We’ve all heard about the chip shortage plaguing the auto industry, and if your plans include adding light trucks and vans to your fleet, that can cause significant delays. And while larger, heavy-duty machines may not be impacted quite as much, they rely on microchips, too, and in places that don’t even exist on over-road vehicles. Places like lift and dump controls, blowers and sweepers, and dozens of other applications from pumps to warning lights and other safety equipment. A single tiny chip can keep a six-figure truck from leaving the factory.

Parts Shortages can Sink a Fleet

In many cases your fleet is dependent on another fleet—of ships. Right now, major ports like Los Angeles have dozens of container ships sitting idly offshore due to lack of berthing space and crews to man the cranes and trucks needed to get the merchandise onshore and on its way to distribution points. That’s causing shortages of everything from raw materials like steel and rubber to Christmas toys to car and truck parts. Companies like Costco and Amazon are telling customers to get their holiday orders in now or risk late deliveries. That goes for fleet managers, too. Maybe even more so since Nintendos and X-Boxes may crowd industrial parts off trucks, trains, and cargo planes.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm Gear

Don’t be the second in line for the last part in stock. We encourage you to plan ahead and allow extra time for parts and supplies for both scheduled and emergency maintenance.

As supply and distribution problems increase during the busy pre-holiday season, shortages and delays will only get worse. While “just in time” inventory management has proven to be a major cost saver in many businesses, in many cases purchasing managers are finding that lead times have become nearly impossible to predict and are choosing to have stock on hand rather than risk shortages.

O.J. Watson is Part of Your Backup Plan

From dump trucks to snowblowers, your fleet won’t be of much value if you can’t get it out the door. At O.J. Watson Equipment, we’re working with our suppliers to anticipate issues and keep parts and accessory supplies in stock. We’re also finding ways to work around issues when parts and materials are simply unavailable.

And if a part or accessory isn’t available, there’s a good chance we can fabricate it in our shops or design a workaround to keep you in business. With 20 mechanics on the floor in the Denver shop and 10 more in Greeley, we’re ready to keep your trucks performing at their best with minimal down time.

OJ is the OG in Work Trucks

O.J. Watson has been building and maintaining trucks from pickups to large workhorses since 1912, so you can be sure you're getting the finest designs and equipment backed up by OEM parts and superior service. With facilities in Denver and Greely, we’re easy to get to from all Front Range and rural Colorado locations.

We also have a huge variety of accessory items and parts at both our locations, and we are experts in custom fabrication to meet every need. Whatever specialized truck and truck equipment you require, from large to small, O.J. Watson is proudly prepared to handle it.

Learn more about truck maintenance and our other many products and services on our website: ojwatson.com.