Maintaining truck equipment is a constant battle at many operations, and those companies need to form strong relationships with dependable suppliers. If you're searching for a business that provides truck parts, follow these 5 tips to make the process a tad simpler.
Inquire About Shop Discounts
Many businesses offer discounts to customers who buy large numbers of truck parts. Call around the local shops to find out who offers the best deals. Set up an account with the one you like, and then make sure to add your employees to the account so they can get the discount right away when they call in orders.
Ask Around
Talk with folks who have similar businesses to yours with similar truck equipment. In particular, make sure they're using machines of similar ages, makes, and models to what your operation has. Ask the folks who run the mechanics shops at each of those other businesses which companies have been the easiest for them to deal with. If you need tight turnarounds on truck parts, make sure you ask about the worst experiences they've had getting components in time.
Consider the Value of Delivery Services
In particular, truck part delivery can be a difference-maker. You don't want to have to send someone from your shop down to a store to collect a component when they could be working on a vehicle at that moment.
Inquire about when the standard delivery times are, too. Some businesses only deliver a couple of times a week, while others provide daily drop-offs. If possible, try to fund a supplier that's willing to make special deliveries for an additional charge. You might never need it, but it's pretty nice to know it'll be available in case you do.
Learn Their Exchange Policies
Most businesses are pretty good about exchanging truck parts, but you should know the return and exchange policies for everything you buy. You don't want to be stuck with an expensive component if, for example, it turns out the problem could be solved by some other trick. Also, some parts can't be returned once they've been installed.
Know Their Inventories
Everybody stocks a little differently. Some companies are going to have loads of OEM components, while others may have a lot of aftermarket stuff. Most anyone can call in a part, but it makes a giant difference if somebody has the truck parts you need sitting in stock at the moment you need them.
To learn more, contact a truck parts supplier.