Bob Bissler

Senior Editor

Bob Bissler is Modern Tire Dealer's senior editor. He began his interest in the automotive industry as a teenager helping his brother work on drag race cars, and after high school he worked in his other brother's body shop.

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Mike Manges

Senior Editor

Mike Manges is Modern Tire Dealer's senior editor. He is a three-time International Automotive Media Association award winner and holds a Gold Award from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors. He also edits MTD's acclaimed Commercial Tire Dealer section, as well as The Kovach Tire Report, MTD's sister publication. Mike has traveled the world -- including Asia, Europe and North America -- in pursuit of stories.

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Emergency service tops fleets' list of wants

By: Mike Manges

What is the most important service that commercial trucking fleets demand from their medium truck tire suppliers? Emergency on-site service.

So say respondents to Modern Tire Dealer's most recent Commercial Tire Dealer Survey.

The survey results underscore the supreme importance of road service, plus how expensive down-time can be for fleets.

In the survey, dealers were given the choice of 11 services. They were asked how important the services were to their fleet customers. "Extremely important" was the best a dealer could say about a service.

Approximately 43.2% of respondents said emergency on-site service was "extremely important," which clearly placed it first.  In second place: 24-hour road service at 36.1%.

Here are the rest and their rankings:

3. Early morning service (26.5%)

4. Equitable adjustment policy (25.3%)

5. Low price (21.2%)

6. Particular retread process (16.9%)

7. Particular brand of tire (14.8%)

8. Tire maintenance program (12.2%)

9. Vehicle maintenance program (11%)

10. Mount and refurbish wheels (7.3%)

11. Scrap surveys (6.1%)

The message is clear: the more services that you, the commercial truck tire dealer, can offer, the better. But on-site service is still king.

A friend who drove a long-haul truck for several years recently told me that sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire induces a terrible feeling. The wait for help can seem interminable and every minute that ticks away is money lost.

That's why frequent evaluations of your road service program are so important. You want to make sure it's in tip-top shape. Trucking fleets are more sophisticated than ever and road service programs need to be every bit as advanced.

Related Topics: Medium truck tires, MTD 2010 Commercial Tire Dealer Survey, Retreading, Trucking industry