“We sell to a couple of large fleets, and in the past, they would begin trimming back, but right now we are seeing strong orders from the fleets,” said Rick Reynolds, owner of Peach State Truck Center.
The group discussed several topics, good and bad, that the sales industry is facing. But, Four Star Freightliner Dealer Principal Jerry Kocan said the franchise locations have positioned themselves well.
“Franchised dealers are the first ones to add technology, we are the first to train our people and we take care of our customers with that. That’s a huge competitive advantage,” Kocan said.
Paul Burk, vice president of Doggett Freightliner, said that meeting customer’s needs quickly is more important now than ever before.
“We are always looking to get our customers in and out. The quicker we get them out, the better it is for that fleet owner and customer,” he said.
The panelists all agreed that finding, training and keeping technicians remains an issue. But, they all echoed the sentiment that younger techs entering the field seem to embrace the advances in technology being used in the shops.
