duty, based in Pearland, Texas.
As a result of the transaction, Power Heavy Duty became part of the VIPAR Heavy Duty family of companies. To read the full article, click here.
13. According to the ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council’s (TMC) Counterfeit Parts Task Force, it’s hard to estimate the counterfeiting’s exact financial impact to the trucking industry, but based on Federal Trade Commission reports “counterfeiting represents a $12 billion per year problem for the entire automotive industry.”
In an article from March, Jane Clark, Vice President of Member Services for NationaLease, says costs from counterfeit parts are measured by more than dollars. To read the full article, click here.
12. The HDA Truck Pride annual meeting kicked off in Phoenix, Ariz. in April
A principal’s only meeting and general membership meeting filled up the morning activities, and that was followed by lunch and two educational sales and marketing sessions designed to offer members tips for their businesses. To read the full article, click here.
11. The heavy-duty right to repair debate is ratcheting up.
In March, only two months after the automotive industry resolved its right to repair puzzle with a national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), representatives from both sides of the heavy-duty debate have initiated discussions toward a possible compromise. To read the full article, click here.
10. The Minimizer team welcomed nearly 300 of its closest friends in late March for a 30-year anniversary party in Minneapolis.
“I wouldn’t be standing on this stage tonight if I didn’t have two very innovate parents,” Craig said. “We always say Dad started the company, but if Mom wouldn’t have backed over that trash can we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
To read the full article, click here.
9. The second day of this year’s HDA Truck Pride annual meeting was just as busy as the first in late April, with educational sessions for members and vendors, a three-hour vendor booth show, an update on the organizations CV Logistics operation and a corresponding booth show for CV Logistics major suppliers.
The day also included a raffle for members and an evening reception.
See some of the sights in this photo gallery.
8. If you flew out of Las Vegas and away from Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) without at least one nugget of new knowledge, you spent way too much time on the gaming floor. This recap was pretty much all-inclusive.
7. When Pressure Systems International (PSI) entered the commercial vehicle market 21 years ago, it also brought with it a new maintenance concept. In May, TPS got an on-site look at what the company does.
Check out this recap and gallery.
6. In April, TPS published an in-depth series on the technician shortage. It was a long multi-article piece, but it looked at the problem from many angles. If you missed it (or didn’t click through all the pieces), click here.
5. May’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting was a busy one. Days were filled with task force meetings, then fleet talk, the opening general session/fleet operator’s forum and the opening of the TMC trade show. Check out the gallery here.
4. In February, Pro Heavy Duty, Inc., an aftermarket buying group based in Ft. Wright, Ky., announced the formation and structure of a new group targeting the independent aftermarket heavy-duty parts segment.
Pro Heavy Duty represents independent wholesale distributors and service specialists throughout North America.
To read the full article, click here.
3. The Mid-America Trucking Show is the industries largest, and if you don’t attend you miss a lot…until now. This gallery puts you right on the trade show floor. Click here to see it.
2. In May, TPS got an inside look at Meritor’s nearly 450,000 sq. ft. Parts Distribution Center – the company’s aftermarket distribution in North America since the late 1970s, and Florence has housed the unit since 1976. The facility is staffed by nearly 400 employees and ships the company’s 27 product lines and more than 161,000 part numbers nationwide at blinding speeds.
Click here to get the inside look.
1. The 2014 installment of the annual Work Truck Show was held March 4-7 in Indianapolis, Ind. and thanks to a massive photo gallery, you can feel like you were there. Click here for the gallery.
