With growing pressure to better manage inventory levels and reduce aged units, how can commercial dealers lean on vehicle manufacturers to offer more? How can dealers gain more value and carry the right inventory levels? In many cases, it comes down to educating themselves on what sets a commercial vehicle manufacturer apart from others and selecting the right partner who can offer more value.
There are many ways to increase value when purchasing vehicles, but some of the most traditional are through competitive pricing, reduced floor plan interest exposure, and timely and competitive transport offerings. However, what else can partners offer to increase the value of your acquisition?
Rockport Commercial Vehicles, a division of Forest River, has worked hard to create additional value for every dealer they work with. While many businesses buckled down on spending during a slower 2024–2025, Rockport was busy investing in equipment and better materials to maintain already competitive vehicle pricing, as well as in facilities to increase vehicle capacity and throughput. Since 2022, they have relocated both their Elkhart, IN and Ocilla, GA facilities into larger buildings, resulting in a 100% increase in capacity at both locations.
These increased facility footprints have provided more streamlined manufacturing operations, offering consistent 1–2 day vehicle throughput. With rapid vehicle production lead times, reloading vehicle inventory can be done in a very timely manner. Additionally, Rockport’s parent company, Forest River, provides unique financial bandwidth, allowing the company to maintain large levels of new chassis in bailment pools with Ford, GM, and RAM, helping to significantly shorten required acquisition lead times.
In today’s competitive commercial vehicle market, dealers who look beyond upfront pricing and evaluate the full acquisition process, from lead times to manufacturing capacity, are often better positioned to manage inventory and respond to customer demand.
“Rockport has worked hard to create value for our dealer network, giving them the ability to pass it through to their clients. Our dealers look to us to continue to provide access to quality products, at a competitive price, which we are proud to be able to offer,” said Caleb Pontius, General Manager at Rockport Commercial Vehicles. “As an NTEA MVP member, Rockport Commercial Vehicles strives to provide its customers a total value proposition that differentiates it from the competition.”
