Lucas Deal (TPS Chief Editor)

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Lucas Deal joined Randall-Reilly in 2011 and serves as chief editor and content director of Trucks, Parts, Service. He is a board member of the independent aftermarket group GenNext HD and participates in various other industry organizations. He can be reached at , and is on Twitter .

Business operations
𝔉New CDK Truck Connect event valuable, collaborative experience for all
🌠What happened in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas for CDK Global Heavy Truck. Recently the company hosted CDK Truck Connect in Las Vegas, a multi-faceted learning and collaborative educational event for customers, OEMs and third-party partners.
May 18, 2023
CDK's Dave Carson speaking to group
MarketPulse
ꦰTPS MarketPulse responders acclimating to softer market
🃏Dealer and aftermarket sentiment for the months ahead finally shifted in a positive direction in our most recent TPS MarketPulse survey, as responders believe the industry is settling into a new normal.
May 7, 2023
TPS industry survey image
Class 7-8
Class 8 orders plummeted in April
♏In announcing their preliminary reports, ACT Research and FTR state a drop in orders was expected to occur, but at a slightly later date. The companies believe the slip has more to do with production slots than true demand.
May 3, 2023
Freightliner
Inventory management
ꦫSuppliers share how they evaluate, onboard new distribution points
🔴Commercial vehicle suppliers are very protective of their distribution networks. They don't add points of sale haphazardly. When considering a network expansion, vendors rely on conversations with existing partners and network analysis to find good fits.
May 3, 2023
North American distribution map for supplier
Business operations
🎐Karmak shares lessons learned after surviving cyberattack
𒀰The news last month that Karmak was hit by a ransomware attack sent shockwaves through the industry. Two months later, President and CEO Jim Allen shares what the company learned from the experience — and how their experience can help their customers.
April 27, 2023
red triangle outline with an exclamation point in the center on top of binary code
Outlook and Benchmarking
Economic volatility challenging market forecasts
༺Economic uncertainty has started to bleed into production forecasting in the commercial vehicle sector, experts from MEMA and FTR reported during MEMA’s monthly Pulse webinar on Wednesday.
April 26, 2023
Blurry truck on highway
Service and repair
Best practices for insurance claim photos
🌌Filing, evaluating and approving an insurance claim can be a major bottleneck during a truck repair. Insurance professionals say too many garages struggle to submit photos that can quickly confirm a vehicle’s damage and move claims forward.
April 19, 2023
Insurance photo panel discussion
Technician training
🐬Connectivity and technical innovations in equipment will force aftermarket shops to evolve
✨After touching on the components used within advanced driver assistance systems Tuesday, the second day at the HD Repair Forum addressed the impact these technologies will have on independent service shops and their ability to serve customers.
April 19, 2023
Jim Barber with Bendix CVS
Pay and benefits
The impact your culture has on your job openings
🌜The North American collision and body shop industry has a 35,000-worker technician shortage. The industry also receives only 4,500 post-secondary technical graduates each year. Doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to see how that math equation adds up.
April 18, 2023
Jeff Rhoads speaking at 2023 HD Repair Forum
Technician training
HD Repair Forum tackles ADAS service
🐟During a breakout session Tuesday at the HD Repair Forum, Bendix’s Joe Lauritzen provided attendees a technical overview of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and how they should be properly maintained.
April 18, 2023
Bendix's Joe Lauritzen
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