Navistar opens 100th Fleetrite storefront

Navistar has opened its 100th Fleetrite location by the Kyrish Truck Center in Willis, Texas. The newest storefront for Navistar's all-makes and models aftermarket truck and bus parts has doubled its original goal of opening 50 Fleetrite locations by 2025.

“Our goal for Fleetrite is to continue to expand our reach with additional product lines and store locations to increase the Fleetrite footprint in North America and connect with more customers,” said Mark Reiter, vice president, Parts.

Fleetrite currently offers more than 100 product lines with 18,000 parts, with the new store adding to the brand's 50-year history. Kyrish Truck Centers, a family-owned and operated International truck dealership which concentrates on the sale and service of medium-duty, heavy-duty, and severe-duty trucks, now operates four Fleetrite locations across Texas.

“We believe that Fleetrite is an integral part of our long-term parts strategy, targeting customers who traditionally shy away from an OEM buying opportunity and helping our customers increase uptime,” said Jeff Kyrish, CEO, Kyrish Truck Centers. “These stores have allowed us to reach more customers quicker and provide top-quality all-makes parts that get trucks back on the road.”

In celebration of the new store in Willis, Kyrish Truck Center hosted a grand opening on August 3, inviting customers, community, and company leaders to attend.

Brad Smith, shop foreman with the Willis Independent School District, was one such attendee.  Smith oversees a fleet that includes 97 IC Bus school buses and is glad to have a Fleetrite location across the street from his bus depot.

“From what I can tell looking around, the store will have a lot of stock,” said Smith. “With the store here, I can get parts so much quicker and not have to go get a spare bus to put on the road. It will keep my fleet running a lot more efficiently.”

In recent years, recruiting, hiring, and retaining qualified school bus drivers challenged the transportation and education industries. With so many students and their families relying on bus drivers for safe, reliable transportation to and from school, Smith believes the Fleetrite store in Willis, with its parts availability, and in-house, local experts to assist with service challenges, will enhance the operation of his fleet, prevent disruptions, and satisfy his drivers.

“Bus drivers don’t like to drive a bus that isn’t theirs,” said Smith. “If I can keep them in their bus, the whole year, that keeps them working,” and he’ll be able to do so with Fleetrite’s help.

To learn more about Fleetrite, visit www.fleetrite.com.