Truck Parts RFQ: Verify Alternate Numbers and Kit Contents
Back to the ATP Garage guide libraryPart identification & buying / Alternate numbers, kits and printable RFQ worksheet
Quick answer: Treat an alternate number as a candidate to verify, and treat "kit" or "complete assembly" as a scope that needs an itemized answer. Keep the original marking, proposed replacement, installed application, included items and supplier confirmation in one request for quote (RFQ). A matching search result, photograph or broad truck model does not complete that record.
Application: General commercial-truck purchasing guidance. Cummins supplies serial-based catalog context and a historical 2019 catalog-training example; Detroit supplies a scoped historical DD15/16 conversion example. Neither is a current interchange list or approval for a specific truck. This worksheet does not diagnose a fault, approve fitment or authorize a repair.
Which identifiers belong in a truck-parts request?
Start with fleet unit, VIN, year/make/model and the actual installed equipment. For an engine component, add engine model, full serial and relevant generation/build information. For a transmission, axle or another assembly, retain its own identification. Disclose swaps and conversions rather than assuming the original truck build still describes every component.
Copy the complete component marking, including leading zeros, suffixes and punctuation. Label each number by where it came from: part label, casting, invoice, supplier lookup or unverified cross-reference. Keep accessible photographs of the label, complete item, connections, mounting and installed position. Mark unreadable details unknown; do not fill a gap with a plausible-looking number.
Cummins' current Parts Information page lists serial-number and part-number lookup routes and directs users to engine-identification information. That supports using the installed equipment record; it does not verify an individual replacement for this article. [1]
How should an alternate number or supersession be checked?
Ask the supplier what relationship is being proposed: a manufacturer supersession, an aftermarket cross-reference, a remanufactured option, a component supplied within an assembly, or a conversion. Preserve the source number and proposed number as separate fields. Ask which current manufacturer application information supports that relationship for the installed equipment.
Record the reference, revision or lookup date, who confirmed it, and any attached conditions. Ask whether the change is a direct replacement or requires a package, supporting components or applicable setup. If two suppliers disagree, keep the disagreement open until they reconcile the application and scope; do not choose an answer by counting matching search results.
Cummins' training dated 2/6/2019 separates supersession, ReCon and kit information in its part-detail examples. The deck explicitly calls its screens a snapshot that will change. Use the distinction between these relationships; obtain the current answer instead of following an old screen layout. [2]
What does a complete assembly or kit actually include?
Request the exact quoted service item and an itemized contents list with quantities and exclusions. Ask separately about actuator or control unit, seals/gaskets, brackets, fittings, lines, fasteners and instructions when relevant. A photograph may show a larger installation than the supplied item. Keep required additional purchases distinct from items included in the price.
The same historical Cummins training distinguishes a kit's top-level number from its component contents and uses ESN information to identify applicable kits. A component shown inside a kit is a different ordering question from the complete kit. Confirm the current contents and application with the supplier. [2]
Detroit's historical 18SP687 Rev1 describes an old-to-new DD15/16 EGR-actuator conversion containing supporting hardware and coolant components as well as the actuator, and warns that the parts are not backward-compatible. This illustrates why a bare actuator and a conversion package need different quote descriptions. It establishes no current kit recommendation or all-generation interchange rule. [3]
Have the installer define required supporting work and confirm whether programming, calibration, adjustment or a completion check applies. Do not infer that a part arrives configured for the truck merely because its connector or appearance matches.
Copy and print: truck-parts RFQ worksheet
Use one request packet per component. Keep unknown fields visible and attach supplier answers rather than changing uncertain information into confirmed information.
| Record | Fill in or attach |
|---|---|
| Request | Date: ______ Quote reference: ______ Company/contact: ____________________ |
| Vehicle | Fleet unit: ______ Year/make/model: ______ VIN: ____________________ |
| Installed assembly | Engine/transmission/axle model: ______ Serial, build and generation: ______ Swaps or conversions: ______ |
| Original component | Description and installed position: ______ Full label number: ______ Other markings and their source: ______ |
| Photographs | Label/data plate: ____ Complete item: ____ Connections, mounting and ports: ____ |
| Proposed replacement | Proposed number and condition: ______ Relationship to original: ______ Application reference/date and conditions: ______ |
| Scope of supply | Quantity: ____ Bare item/assembly/kit: ____ Contents and quantities attached: ____ Exclusions/additional parts: ____ Setup or installer questions: ____ |
| Delivery | ZIP and destination type: ______ Required-by date/time: ______ Availability/dispatch/transit confirmations: ______ |
| Commercial terms | Part price: ____ Freight/tax: ____ Core deposit/return terms: ____ Warranty and other return terms: ____ |
| Supplier confirmation | Confirmed by/reference/date: ______ Unresolved questions and next action: ______ |
How should two supplier quotes be compared?
First reconcile application, condition, quantity and scope. A bare component, an assembly with selected accessories, and a documented conversion can represent different purchases. Ask each supplier to identify what its price includes, what must be ordered separately and what the installer still needs to resolve.
Then record part price, freight, tax, any core deposit, return terms and applicable warranty requirements. Keep a required-by date separate from availability, dispatch and transit estimates. Save who confirmed availability and when; this article makes no stock or delivery promise. For the broader order process, see the heavy-duty parts ordering guide.
What should remain with the approved request?
Keep the original evidence, final supplier confirmation and itemized quote together. Ask the installer to confirm that the proposed item and supporting work answer the diagnosed repair need. If a marking, contents list or application remains unresolved, retain that open question and request the missing evidence before authorizing the purchase.
Send vehicle identifiers, contact details and photographs directly to the supplier. Remove private vehicle and order details before sharing an example in a public forum. This resource does not publish a supplier cross-reference list.
You may print and share this blank worksheet for parts purchasing and training. If you reproduce it online, identify Advanced Truck Parts as the source. A link to this original resource is appreciated and is not a condition of use.
Common parts RFQ and package questions
Does a matching alternate number prove fitment?
It is a candidate to verify against the installed application and current manufacturer information. Retain the supplier's confirmation and conditions.
Is a supersession always the same as an aftermarket cross-reference?
Ask which relationship is being proposed. Preserve its source, application and conditions rather than treating the labels as equivalent.
Does a photograph prove all pictured parts are included?
Request the exact service item, itemized contents, quantities and exclusions in the quote.
Can I order a kit component by the kit number?
Confirm whether the quote identifies the complete kit or a separately supplied component. Keep the top-level item and its contents distinct.
What if the label or application is unknown?
Mark it unknown, attach the available vehicle and assembly evidence, and ask what additional information is required before ordering.
Can this worksheet be used with another supplier?
Yes. Print and share the blank worksheet for purchasing or training; retain Advanced Truck Parts attribution if reproducing it online.
Manufacturer sources and application limits
Dated examples explain the decision and its limits. Use current service information for the actual installed vehicle, engine and component. No universal test threshold or replacement authorization is supplied here.
- Cummins, Parts Information, undated public page checked November 5, 2026. Serial-number and part-information lookup context; no specific replacement, stock or fitment verified.
- Cummins, Parts.cummins.com Training, date displayed 2/6/2019, slides 6-7, 29-34. Historical snapshot distinguishes supersession, ReCon, kits and kit contents, including ESN-based kit selection. Screen layout and access are not represented as current.
- Detroit, 18SP687 Rev1, DD15/16 EGR Actuator Replacement Service Kit, pages 1 and 5; historical document marked 1412 in the 2015 NHTSA archive. Old-to-new conversion contents and backward-compatibility warning only. Not a current kit recommendation or all-generation interchange rule.
Send the confirmed component request
Use the fitment verification form with the vehicle and installed-assembly identities, complete markings, installed position, diagnostic finding and accessible photographs. Part fitment, package contents and availability require confirmation.
Related guide: Truck Parts Fitment: DD15 and DD16 Examples Before You Buy.
