J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Customer Satisfaction With Class 8 Trucks Declines Considerably After Nine Months of Ownership

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Among Class 8 truck owners, satisfaction peaks in the first nine months the truck is in service, then decreases notably, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

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The study examines trucks that are 1-model-year old(1) and finds that satisfaction levels peak during the first nine months of usage, averaging 768 on a 1,000-point scale. Between 10 and 14 months of usage, satisfaction tends to decline by an average of 20 points. After 14 months of ownership, satisfaction declines by an additional 25 points, on average.

"Many of the quality issues with heavy-duty trucks begin to appear after the 50,000-mile mark, which typically occurs around nine months of ownership, and more problems equate to lower satisfaction," said Todd Markusic, senior director of the commercial vehicle practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Unfortunately, the change in quality can be fairly dramatic, given the number of problems truck owners experience increases by roughly 70 percent on average after 50,000 miles."

The number of problems experienced by owners of 1-model-year-old trucks in 2010 averages 233 problems per 100 (PP100). In comparison, problem counts in 2009 averaged 249 PP100 among owners of 2-model-year-old trucks.

"After moving from looking at trucks that are 2 model-years old to 1 model-year old, it would have been expected that the quality improvement would be greater than 16 PP100," said Markusic. "However, 2009 was a tough year for the commercial truck industry, and many of the resulting layoffs and sporadic plant shutdowns likely had some impact on overall quality in the industry."

International ranks highest in the vocational truck segment with a score of 775 and performs particularly well in the engine, cab and body and transmission factors. Freightliner (760) and Kenworth (753) follow in the segment rankings.

In the service segment, International also ranks highest in Class 8 customer satisfaction and performs particularly well in all factors driving satisfaction: service delivery; service advisor; price; dealer facility; service quality; and service initiation. Freightliner follows in the service segment rankings.

"With sales shrinking during the past few years, dealers have placed heavy emphasis on improving the service experience to retain current customers and to help attract new ones," said Markusic. "The average number of days to complete a repair has improved from 2.3 days in 2009 to 2.0 days in 2010. Getting a truck back on the road nearly a half day earlier may save the truck owner thousands of dollars in potential lost revenue and greatly improve overall service satisfaction."

The 2010 Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 1,682 primary maintainers of 2009 model-year Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. The study was fielded in February and March 2010.

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking

(Based on a 1,000-point scale)

Vocational Truck Segment

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size are Autocar, Volvo and Western Star.

Dealer Service

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size are Autocar, Sterling, Volvo and Western Star.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction.  The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.  For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a global information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.  

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:

John Tews; Troy, Mich.; (248) 312-4119; [email protected]

Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103; [email protected]

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

(1) The methodology for the 2010 U.S. Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study was changed to examine owner satisfaction with 1-model-year-old trucks.  Prior to 2010, the study examined satisfaction with 2-model-year-old trucks.

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates