This month marks 45 years since Bud Reese and Jim Moss got together to form the Council of Fleet Specialists (now CVSN).
That event was a watershed moment because it was the first formal acknowledgment of the unique business problems and opportunities shared by independents in the heavy-duty field. It marked the early signs of organization within the market, as well as a clean separation from their automotive and light vehicle brethren.
The ensuing four decades have been a wild ride indeed, with fleet specialists having to navigate:
• 20+ percent interest rates in the 70s;
• Arrival of groups in the 80s;
• Distributor rollups in the 90s;
• Supplier turmoil since 2001
