The DL - Episode 18 - Truck Parts is now available on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and YouTube. 

In the latest episode of The DL, Diesel Laptops Founder and CEO, Tyler Robertson, is joined by Nate Knorr, the Diesel Laptops Truck Parts Product Manager. Nate oversees all of Diesel Laptops’ Truck Parts Software applications: Truck Parts Cross, Truck Parts Lookup, and Truck Parts Premium. 

Before we start: make sure to sign up for your free account at our Truck Parts Cross website, and don't forget to download our free mobile apps for iOS and Android as well!

The Longest Month Ever

Nate has been in the parts business since 1997 when he went to work for his father, who had run a parts business for more than thirty years. He originally agreed to help his father out around the store for one month. That month turned into a lifelong career in parts for Nate. 

“He says ‘Nate can you help me out for one month?’ I said ‘Absolutely.’ I don’t know if that month is up yet because I’m still doing it.” - Nate Knorr

After working for a Cummins dealer, Nate changed focus and took a job with American State Equipment where he specialized in parts for off-highway equipment. Going full circle, he eventually went back to Cummins where he stayed in the truck parts industry until he began working for Diesel Laptops in 2017. 

The Truck Parts World Is Tough

Experienced, knowledgable parts professionals are becoming a rarity in today’s industry. 

“When I first started there were multiple parts guys where you could throw a slack adjuster or a u-joint or a busted airbag up on the parts counter and that guy would get his tape measure out and his book out and he’d just start figuring it out… now it’s ‘give me the VIN number or I can’t help you.’” - Tyler Robertson

Nate believes a lack of training is what lead to the current state of affairs as entry-level parts professionals only get minimal training. OEMs only offer training on how to use their website to look up parts with little-to-no emphasis on parts identification, recommendation, or selling skills. 

Truck Parts Can Be Easier

Two years ago, Diesel Laptops setting out to change the Truck Parts world with Truck Parts Cross; a free, universal software application that allows anyone to cross-reference parts. 

Setting out to create a truck parts database was no easy task. Originally, Nate and Tyler asked manufacturers to provide information for their database and every manufacturer turned them down. Their only option was to scan parts catalogs and enter the part numbers manually in a database of millions of parts. 

This enormous project required an army of data entry specialists to accomplish, but along the way, they made sure to clean up all the part numbers, changing 8s to 0s, etc, ensuring the cleanest possible database. They also double-checked indirect cross-references to ensure accuracy, making changes where needed. 

Unlike their competitors, the Truck Parts Cross database isn’t full of redundancies based on vendor prefixes. Because of this streamlined approach, searches on Truck Parts Cross will yield clearer, more accurate results. 

More Truck Parts Information

Truck Parts Premium

With the latest software application, Truck Parts Premium, they’ve built a suite of tools that give you the power of advanced truck parts data to make better buying decisions, save money, and increase margins.