Tire Service Trucks Separate You From the Pack
If you’re an independent tire dealer doing business where farming is an important part of the local economy, you have probably already invested in a tire service truck. But your local automobile dealer has yet to do so and likely never will. This is where you can put some real distance between your tire dealership and a new car dealership, or even a farm tractor dealership.
Just roll out your OTR service truck with its 14-foot long all aluminum body and 46-inch high open style rack slides and watch the competition wilt. Also check online with some of the best-known manufacturers’ tire service trucks and you’ll be the wiser for it.
One company offers tool compartments with more than 50 cubic feet of useful storage. You’ll also find stainless steel slam latched and slide top doors on all tool compartments. Also aboard are recessed and skirt mounted halogen floodlights, and a durable polyurethane finish on some models as well as seamless 22-inch high sign panels along with an extended aluminum plank floor – no more rust.
On this service truck body you can also mount a crane that features the ability to lift a 9-foot tall tire weighing 3,650 pounds; or you can pick the optimum crane with a lifting ability of a 9-foot tire that weighs 10,000 pounds. The latter offers 60,000 ft. lbs. of torque.
These cranes are fully proportional radio remote control, with a polyurethane finish and a fully enclosed extension boom cylinder.
Other options include a variety of compressor choices from a 30 cfm@100 psi unit to a 110 cfm@175 psi model. One interesting option, depending on your customers’ needs, is an interchange module located just behind the cab. This space can be built to handle an air compressor or a tool compartment.
If you’re looking for a service truck for metro, road and light fleet service, there are many from which to choose. With a standard body weight of only 960 pounds, maximized payload and improved fuel economy, this is an interesting choice to make.
With units in this category you can choose between a diesel or gasoline engine. A driven air compressor is located in the front center of the truck bed, with a heavy-duty bulkhead and cover for protection from the elements and load in the truck.
The purpose of such trucks is to deliver 21st century technology to tire dealers who want a solid truck for the long haul. That explains the extensive use of aluminum and convenient tool compartments. Along with strong air compressors, these small units will get the job done with the ease you should expect for your money.
Keep Up With Your Software For Better Business
Here’s a statement from one of your fellow independent tire dealers: “It takes way too much time to reconcile all of my claims. Between adjustments, government accounts and national accounts, sometimes it seems like I spend more time reconciling credits than I do selling.”
So what’s stopping you from managing your accounts payable? If it’s software you need, jump online and start shopping. At least one tire dealer software company notes that accounts payable is more than just printing checks. It’s also about making it easier to reconcile credits due from your suppliers, while managing your discounts and streamlining outside purchases.
Here are some of the barriers many dealers needlessly face:
• Failure to notice missing credits due from vendors
• Inaccurate billing for inventory purchases are not being caught
• Accounting for outside purchases is too difficult
• Inability to easily run multi-company accounts payable
• Cash flow management is guesswork at best
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news about what software may offer:
• Claims filed for adjustment, national and government accounts automatically display expected credit in accounts payable for instant verification
• Display of original inventory receipt allows instant comparison of estimated costs with actual billing
• Outside purchases are pulled directly from point of sale; invoice number is linked with point of sale order number, allowing you to account for all outside purchases
• Accounts payable entries can be made to separate companies while allowing single and/or multi company general ledger reporting
• Cash requirements reporting makes cash flow management a breeze
Good tire dealership software also allows you to manage your inventory more effectively, avoiding these common problems:
• Lack of complete information creates “best guess” purchasing decisions
• Store managers manually requesting restocking of inventory
• Can’t easily identify slow/old inventory
• Unable to identify causes of inventory shrinkage
• Countless vendor programs make tracking true acquisition cost difficult
• Price changes too time consuming
• Salespeople must personally call other locations to verify product availability
One software system affords these benefits:
• Recommended purchases based on historical trends and desired inventor turns
• Control inventory levels with automatic restocking by location, based on user-defined parameters
• “Red-line” reports notify you of slow moving inventory
• Complete tracking of inventory movements, including transfers and current status
• Vendor program tracking automatically lets you know true acquisition cost including all discounts and bonuses
• Automatic electronic price updates are a breeze
• Real-time stocking levels for all locations are available to each user
