Truck spares pose problem

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34085, 24 February 1976, Page 11

Truck spares pose problem

The spare-parts service offered by distributors of heavy transport vehicles was criticised on Thursday by the senior vice-president of the Road Transport Association (Mr R. Martin). Mr Martin has been in Christchurch for a meeting with the Christchurch branch of the association. Transport operators throughout the country were J facing serious delays—often ■ weeks—for spare parts, he j said. “Last year delays were put down to wharf congestion,; overseas industrial unrest, : and shipping delays, but the! same excuses don’t wash this! year.” said Mr Martin. Reports received by the ■ national office of the associ-; anon indicated that some of! the problems stemmed from the centralisation of spareparts warehouses. Truck owners were regularfv told of delays in getting

a part from a centralised! store, he said. “If an operator insists on j getting a part urgently, he is | often required to pay the air-! ' freight bill on top of the cost; j of the part.” In the long run. Mr Martin said, the situation was re-. fleeted in the cost of trans-: port to the user. “We hear of ludicrous cases where a truck is laid i up for days because the local ' franchise holder does not I carry a $1 washer, or something similar,” he said. “In more serious cases.. trucks have been off the road • for months waiting for parts which should have been available locally to be im-j ported.” While centralised parts j warehouses might have proved more efficient for suppliers, they had done little: [to improve the ease with! I which customers could get [ : parts. “The supply delays and the cost of spares is becoming an increasingly significant item in road cartage rates,” Mr! Martin said.