Sweet Drawer Unit from A-G Body

Now here's a great service body compartment full of A-G Body drawers. I am confident this is a huge hit with the owner of this truck and is a great picture for the mechanic longing for such a sweet compartment.

A-G Body, Inc. is in Salt Lake City, UT and manufactures a wide variety of drawers and drawer sets for most truck body applications. Call them at 800-786-2639 or visit their brand new, improved website at www.agbody.com.

Supreme Iner-City Radical Delivery Van

Here's a radical solution for delivery and short run services. It is an Iner-City Van on a Chevy Single Rear Wheel Cutaway chassis. This particular one is 10' long. The overall length is about that of an 8' pickup truck. It has barn doors on the rear which is rare, but not unique. What is unique is seeing the super wide shutter door on the curbside with a full length grip strut step.

The value of this to me is that this makes a super local delivery vehicle. Of course, you could make longer deliveries since it will carry approximately 3,000 lbs. I see it going to auto parts houses, pool cleaning services, supplies deliveries for a wide variety of business needs, flower & plant delivery, small package delivery and hundreds of other delivery tasks.

How it works well in these deliveries is obvious with the huge, wide shutter door which rolls up into a ball in the top so that it doesn't take any space inside the upper van body away from cargo. I doubt that the barn doors and the side door will operate at the same time, but here is a photo that show both open.

What's really cool about this is the very low height of the floor and how you can walk right up to it and pick up cargo, boxes, other items while keeping your back straight. You can also reach quite a distance into the body without using the step. Then, the main door is on the curbside, so in larger cities, you can parallel park and make a delivery very easily or by double parking and keep the delivery driver out of the street.

All of this in a lightweight aluminum body that is plywood lined and of course, the short overall length makes it a great vehicle in tight areas. I think this unit is a huge hit. Thanks to Supreme Corporation for the expertise in building this sweet unit. This unit was built at the Moreno Valley, CA plant. You can contact them at 800-827-0753. Check out all of the products that Supreme can help you with at www.supremecorp.com.

Crane Body with Raised Front Compartments From Harbor Truck

Kimberly from Harbor Truck Bodies sent me some shots fo a crane body with raised compartments with a nice set of drawers. The body is mounted on a Ford F450/550 chassis and will next have a crane and outrigger set installed. What a sweet looking unit.

Contact Harbor Truck Bodies at 800-433-9452 and the website is www.htbi.net.

Carter Industries SRW Contractor Body Is A Looker!

Michele Wieder at Carter Industries in Union City, CA shared these sweet photos with me. I didn't know they did a single rear wheel Contractor Body, but here it is. And, I have to say it just looks great. Some specs:

• Carter Built 9'x96" flatbed with composite deck (10g steel, crossmembers on 12" centers, 1/2" rope hook every other crossmember)
• 40" tall contractor's style (tapered) headboard
• 2"x2" Tapered Leg Rack
• 16" Fold down sides and rear gates with 3 apitong hardwood slats
• Drop in apitong hardwood slat panel (load separator)
• ICC Dock Bumper with Class IV Receiver and 7 pin connector
• 2-RKI Flip Top Upper Bed Boxes 72.5" length x 14.5" width x 20" depth with 1-41.5" x 9" tray in each top box
• 2-30" x 18" x 18" under bed boxes

Great specs, great looking and a very good solution for a wide variety of users. It is a great alternative to the single rear wheel service body. Contact Michele direct at 510-477-8425, and please visit their updated website at www.carterind.com.

Thoughts On Business: Sales Opportunities #3

I was looking out on the lot of the commercial upfitted inventory at the dealership we are currently working with and an interesting thought came up. The thought is this: when all you have is old inventory, it makes it ever harder and more challenging to move them as time passes and inventory depth shrinks.

We inherited a large number of '07 model units and even one '06 model--all new, but very old. Some were over 1,000 days old. When we took over, all there was on the lot was old stuff. It is increasingly difficult to move the old stuff if that is all there is. Here's why: there is nothing to compare it to in order to create value.

One value of an '07 let's say is that it can be a bargain. A bargain compared to what? Everything is relative. Well, for sure, it is a bargain compared to an '09 model. Yet, if I don't have any '09 models to show, there are no opportunities to demonstrate the value and why it is a bargain.

Reducing inventories in slower times is a common strategic cost-saving move, but it can also be a cost-increasing move. Most would not recognize this based on what I see in the marketplace (lowering inventories, no new units, etc.).

Look at this another way. When the fast moving, popular pieces are gone (and you know they are the first to go . . .), all you have left are the rest. Making profits has everything to do with making sales and when you lower your inventory so much that you have none of the best moving units, you can and should expect profits to tumble. I suggest that you keep the good moving units coming while doing everything you can to move the old units too. Stopping the good units and keeping only the bad is a terrible strategy.

So, let me offer a specific example. When we took over this operation, there was not one 8' service body on a single rear wheel chassis. This is THE most popular unit in all my experience. And, wouldn't you know it, our first real prospect was someone who wanted an 8' service body on an extended cab. Luckily, he was willing to wait a week and a half to get one, so we made that sale. Our second sale was an extended cab 8' service body. We now have several extended cab service bodies on the lot, don't you know. At the same time, we have moved a good number of older pieces and I believe that it has more to do with the fresh items on our lot than any one other thing.

If you're committed to the commercial truck market, I highly recommend that you do not let your inventory get so stale that stale is all there is. Fresh units, especially faster moving and unique units (another article or two) will help you continue to earn profits to help compensate for the additional flooring the old units are using.

The Ledwell Truck Lift - A Perfect Solution

This is the Ledwell Truck Lift that is designed to load and unload stacked trucks. What a perfect solution. Ledwell put together a very nice video showing the operation and need for this kind of equipment. Here is a link to the page with the video at the bottom: Truck Lift Video.

The Ledwell Truck Lift is made of steel and has two hydraulic wheel masts, self-centering tire cradles and two hydraulic masts slide assemblies with dual manual hydraulic controls and also includes a three phase electric over hydraulic pump/tank assembly.

Ledwell & Son Enterprises, Inc., has locations in Texarkana, Texas and Fayetteville, North Carolina. They have been in business since 1946. Call them at 888-533-9355 and visit their website to see all the products they offer at www.ledwell.com.

Stiles Truck Body Ice Skating Flatbed

This reminds me of ice skating. Just look at the severe flatness of this custom flatbed from Stiles Truck Body & Equipment in Turlock, CA. What a sweet platform! I see the flush-mount built in tie downs along the side and I am absolutely certain they are necessary. It is an eye-catching body for certain. It sure caught mine. Nice work, Scott!

Contact Stiles Truck Body & Equipment at 800-909-2639 and visit their website at www.stilestruckbody.com.

Thoughts On Business: Sales Opportunities #2

HOWMIDOIN?

I love feedback. I respond to feedback. I improve from feedback. Very few give it, yet I am very thankful for every one who gives me feedback--pro or con. Either way, I learn and improve.

Got regular customers? Ask them how you are doing. See if you are fulfilling their needs; if you are guiding them well, choosing the best offerings for their operation. Most of your customers will say nothing unless you ask. Many who are not being satisfied for one reason or another will just cease doing business and you they most likely will not volunteer why. Perhaps they will give you excuses such as price, delivery times, etc.

Then again, here's another opportunity: how about increasing your business with a client. By finding out how you're doing and what their "real" needs are, you could increase your business with this client, which is a very smart reason to ask the question.

I think you should really appreciate people who volunteer how you're doing without you having to ask. This shows a very interested party and someone who is proactive in wanting to satisfy their needs and how you can assist in this. It is the rarest of all feedback in my experience. I am one who likes to give it because I like to see people succeed and from a personal point of view, I like to speed up progress by not waiting to see if things will change. Many appreciate my frankness, others perhaps not; nonetheless, it is effective for me and my clients.

There are comment areas all over this blog and my email is readily available (tminion@commercialtrucksuccess.com), so I encourage you to give me feedback of what you like and don't like or what you think I could do to improve. Howmidoin? It's a great question to ask your clients.

Harbor Truck 6.5' Shortbed for 3/4 Ton

Many do not know, so we will let it out: Harbor Truck Bodies builds a 6.5' short bed service body and it looks great on the truck. Call Harbor Truck Bodies at 800-433-9452 and visit their website at www.htbi.net.

Stiles Truck Body Custom Knapheide KUV

Here is a custom 11' Knapheide KUV from Stiles Truck Body & Equipment of Turlock, CA. It's a beauty that was designed to satisfy their customer's unique needs and mounted on a Ford F550 84" CA. Here are some of the specs:

• The canopy roof has an interior height of 73" and a clear door height of 62"
• Dover brand aluminum roll-up shutter rear door. A unique and interesting solution.
• Links Mfg aluminum load ramp rated at 750 lbs and set at a 19 degree angle
• The load ramp is stored under the floor with its own door
• Knapheide side mount ladder rack on curbside
• Vice mount receiver, removable and re-locatable

Let Scott Stiles build a great truck body for you. Contact Stiles at 209-667-2639 and visit their website at www.stilestruckbody.com.

Brutus Bodies 9BL48A Aluminum Service Body.

This is one awesome mechanic's service body from Brutus Bodies in Penticton, BC. Since I just love drawers in service bodies, it doesn't get any better than this! It's almost nothing but drawers! Sweet!

This is the 9BL48A Aluminum Service Body for a 60" CA dual rear chassis. The body length is 108" plus a 7" bumper. Cabinet depth is 24"! Doors are a heavy 1/8" aluminum with 1/8" glue bonded aluminum hat section stiffeners with 3 point locking system and polished stainless steel hinges. Flooring is 3/16" aluminum diamond plate. Cabinets are 1/8" huck-bolted aluminum. See all the specs on their fantastic website.

Speaking of websites. This site is without a doubt the best site for a body company I have seen to date. I rave about it's perfection! See for yourself: www.brutusbodies.com.

Sweet Yellow 11' Crane Body From Scelzi Enterprises

I think my second favorite color other than red on a service truck would be yellow. It's not like you could misplace it. . . there it is! And this is a beauty from Scelzi Enterprises in Fresno, CA.

This unit has a horizontal series on the streetside and vertical series on the curbside. It is a service body with a 3,200 lb crane from AutoCrane. A few other tasty touches are the inverter in the curbside front compartment, night lights in the window protector along with the emergency lights. This body utilizes closed tops on both sides.

Scelzi is a high quality company that builds a great array of custom bodies along with a huge standardized collection. Check out their new website at www.seinc.com. You can call them at 800-858-2883.

Nice 12' Flatbed w/Steel Fold-Down Gates From Harbor Truck

Kimberly from Harbor Truck Bodies just sent me these photos of a nice flatbed with steel fold-down sides and swing-away rear gate system. This one was specially built for Mark Christopher Chevrolet. It also has a non-forklift loadable rack. Notice the center post when the two sides are folded down. That post is easily removed just by lifting it out, so this unit can easily be loaded from the side manually or with a forklift.

Did I mention it was also a nice looking unit? Looks like a great stock piece to me. Call Kimberly or inside sales at 800-433-9452 and visit their website at www.htbi.net.

Maxilift Crane and Brutus Bodies Is Great Combination

Next time you need a service vehicle with a crane, perhaps try something a bit different and more compact. Shown above on the Brutus Bodies 9' 6" DL60X Service Deck body is the Maxilift 130 lightweight and compact crane. This crane has a rating of 2,530 lbs at 3' 9" and an incredible 660 lbs at maximum extension of 12' 6".

That is incredible for the compact size of this crane. The basic crane itself only weighs approximately 300 lbs and under 500 lbs with a base. The dimensions folded are 49" high, 27" wide and at the base is only 12". These high performance, light weight service cranes are engineered for a working life of 15 years and are manufactured by Next Hydraulics in Boretto, Italy.

General Truck Body Aluminum Van Body w/Side Door

This is an aluminum van body produced by General Truck Body in Los Angeles, CA. Along with a great van body they are famous for--and even more famous for on-time delivery--this unit has a Tommy Gate Aluminum Railgate with a huge flat 89"x55"platform. This gate is perfect for lifting a wide variety of things into and out of the van body. This platform when up, doubles as a billboard that is just waiting for a company name, logo and short message.

The side door with the roll-up door is a perfect addition to make this body so much more useful for deliveries, and inside access without bothering to deal with the liftgate to gain access. In this case, there are two large steps to make it easy to walk up into the body and the roll-up door makes it quick and easy to gain that access.

And, the best case scenario is installing it on the world famous Isuzu NPR forward cab truck.