Business Fleet, September/October 2018

WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 13 BUSINESS FLEET September October 2018 flatbed wreckers necessitates a higher GVW says Clay Traylor vice president of northeast sales for Miller Industries Towing Equipment Inc a tow body manufacturer in Ooltewah Tenn We have some 3500HDs but theyre too light he says I hoped Chevy would come back into the Class 5 chassis size BODY BENEFITS The Silverado HD models are powered by a Duramax 66L turbodiesel V8 engine paired with an Allison transmission a partnership carried over from the previous generation There are customers who have been waiting just as long as we dealers have because they want that powertrain back Marion says The Allison is the gold standard for automatic transmissions and so is the Duramax for diesel engines The new trucks chassis has straight frame rails so its easy to drop a range of body types on it according to Schwegman As part of The Work Truck Show reveal GM sent a regular cab 6500HD to Monroe Truck Equipment to design a dump body thinking it would take Monroe considerable time to complete Monroe had the upfit ready in three days That was a telltale sign that we made it as simple as possible to put bodies on this vehicle Schwegman says Although its been almost 10 years since Chevrolet exited medium duty Sigmon doesnt think it will be a problem to rebuild partnerships with Randy Marion Chevrolets old upfit vendors They never got out of the business so were bringing additional business to them he says Its going to be easy because the body manufacturers will be able to put the upfits right on these trucks ONE STOP SHOP Chevrolets re entry into medium duty officially began when it launched the Low Cab Forward models Last March the manufacturer enrolled additional existing GM dealers to sell Low Cab Forwards and Classes 4 5 and 6 For us GM re entered the mediumduty market for the ability to be a onestop shop Uebelhor says Right now we can sell you a passenger car ton or ton however those who want to go to the higher end of the GVW spectrum have to go somewhere else Well now be able to take care of all fleet and small business needs right here To meet the demand for dealer support GM has created a commercial college to ensure its dealer network understands the product upfit process and customers The idea is to educate them and sharpen their skills on how to interact with the trucks compare their products to the competition and learn how to fulfill the needs of commercial customers Many fleets also run light duty pickups and cars for their sales reps so adjacent sales are an important part of the decision to re enter the medium duty market and carry the full line of product according to Keith McCluskey of McCluskey Chevrolet in Cincinnati Customers dont want to have to go to two or three different sources and up until the new medium duty trucks debut they were unable to be a one stop shop Randy Marion Chevrolet currently sells about 5000 commercial units per year and projects to exceed 7500 in 2019 with the addition of medium duty and Low Cab Forward units in 2019 Despite all the excitement the truck is not for all GM dealers Schwegman cautions Instead it is intended for those committed to the commercial business and its demanding customer base that requires specing expertise and quick service McCluskey Chevrolet has built a 55000 sq ft facility with a drivethrough truck wash and bays 35 feet deep with 14 foot doors The dealership remains open seven days a week until 3 a m and a half hour early for commercial accounts These fleets want to make money during the day McCluskey says They can drop off the trucks at night and well do the preventive maintenance and have everything ready for work the next day We get them back on the road and to the job site which means extra business for them For Traylor its crucial to have adequate service support from dealers to minimize downtime if a unit breaks down With Miller Industries specialized bodies When one of our trucks goes down you cant go to Ryder or UHaul and rent another one he says If its down its lost revenue WINNING BACK CUSTOMERS As chairman of the commercial dealer council before GM exited the mediumduty market Marion says his dealerships No 1 issue was filling the black hole that was created by the lack of a Class 4 to 6 truck It cost dealers incremental business not only the business lost by not having a medium duty but also the relationships with the companies that needed them They went to our competitors Marion says Nonetheless there are plenty of pre 2009 GM medium duties on the road Schwegman says the previous generation named Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick still hold historically high resale values Folks say those trucks are fantastic theyre not getting rid of them Schwegman says When we announced we were getting back in about a year and a half ago they said good I dont have to make a decision Im going to wait Schwegman understands the challenge that lies ahead in reclaiming the business of those customers who went elsewhere to fulfill their medium duty needs We have to earn back every customer one by one he says We need a solid network of more than 400 dealers who are trained and ready Presenting what we think is a great value story with this truck is going to be key Our dealers will play a big role especially on the small business side BF McCluskey Chevrolet in Cincinnati built a new 55000 sq ft facility a mile from its main showroom to accommodate increased demand from GMs reentry into the medium duty market The facility is open seven days a week until 3 a m to serve fleet customers PHOTO COURTESY OF MCCLUSKEY CHEVROLET