Can I help you out?

Need help spec’ing an engine? Maybe you’re better off on your own, a recent survey indicates. Customers who specified the engine they wanted for their heavy truck without input from a salesperson were more satisfied with their choice after two years of ownership than customers who had help, according to a report from J.D. Power and Associates.
The study is based on responses from 2,675 primary maintainers of two-year-old class-8 trucks, most of whom work at small fleets in vocational markets like construction, forestry, mining, and refuse. The survey measures customer satisfaction in three areas: engine quality and warranty; performance; and noise and vibration.

Salespeople who listen to their customers’ needs and help them choose the right engine to match can have a positive impact on whether the customer is happy with their purchase two years down the road, says Brian Etchells, who oversees commercial vehicle research at
J.D. Power, a company known for its customer satisfaction studies. Yet just 29 per cent of heavy-duty truck buyers have their salesperson assist them with specifying an engine, he adds.

Only Peterbilt and Western Star customers said they were more satisfied with their engine choice when a salesperson helped them compared with customers who selected an engine themselves.

Most of the complaints about their engine choice stemmed from dissatisfaction with electronic engine controls, Etchells says.

Engines with the highest customer satisfaction rankings among vocational truck operators after two years of service: Caterpillar’s C-15 and Cummins’s M11. Both engines have been redesigned substantially to meet current emission requirements and have in fact been rebranded within the past two years.

J.D. Power and Associates (www.jdpower.com; 805/418-8000) is based in Westlake Village, Calif. A summary of the study is available at the company’s web site.