Business Fleet, September/October 2018

WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 12 BUSINESS FLEET September October 2018 Nine years after exiting the segment GM revealed the all new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD 5500HD and 6500HD chassis cabs at NTEAs The Work Truck Show 2018 Along with GMs launch of its medium duty Chevrolet Low Cab Forward models in 2016 the automaker has once again committed fully to the medium duty segment Production of the new Silverados is slated for the tail end of the calendar year meaning dealers and customers wont start seeing them until the first quarter of 2019 By all accounts they cant come soon enough People have been waiting in line asking for this truck says Tony Uebelhor of Uebelhor Sons a Chevrolet dealer in Jasper Ind We have been getting a lot of pent up demand for the past 15 years RIGHTSIZED AND REFINED The dealers Business Fleet spoke to say the new medium duties boast an unexpected level of comfort accessibility and maneuverability from Class 4 5 and 6 trucks a plus for businesses with small fleets and crossover use The new truck uses the familiar lightduty Silverado cab and will benefit from its consumer designed appointments that include new technology such as Wi Fi hotspots and updates to OnStar The old truck couldnt be used as a family vehicle it was too tall says Randy Marion of Randy Marion Chevrolet Marion says that the trucks lower frame and cab height combined with a crew cab and pickup bed will provide a retail truck with a ton of content The key here is that the truck will do the job but its pretty much like driving a pickup Uebelhor says Unlike the light duty Silverado the medium duty has a new design feature the tilt forward clamshell hood which makes the engine and its components more accessible for servicing GM got the dealers involved and found out what was important to them says Brad Sigmon vice president of Marion Chevrolet We didnt need that big of a truck we needed one that could do the work so they made it lighter and gave that payload back The reveal of the new 6500HD model with a GVW of 22900 lbs was an unexpected surprise at The Work Truck Show Some fleets need a Class 6 because theyre running out of GVW according to John Schwegman director of commercial product for GM He offers the example of energy utility fleets using bucket trucks Theyre buying a competitors Class 5 truck but to save weight theyre using an aluminum body at a substantial incremental cost They can get the easier step in height of our 6500HD along with a smaller cab and more maneuverability and save that 5000 to 6000 for a steel body bucket truck Schwegman says Other industries are warming to the higher GVWs For towing companies the move away from hook and chain to rollback BY CHAD SIMON General Motors dealers discuss the new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Class 4 5 and 6 medium duty trucks in terms of GVW dimensions servicing and upfits and finally being able to compete again in Classes 1 to 6 What are Dealers Saying About GMs Re entry into Medium Duty MEDIUM DUTY At NTEAs The Work Truck Show in March 2018 Chevrolet dealers Randy Marion left to right Tony Uebelhor and GM engineer David Arco celebrate the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD 5500HD and 6500HD For us GM re entered the medium duty market for the ability to be a one stop shop Uebelhor says PHOTO COURTESY OF GENERAL MOTORS