FedEx trucks are facing a national shortage due to manufacturers being shut down, and their production delayed due to social distancing and COVID-19 testing requirements. As the country reopens slowly, you might have questions on what is happening within our industry, and you can trust Work Truck Direct to give you the most up-to-date answers.

What is happening at the manufacturer level?

Manufacturers are being hit differently, but ultimately, production has slowed due to COVID-19 and the spring lock-downs. For example, at Ford, production will pause when an employee gets COVID-19, and after thorough investigation and testing of all employees, they will reopen, until the next case hits. This lapse of production causes delays that we will feel the impact from now, and in the months to come. “Overall Ford is operating at about 30% production. There was effectively no production at all in March, April, and most of May.” Says Ryan Makris, President of Work Truck Direct. “That means that chassis that were supposed to deliver to body companies in April, May, and June have been delayed by 3 months or more.”

On the flip-side, manufacturers such as FCCC (Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation) are operating much more steadily than Ford, which will result in us seeing more Freightliner chassis come in stock earlier than Ford.

Will there be a shortage of trucks?

There already is a shortage. Phones are ringing at AP Equipment Financing (our distributor for FedEx trucks); customers want to buy and there just isn’t much out there.

Three major factors are contributing to this national truck shortage, which include:

1. Chassis production delays caused by COVID-19 and the stop-and-go production at manufacturing plants
2. Since everyone is now working at home and not shopping in person, home delivery is now operating at peak season levels. There’s an exponential demand for home deliveries and supply is struggling to catch up.
3. The lock-downs across the nation that started in early March caused plant closures, production backlogs, and supply chain issues, which foreshadowed one thing: a massive shortage of trucks in 2020.

In early April, Ryan Makris stated that even if manufacturers are open, “chances are pretty good there’s going to be one company out of the thousands that they buy parts from, that will not be open or will not be operational.” This means that even if the chassis are ready, the truck can’t be shipped to you unless it’s 100% operational with all the parts intact. Find out more information in this video as Ryan discusses what’s going on in the truck world.

Where are these updates coming from?

Work Truck Direct and their partners at AP Equipment Financing have a pulse on current manufacturer and industry news, with connections to manufacturers such as Utilimaster, Morgan Olson, Ford, Chevy, and Freightliner.

Can I order a truck if one isn’t stocked due to the virus?

You can order trucks but with production delays, you might not see that truck in stock until early 2021. Instead, we suggest that you find a truck that will be built this year. If you have further questions or want to keep in touch when Fedex inventory does become available, get in contact with AP Financing today.

Built with the Future in Mind

Bigger is better right? When it comes to this powerplant we’d like to think so! This 7.7L inline 6 Detroit turbo diesel is built with the future in mind, ready to meet emissions standards. This engine has been tested in the European market since 2013, with over 150,000 units on the road currently. This engine became available in the US in January of 2018 in the Medium truck duty market. It’s available in the Freightliner M2 106, 108SD, and the 114SD models. Here’s 5 reasons people are buying Detroit!

1.  Power and Torque

The 7.7L Powerplant inline 6 comes equipped with a simple, fixed-geometry, turbocharger for better performance, efficiency and reliability. The DD8 HP ranges from 260-350 HP with peak torque ranging from 660-1050 LB FT all dependent on the configuration. These numbers in addition the features this engine provides you, make this engine a huge player in the medium truck duty market.

2.  Emissions After Treatment

Remember the good old days before diesel particulate filters or aftertreatment systems?  If you’re like most truck owners you have probably experienced the frustration which can come with owning a modernized diesel engine vehicle.  The emissions components on modern-day trucks, while good for the environment, are often bad for your blood pressure (and your wallet). With most engines in the market you have to drive at highways speeds for at least 20 minutes straight for your engine to activate its burn cycle. If you happen to work in an industry that doesn’t drive on the highway very much (tree removal, for example) then you are supposed to activate the burn manually while idling. Forgetting to can clog or break the filter, and need to be replaced – at a cost upwards of $5,000! Luckily for us, Detroit has figured it out. The new Detroit DD8 uses a VCP or Variable Cam Phasing. The way this system works is that it utilizes the heat in the engine to efficiently keep the after treatment DPF always at peak operating temperature. This system is always active while the truck is running. It allows your DD8 engine to activate its burn at only 25 miles per hour, seamlessly in the background.

3.  Maintenance Intervals

The industry leading maintenance intervals for the Detroit DD8 engine far surpass the competition. The next closest competitor’s engines oil change interval is 15,000 miles/12 months or 500 hours. Whereas the new Detroit DD8 oil change interval is 55,000 miles/18 months or 1800 hours. You will save money on having to change the oil often.  Still, you can go for 18 months vs 12 months before your next oil change.

4.  Warranty Issues & Virtual Technician

This engine comes standard with a 3 year/250,000-mile warranty under the Freightliner name. Detroit Diesel is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, the same company that owns Freightliner. This means faster answers, better turnaround times, and a smoother experience overall at your local Freightliner service center should you need to get repairs or warranty work completed.

If a major issue pops up while you are driving, you will receive a notification from your virtual technician. This notification will tell you to stop driving the truck if it can cause major damage to your engine. Your virtual technician comes standard for 3 years, with the purchase of a new truck. If you have one work truck or a fleet of these work trucks, Detroit makes it easy to manage the information from the computer via your own customer portal. You can sign into your portal and view the statuses of the engine, oil change intervals, etc.

5.  Engine Brake

While most trucks in the medium duty truck market come with a driver-controlled exhaust brake the DD8 has an additional option to purchase an engine brake, . The DD8’s integrated engine brake provides more stopping power. Rather than putting power out, the engine absorbs it, like many long-haul trucks today.

Detroit DD8 Available Now!

Work Truck Direct has 2019 Freightliner M2 Chip dump trucks on the ground and ready to go. These trucks are spec’d with a 14’ Arbortech body, 26,000 GVWR, the Detroit DD8 engine paired to the Allison 2500 series transmission, and L-box tool storage compartments. To learn more information on these trucks such as pricing please give us a call at 888.998.6909, or email us at info@worktruckdirect.com.

Work Truck dubbed “The Brute”

We dubbed this 2018 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD “The Brute” since it has aggressive engineering and power. The Chevy 3500 Silverado HD is a work truck that demands your attention. First, this truck comes equipped with the new 6.6-liter Duramax L5P turbo diesel engine. The power output is 445 hp and 910 lb. ft. of torque…. stock! There are no tunes available yet, which don’t void the manufacturer’s 5 year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. This wouldn’t be a work truck without the renowned 6-speed 1000 series Allison Transmission. And if all of that isn’t enough to make you start drooling, this truck also comes with the optional 4×4 drivetrain. This Chevy Silverado 3500 HD will carry all your tools and equipment and still give those Mustangs a run for their money.

Workport Utility Body

The Workport utility body is a true workshop on wheels, making your job more functional and organized. This unique body makes for an easy on the job experience, which can be tailored to your specific needs. Safety features include rear backup camera with in-cab display to prevent backing into anything with the pooched style 3-step rear steel bumper. Just be careful not to back into anything, as you can do some serious damage. That’s what is so great about this truck: it’s built to handle anything you throw at it! That’s why we dubbed this truck, “The Brute.”

Apart from the available LED lighting inside the translucent roof allows for added light during the daytime. Or if you would rather work outside on a sunny day, the exterior doors fold down to create an impromptu work bench for ease of access to your tools. The interior workbenches come with storage underneath to access your tools and equipment from inside or from the exterior doors. When it’s dark, on the rear of the body, there is a flood light to make sure that entry and exit into the vehicle is safe and well lit. The interior floor is Tuff-Ply rubberized non-slip coin matte overlay, which adds to the life of the floor as well as adding traction for safe pass-through. All of this comes with Rockport’s standard 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty.

Contact Us

We can also build this body on Ford or Ram products. If this truck is a good fit for your business, let us know! Call your account manager, or call 888-998-6909 if you’ve never spoken with us.