Paccar Divisions Dominate Customer Satisfaction Study
Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks took all four top rankings in the latest J.D. Power & Associates Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study. Peterbilt ranked highest in three categories (over-the-road, vocational and dealer service), and Kenworth won among pickup and delivery truckers.
The two makes, both divisions of Paccar Inc., were the only brands to rank above average in all categories. Results of the study were based on responses from 2,675 primary maintainers of two-year-old heavy trucks operated by smaller fleets and owner-operators. Average fleet size at a single location was 64 trucks.
Researchers said Peterbilt over-the-road trucks performed particularly well in the quality, exterior, engine, ride/handling/braking and transmission factors. They also noted that the top ranking was driven by the performance of the Peterbilt 379, which received strong scores and showed substantial year-to-year improvement in satisfaction with engine and transmission factors. Kenworth was the only other brand to perform above average in the over-the-road segment.
In winning the vocational segment, Peterbilt received strong scores in all six factors considered in the study: quality; exterior; engine; ride/handling/braking; transmission; and interior. Its strength in the segment was the quality factor, with fewer users reporting problems in 2003 compared to 2002. Western Star was a close second in this category. Kenworth and Sterling also performed above the segment average.
Peterbilt's first-place ranking for dealer service came as a result of measuring customer satisfaction with service received from authorized dealers' service departments. Factors included dealer attitude, facilities, quality, service delivery, service initiation, service advisor and price. Dealer facilities and service initiation were cited as key Peterbilt strengths. Mack Trucks was a close second in this category. Kenworth, Western Star and Sterling also ranked above average.
Kenworth's top ranking in satisfaction among pickup and delivery customers resulted from particularly high rankings in all six factors. It got especially high ratings among T800 and W900 owners. Peterbilt and Mack also rank above the segment average.
The 2003 study was Power's eighth annual Class 8 truck survey.
More products
