From Tire Review
In his last speech as chairman of the American Truck Dealers (ATD), Utah truck dealer Kyle Treadway urged his fellow dealers to embrace the many changes affecting heavy- and medium-duty truck retailing, including the introduction of new federal regulations, technological advances and the entrance of a younger generation of future dealers.
Treadway, president of Kenworth Sales Co. in Salt Lake City, has served as chairman of ATD since 2009. Ford dealer Richard Witcher, president of Minuteman Trucks Inc., in Walpole, Mass., will begin a two-year term as ATD chairman today during ATD’s 49th annual Convention & Expo, which is being held in conjunction with the NADA convention in Las Vegas.
The ATD represents about 2,000 medium- and heavy-duty truck dealers in the U.S.
"Modern technology is more powerful than we all realized," Treadway said during the convention’s opening general session. "And change will come with or without our cooperation."
With the Federal Highway Administration predicting freight volumes that could double by 2035 and the government wielding greater control over distribution, Treadway said dealers must be ready to adjust their business models to better support their customers, who are increasingly bearing the weight of questionable regulations, such as new hours of service, Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) and fuel economy rules.
"We need to understand the long range ramifications of these dynamics and comprehend how to adapt," he said. "What customer service extras will become ‘must haves’? How will we price our products and transact our services?"
Another challenge facing today’s commercial truck dealers is preparing dealers of the future for successful careers in the trucking industry.
Treadway urged dealers to "beef up" their management training programs in an effort to attract future leaders now in their 20s and 30s.
