The Search for a Work Truck Just Got Easy

For almost a decade, Work Truck Solutions has worked to digitize and modernize the massive, yet unseen work truck industry. The work truck industry is extensive; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the businesses and vocations that use these vehicles account for a majority of the nation’s GDP. However, the $300 billion work truck industry is facing a systematic challenge: the millions of workers and small businesses who depend on work trucks for their jobs every day cannot quickly and easily find or purchase the right vehicle for their needs.

THE CHALLENGE

Unlike commercial freight trucks and assembly line-produced consumer vehicles, work trucks are often produced in small batches, highly-customized for their specific purpose. Up to eight different manufacturers and upfit suppliers might work on just one vehicle before it’s finished, which creates the perfect storm for an inventory tracking nightmare. The challenge for businesses and work truck operators alike is that no single database accounts for constantly changing and complex vehicle inventory, so it is nearly impossible for dealerships to provide the level of detailed information for buyers to purchase the correct work truck for their needs.

This problem has major implications as customers don’t know where to find the vehicles, products, or services they need—and this can affect dealers’ sales in turn. Even with over 8 million commercial vehicles produced in the US each year, those who use work trucks have to make do with unequipped or inadequately equipped vehicles, often resulting in decreased work productivity and unhappy customers.

During my time as CEO of Work Truck Solutions, I have seen this problem affect hard-working Americans firsthand. I even tried to assist a friend and colleague find and purchase a work truck he needed for his business, thinking there must be an easy way to do so. But after countless months of searching online and calling dealers, I realized that the work truck industry has struggled with this challenge for decades—which inspired me to find a solution. This is why Work Truck Solutions launched Comvoy: the first and only structured, searchable marketplace for work-ready trucks and vans.

WHY A MARKETPLACE

Comvoy leverages the most extensive aggregation of commercial vehicle details and inventory, including all specs on vehicle body, upfit, equipment, pieces, and parts from OEM to dealer. The configuration data comes from Work Truck Solutions and almost a decade of collecting these vehicle details from dealerships and OEMs through manufacture to sale. The Comvoy marketplace is built for buyers to easily research, find, and source what they need, using the detailed specs on hundreds of thousands of vehicles in 46 states (and counting). By surfacing results across vocation, vehicle body type, upfit, or vehicle manufacturer, the marketplace helps match every buyer with the right work truck for their job.

The goal of Comvoy is to provide small business owners with a one-stop shop for any work truck need. We want to support the hardworking backbone of America’s economy, so these businesses can make informed business decisions about their work truck or van purchases––which are often the most expensive and most central to their businesses’ success.

Craig Borst, the owner and operator of U Found The Guy 4 That LLC, spoke with us about how his struggle to find the right work truck for months, impeding his ability to complete jobs and scale his business as an independent handyman.

“I view my work truck as the most important piece of equipment to efficiently run my business, and without it, I might as well stop,” he says. “In my business time is money, and the faster I get jobs turned around, the faster I get paid. My work truck is critical in allowing my business to grow and successfully service more customers.”

Not having access to a work truck in an industry like farming, delivery, or construction can cost an individual $1,500 in lost income every day. Borst spent over three months finding his current work truck vehicle. He visited local dealerships and scoured both new and used car marketplaces only to come up empty handed. It wasn’t until he received a tip from a colleague to visit an out-of-town dealership that he found the vehicle that he needed.

A STRONGER ECONOMY

Comvoy’s design is intuitive to use and simple to search so buyers can quickly and directly purchase the vehicle they need. It allows buyers to narrow searches using 20-plus filters from color to chassis build. Comvoy is also transparent in a wholly new way. The Comvoy marketplace is not sorted by ads, promotions, or slanted toward sponsored products. Rather it is created to address the needs of real buyers. It is the only work truck marketplace that surfaces results for buyers based on their individual needs.

“When I heard about Comvoy, I was so excited because there is such a need for a marketplace like this,” Borst says. “Comvoy is created for people like me who know the terminology and can filter the vehicle options down to exactly what they need. As I grow my business, Comvoy can allow me to find the right vehicles for my subcontractors quickly and easily.”

Comvoy was created to help all involved in the work truck industry––starting with the people who rely on these vehicles for their day-to-day jobs. The marketplace fosters an environment where both buyers and sellers can successfully increase their knowledge, communication, and transactions within the industry. Ultimately, this keeps our country’s backbone running and creates a stronger economy for all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryn Schifferle is the founder and CEO of Work Truck Solutions and Comvoy. Her deep understanding of the commercial truck space stems from her role as executive director at the National Ford Truck Club, which she’s held for nearly 13 years. Kathryn previously served as director at Balestra Automotive Marketing, a marketing consulting business, and founded cable systems company Multi-Image Network, where she served as president and CEO for nearly 20 years. Email her at worktrucks@launchsquad.com.

Comvoy is a marketplace for work-ready trucks built for buyers to easily research, find, and get what they need directly from the dealer’s inventory. Comvoy surfaces results across any vocation, body type, vehicle, or upfit manufacturer to match buyers with the right work truck for the right job. Find out more, visit www.comvoy.com.

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MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS:
JANUARY 2020 ISSUE

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