Study: Truck owners appreciate timely delivery

Medium-duty truck owners are more satisfied with their purchase if trucks are ready when promised, J. D. Power and Associates said of recent survey results.

The marketing analysts found that overall service satisfaction averages 215 points higher on a 1,000-point scale among medium-duty truck owners if trucks are delivered on time.

The study also finds that engine- or fuel-related problems typically result in the greatest amount of downtime. A truck with an engine or a fuel problem averages eight days of downtime, said J. D. Power spokesman John Tew.

Hino ranks highest in customer satisfaction, especially with engines and overall quality, within the conventional truck segment. Ford and Peterbilt follow in the product rankings.

Kenworth ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service, and Ford follows in the rankings.

Class 5 trucks have the highest quality levels among medium-duty trucks, according to the study’s results. Class 6 and Class 7 trucks had more problems, respectively, the study found.

The study measures customer perceptions of 2009 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 commercial trucks. Within the product segment, six factors determine overall satisfaction: warranty; engine; cost of operation; ride/handling/braking; cab and body; and transmission. The study also measures satisfaction with services received from an authorized truck dealer: dealer facility; service quality, service delivery; service advisor, service initiation; and price.

 The survey is based on responses from 1,258 primary maintainers of 2009 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 conventional cab medium-duty trucks. The study was fielded between June and July.

 Read more at www.jdpower.com.

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