This month marks 40 years since Bud Reese and Jim Moss joined together to form the Council of Fleet Specialists.
That event was a watershed 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 distributors handling parts for automotive and light vehicles.
The ensuing four decades have been a wild ride indeed, with fleet specialists navigating:
Throw in a liberal dose of OEM dealer challenges, customer consolidations and new technology. Add an acute technician shortage and ongoing government intervention. One really could question whether we’ll ever make it to 50.
We will, but not without navigating some treacherous crosscurrents, especially in the next two to three years. Our customers also face interesting times, including:
I believe that between now and 2010, we as an industry will have to get our collective arms around some intriguing distribution issues, most of which have not yet appeared on the radar as prominently as they soon will.
These include the following items.
