There’s no doubt the world of buying and selling commercial vehicles – or anything for that matter – has expanded over the years. While being a local business still means a great deal to each and every community in which a dealership is located, the reality is that selling to customers from across the nation is also common. The benefit here for all of us in the commercial dealership space is that we’ve effectively expanded our reach beyond our town and state. It also means that if we’re looking for a commercial truck or van for one of our customers and we don’t have it, we don’t have to be shy about searching beyond our city/state borders to find and acquire that commercial vehicle for them.

However, this expansion of our market also introduces new wrinkles, such as the need to transport a vehicle to a customer across the country and the details that go along with doing so. Or, getting a vehicle shipped in for that customer who needs it in your town.

And while you’re an expert on the vehicles themselves, transporting those work trucks is an entirely different ballgame. Just like you wouldn’t ask your veterinarian to perform heart surgery, you wouldn’t want a retail car carrier to handle the logistics of transporting a bucket truck – the chances of success when doing so are not in your favor.

So, in one of our recent podcasts , we invited Alan Levy, founder of Crestline Auto Transport, to spend a few minutes with us talking about the commercial vehicle transportation business. During the conversation, Alan shared a bit of the history of the company, how he got into the commercial/fleet transportation space and a couple fun stories about some of the more unique vehicles they’ve transported. Most importantly, he also shared his thoughts on some critical components of the transport business, such as:

• Challenges frequently encountered transporting work trucks. For example, you can’t load a 30’ long, 11’ tall dump truck on a traditional double deck auto hauler, but there are some who might try to make this work.
• Some of the questions necessary to ask to ensure accurate transport pricing. Getting as much detail up-front is to your benefit. 
• The importance of real time communication and transparency.
• The impact – and approach to consider – of the shipping price on the overall transaction.

If you’re selling commercial trucks and vans across the country – or acquiring them nationwide for your customers – consider spending 30 minutes listening to what Alan has to say. You’ll surely come away more knowledgeable about vehicle transportation, which may impact not only your bottom line, but also the satisfaction of those nationwide commercial vehicle customers.