Business Fleet, November/December 2020

WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 9 BUSINESS FLEET November December 2020 doesnt go anymore though small fleets still want to be able to walk onto a dealer lot and buy another one Theyre going to find thats going to be very challenging for them Davis adds that as small fleet operators develop their cycling strategy for 2021 and beyond they should carefully consider when they will need the vehicle to support their business The earlier an organization can determine its needs and place vehicle orders accordingly the better off theyll be he says Large fleets traditionally develop robust cycling strategies early in the year to ensure orders are submitted in a timely fashion And as larger fleets begin to adjust to the current economic environment and begin to place orders there will be additional pressure on availability Davis says Often however budget approvals delay their ability to place orders With that in mind small fleet operators should capitalize on their agility and place orders as soon as possible Davis says Perkins expects that with production delays new vehicle orders would probably not arrive until late spring or early summer of 2021 Anything theyre anticipating needing over the next six months I really suggest that they start to cycle those fleet vehicles out today he says 4 SOME ARE FORCED TO EXTEND REPLACEMENT CYCLES Rick Longobart a principal for Longobart Ross Consulting says that this economic downturn a bigger financial hurdle than the Great Recession will put even more strain on replacement needs this time around Fleets will need to look at various ways of replacing equipment from the conventional wisdom of debt allocation to leasing financing and seeking grant funds to offset the financial cutbacks he says Ivan Boykin Ford general manager ComJeb Lopez founder and CEO of Wheelz Up says new Ford Transits and Ram ProMasters are scarce during peak delivery season There are few discounts theyre harder to spec and service lanes are clogged with competitors vans needing repairs PHOTO COURTESY OF JEB LOPEZ WHEELZ UP