Highlights from the March 2018 issue
Truck Equipment Distributor issue:
- Every job is a custom job—Northland Equipment isn’t located in a high-profile, heavily trafficked area, but as long as customers keep coming to them for aftermarket equipment and upfits and the bays stay full, owner Brian Williams has no plans to move.
- What are product data standards? And why does the heavy-duty aftermarket need them? Misconceptions mean missed opportunities for manufacturers, distributors, and customers. Learn why implementing an industry-wide standard is “simply the right thing to do.”
- Investing in the future—As a wrench monkey 20 years ago, Chad Powers didn’t see much of a future for himself in his father’s shop filled with brothers, so he opened his own one-man distributorship.
- Meeting parts and service needs of today’s fleet—Representatives of a range of fleets discuss the do’s and don’ts of becoming a valued business partner rather than just “the parts sales guy.”
- Drive carefully: Disruptor Zone—Aftermarket pros discuss the assorted risks and rewards that are part and parcel of the e-commerce revolution and rapidly changing customer expectations.
Editorial: Distributors vs. Homeless Superman
Cover story: Custom upfits: Northland sweats the small stuff so customers don’t have to.
Features: Specs and spreadsheets: Powers Truck and Equipment sharpens focus on the bottom line
Wabash: Strong finish to 2017 sets up growth in 2018
Tariff trade war: Trailer builders caught in crossfire?
Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue 2018:
- Aftermarket outlook: Global competition, emerging tech present challenges, opportunities
- Fleet panel dissects parts, service
- Diving into aftermarket disruptors
- The importance of building relationships
Find articles from other back issues of the magazine in the Issue Archives.
Trailer/Body Builders is the only magazine dedicated to the manufacture, sale, and service of commercial trucks and trailers. Its editorial (which includes ideas for management, production, sales, and marketing) targets upper management of these companies.