Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1418957
PSAI Association Insight, October 13, 2021 I 27 Medium Duty Trucks When we buy a cab & chassis from any medium duty truck manufacturer and then install a tank and bed on it, then it's referred to as a "vocational" truck. The manufacturers actually engineer them with that in mind. They also have options for adding specific types of features such as Power Take Offs. Companies known as "upfitters" buy trucks (cab & chassis) and build the beds our industry requires. PSAI member companies build many of the trucks available as ready to work. These members can be found in the PSAI membership and on the PSAI website. One such member that builds new trucks for our industry recently shared with me a bit of really bad news. They had previously placed an order for the year for 300 Peterbuilt medium duty cab & chassis units. They were later informed that Peterbuilt would not be able to fill those orders due to this supply chain shortage. Another PRO had been buying all the same cab & chassis for years. Last year they were informed they would not be able to get any trucks for the year. They got busy searching for options. I was talking to a PRO recently who had been looking for two medium duty trucks to add to their fleet to help with the growth they have seen. They had looked and inquired in many states around them with no luck. It was a stroke of luck that while on a road trip they noticed two new cab & chassis at a dealership. A quick turn into the dealership led to the purchase of both units. Another situation I am aware of: a PRO ordered a new larger medium duty cab & chassis. He was expecting delivery late spring 2021. At the time of writing this article, they have not received the truck. They have no confidence that they will get it by the end of the year. One manufacturer was asking its long-term customers (in this case a PRO) to order for 2023 in the spring of 2021 in order to assure the manufacturing slots for the trucks. Most of us just cannot and do not plan that far in advance. Maybe we need to! Truck Chip Shortage — A Worldwide Issue (continued from page 26) Tractors (Large Trucks) If you use larger tanks on your service vehicles and/or many of the services supplied in our industry, then you need larger cab & chassis (CDL). The same issues affecting medium duty trucks are affecting large trucks. I suggest these things to think about: 1. Plan ahead and build in extra time to purchase new trucks. 2. Be prepared to pay more than you are used to for the very same thing. 3. Think about being flexible for your needs. That flexibility could be the difference between a truck versus no truck. 4. Consider the option to run vehicles in your fleet for another year beyond your usual. Do some of that maintenance you put off with a new plan to keep that truck for now. 5. Learn about other makes and models than you usually pur- chase. 6. Talk to your suppliers early and often. 7. If you are consistent and loyal to your regular supplier, you will likely be taken care of before other customers who tend to jump around from supplier to supplier. We can learn so much if we talk to and share with each other. I look forward to conversations with anyone interested in discussing this topic more.