How to Avoid Having Backordered Parts

“And all for the want of a horseshoe nail”. So ends Benjamin Franklin's poem on the importance of small components. Luckily, or maybe unlucky, readers probably don’t have an empire to lose. But a contract, maybe. Trucks and trailers may cost a few hundred thousand dollars but it’s remarkable how a 3$ fitting can bring everything to a screeching halt. Backordered parts have always been difficult to contend with and very annoying. Recent developments have not helped matters. But that doesn’t have to mean that you must sit silently on the sidelines while others get your parts when they get around to it. You do have choices.

Take control of part identification

The most important thing a fleet or a for-hire garage can do when it comes to sourcing parts is first and foremost identify your own parts. The only thing worse than dealing with a part being unavailable is then getting the wrong one. A wrong part identified by a supplier may not be your fault but it is your problem.

More and more manufacturers and even some distributors offer awesome sources of information and tools to identify just about any part you could need. Learn to use them. It’s not easy, but many tools are well-built and incredibly intuitive. In any case, driving around from store to store to have a part identified is incredibly costly on time and expensive because you’re going to pay a premium for parts identified by a supplier’s employee.

The other side of the argument, in favor of identifying your own parts, gives you the ability to shop online or by phone rather than driving around town and makes it much easier to verify pricing. There is an even more important aspect, however. Identifying your own parts, especially when you get good at it will mean you have the skills to find alternatives.

Know where to look for alternatives

First, a warning: not all parts can have their dimensions or characteristics changed, and most have limitations. Take a slack adjustor for example. To change any dimension is incredibly dangerous. Installing a slack adjustor just half an inch longer or shorter will absolutely change the braking power on that wheel. Or a shock absorber. For sure an inch longer or shorter will likely not affect anything so long as minimum length compressed and maximum length extended is respected. But go too far and the sleeve can be crushed, possibly damaging the shock or not allowing it to work properly.

So you must be careful how you play with the dimensions of part alternatives. What are good options then? Let’s stay with slack adjusters. They must be of the same dimension and the same type. But there are sometimes alternatives with multiple holes, usually 2 or 3. This can absolutely be an alternative. We talked about how you can change the dimensions of the shock absorbers you use. How about airbags? Whether the airbag has a plastic or metal base doesn’t matter. It may look funny, but it beats not running for a day or weeks.

Always make sure that the change in dimension or specification won’t have a negative secondary effect, but definitely look for alternatives. If you can save even just one day of work that’s one less day the driver can’t work. It’s also one less opportunity for the driver’s customer to second guess their choice of transporter.

Conclusion

When choosing parts and especially part alternatives, safety must always come first. But that said, the exact part number from the first fit manufacturer is not necessary. This is the foundational reason why a thriving aftermarket for parts exists. By taking control of your own part identification you know every option will be considered in the name of keeping your wheels turning and profit coming in. No one cares more about the uptime of your fleet and taking control of your part identification and finding part alternatives is up to you because it’s for you.