International Truck and Engine Corp. has received the J.D. Power and Associates award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Vocational Segment Class 8 Trucks," according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study released last week.
Customer satisfaction for the vocational award is measured on four factors: performance, quality, warranty and cost of ownership. International received especially high marks for quality and warranty, and scored above average on the other two factors. In the vocational segment, International tallied a total product index rating of 786, while the average score was 763. The vocational award is based on ratings from 1,120 primary maintainers of two-year-old Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. International is one of eight truck manufacturers that were included in the study; six makes had enough sample to be ranked in the vocational segment.
"International's line of severe-service trucks is built specifically to meet the demanding needs of customers in heavy-duty vocational segments such as construction, waste, oil field and municipalities," said Phil Christman, vice president and general manager, Severe Service Vehicle Center, International Truck and Engine. "We're proud that customers recognize our commitment to them. We take great pride in interacting with our customers to learn more about their business and what we can do to make their jobs more efficient with International's trucks and transportation solutions."
In addition to its top ranking in the vocational segment, International ranked second in service satisfaction. Service is an important attribute to truck owners. According to the study, respondents reported their trucks (all makes) were down an average of 4.1 times in the past year.
"With the largest commercial truck dealer network in North America, International is well-positioned to support a diverse range of customers--in segments beyond vocational--with the proper parts and service support, so customers can get their trucks back on the road as quickly as possible to avoid downtime," said Vaughn Allen, vice president, Product and Customer Support, International Truck and Engine.
The vocational segment includes trucks used in applications such as construction dumps, concrete mixers, waste haulers, oil-field operations and municipal snowplows. International offers two lines of trucks for this market--the International 7000 Series and the International PAYSTAR Series.
