Peterbilt ranks highest in three segments for Customer Satisfaction in J.D. Power and Associates Heavy Duty Truck Study

Fleet Equipment, Oct 2003

Peterbilt Motors Company achieved highest rankings in the first ever J.D. Power and Associates Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction StudySM in the over-the-road, vocational and dealer service segments-three of the four segments measured.

"Having customers rate Peterbilt products and services as the highest in our industry is a valued honor for everyone within our organization and throughout our dealer network. Peterbilt has enjoyed a long, proud history of providing customers with superior products, services and support, and we are extremely pleased this commitment has been recognized through the J.D. Power and Associates study," says Nick Panza, Peterbilt General manager and PACCAR vice-president. "Peterbilt's Class 8 vehicles-including our flagship Model 379, the aerodynamically styled Model 387 and the Model 357, a favorite among vocational customers-are industry leaders in performance, reliability and resale value. Our customers recognize and value these attributes."

Results of the 2003 J.D. Power and Associates Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study are based on interviews with more than 2,000 owner-operators and fleet owners engaged in over-the-road, pick-up-and-delivery and vocational applications with Class 8 vehicles.

The study ranks respondents attitudes toward their service experiences with OEM dealerships and product attributes such as vehicle quality; vehicle engine; vehicle transmission; ride, handling and braking; vehicle interior; and vehicle exterior.

In addition to the top ranking in the over-the-road segment, Peterbilt led in six of seven product factors-quality; exterior; ride, handling and braking; sleeper; engine; and transmission-with scores significantly higher than the industry average. This ranking is driven by the performance of the Peterbilt Model 379, which receives strong scores and shows substantial improvement in satisfaction with the engine and transmission factors.

Peterbilt also led the rankings for customer satisfaction in the vocational segment of the study, consisting of truck applications without sleepers where vehicles operate in particularly rugged or demanding environments. In this area, Peterbilt ranked highest in quality, exterior, engine and transmission, tied for first in ride, handling and braking, and was second in interior.

"The product attributes where Peterbilt led in satisfaction have very direct impact on the productivity, efficiency and profitability of our customers," Panza says. "For instance, product attributes are based on characteristics such as vehicle reliability, ease of serviceability, ride quality, curb weight, and ease of entry and egress. To our customers, these mean ways to improve operations by helping increase uptime, reduce maintenance costs, lessen driver fatigue and increase payloads."

In the other product area of the study, pickup and delivery, Peterbilt ranked second, with scores significantly better than the industry average in every product attribute category.

Additionally, Peterbilt led in customer intention to repurchase for over-the-road and vocational segments, and tied for first in customer intention to repurchase for the pickup and delivery segment. Intention to repurchase a vehicle from the same OEM is often cited as a leading indicator of customer satisfaction.