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Knowledge Cafe |
You Squared - A High-Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps by Price Pritchett.
This is a very small book--only 36 pages, but is so powerful that you will want to read it again and again. Each topic is short and very targeted. I think this allows you to absorb it well and contemplate it more thoroughly. I look at it as a thought starter or a thought enhancer.
Here's some sample topics from the pages of this great book: Quit Trying Harder, Ignore Conventional Approaches, Think Beyond What Common Sense Would Allow, Choose A Different Set of Risks, Seek Failure, and Open Your Gifts to name a few.
Price Pritchett is Chairman and CEO of Pritchett, a Dallas based consulting and training firm specializing in culture strategy, process improvement, merger integration, and change management. Virtually all of the Fortune 1000 have used his firm's materials and services.
His writings include two hardbacks and thirty handbooks, including numerous best sellers. Well over 10 million copies of his publications have been sold, with translations into eight languages.
He holds BA and MA degrees in English, plus a Ph.D. in psychology. He is known internationally as one of the clearest, most authoritative voices on corporate culture, mergers, process, and change.
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Welcome! |
Welcome to the Commercial Truck Success Idealetter!
Published every other week, the Idealetter is be a brief one-page thought starter and news source for busy commercial sales professionals and managers with numerous links to the Commercial Truck Success website and many other links to useful information, tools and inspiration!
Please feel free to offer comments and suggestions for future topics that are of interest to you. Also, please forward this to others you wish to share it with. There is a forward email link at the bottom of this page. I wish you success! Keep up the good work! And, never stop learning! - Terry Minion, Editor |
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Special Issue |
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Special NTEA Issue
Vol 2
with highlights from the
NTEA Work Truck Show
in Chicago, Mar 3rd-6th |
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NTEA Work Truck Show - Chicago |
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Ryan Stone and I had an awesome time at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Chicago, March 3-6th. We spent two days and 10 solid hours purposely going to every single display and booth in the room. That's how long it takes since there is so much there. We also attended other events and meetings. We are so thankful for the opportunity to meet so many great people and see so large a selection of commercial trucks and accessories.
According to the NTEA, there were 8,449 attendees at this years show, which is an 18% increase over last year! That is great news! The economy did not keep the people away. Ryan and I can attest to the volume of people at the show.
From new models to Hybrids to Electric Trucks to aluminum bodies and so much more, there was something for everyone at the show. We offer here a small overview of just a few exciting products.
We are writing a blog article every day about these products and more, so check out the CTS Blog. We will be writing about more in the next IdeaLetter as well.
Now, on with the show! | |
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New Reading Innovation: CSV Aluminum Body |
This truck rocks! The smart cutaway! For so long, cutaways have been so easily overloaded. This causes a lot of ills that customers have issues with such as, short brake life, excessive tire wear especially on the front tires and more. Here is a body that makes complete sense on the cutaway--especially the single rear wheel cutaway. There are obvious advantages to the cutaway design. Shorter wheelbase and turning radius, lower frame height which equals lower body height, compact footprint, etc. Now those advantages can meet up with adequate cargo capacity thanks to Reading Truck Body's new Aluminum CSV (Classic Service Van) body. This body is approximately 45% lighter than the steel counterpart. That is a huge weight savings. In addition, it is corrosion-resistant, and green-friendly with approximately 9% fuel cost savings (see their website for details). The body shown above is an 11' CSV body mounted on a Ford single rear wheel E35 cutaway chassis with a 138" wheelbase. Body weight including the bumper is only 1,440 lbs. This allows approximately 2,500 lbs cargo capacity. With the same unit made of steel, there is only a seriously sad amount of cargo capacity. The CSV body is available with a long list of options like the Latch-Matic(R) power lock system, Extend-A-Shelf(R) modular sliding drawer system, compartment lighting system also shown above. Other accessory items are cargo netting. Now I think that is a very simple, yet very effective accessory. The roof rack shown is very helpful and great looking too and also made of aluminum. Here is a link to download and print a great brochure on this product: Aluminum CSV Brochure. They also have a separate website for the aluminum body information. You can view this site at www.GoRuggedGreen.com. We give a Commercial Truck Success High 5 for Reading Truck Body and their expansion of their aluminum body lineup. We highly recommend this body for the cutaway and especially the single rear wheel model. Great job Reading!
You can contact Tim Neuppert, Western Zone Manager at 909-658-5722 for more information or contact Reading directly at 800-458-2226.
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Duraplate and American Cargo by Midway |
You know, many people think a van body is a van body is a van body. Boring. It is true that some of them are boring, but this unit has some excitement in the detail that a passing glance may never see. The biggest innovation is what the side panels are made out of. These are made out of Duraplate which the rep from Midway is holding in his hand in the first photo. It is incredibly thin and unbelievably strong. No longer do we need the heavy and bulky FRP material to have durability. Check the specifications: Duraplate has it. What was also impressive as a result of using Duraplate is how wide the opening can now be in the rear and how cargo can go wall to wall and get very close to 90" of width. The unit shown is the Sprinter "Liberty" Box Truck from American Cargo by Midway. It includes an aerodynamic wind fairing added to improve fuel economy, stand-up, walk through cab access door for easy mobility between cab and cargo area, Duraplate wall construction for long-lasting durability, graphic friendly finish, 15' interior length and side slider door with stepwell for easy entrance and exiting. I love the slider side door. The pocket required (as shown in photo) takes up a little wall space, but is worth the trade-off from having a roll-up door. The operation of this door is extremely convenient and easy.
American Cargo by Midway are located in Elkhart, Indiana and can be reached at 800-505-2530. Check out their website at www.mymidway.com. As you go to their site, you will also see the Midway Specialty Vehicles, LLC link to see the Sprinter conversions and buses and other products that they manufacture and retrofit. |
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Where the Rumber Meets the Load! |
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Having long sold flatbeds with various wood floors, then seeing all the rage for the wood composites, I didn't really get excited until I saw this product at the NTEA Work Truck Show this month. I have been waiting to see a product that made perfect sense for a flatbed over the common problem-ridden wood floors--and here it is!
This product is called Rumber. That's lumber with an "r" instead of an "l". It is made of 100% recycled material products. It is made out of tire rubber and plastics. I'm so glad that innovative uses for old tires are being made since it has always been a serious landfill problem. This product helps keep those old tires out of the landfill I'm sure.
Here's some of the features of this material:
- Will not rot, crack, or split
- Stronger and more durable than wood or other composites.
- Impervious to water, fuel, fluids and oil spills.
- Insect and termite proof.
- Easy to clean.
- UV and water resistant.
- Cushions animals and equipment.
- Available in any length up to 24' in 6" increments.
- Most cost effective option over time.
This is a product I can get excited about and I think it should be a piece of cake to sell it. I have long liked black flatbeds best and with this product color matching the bed makes it a great combination. Having a product that doesn't crack, split and bow is a huge advantage. I would be ordering this on all the flatbeds that I could.
Rumber Materials also makes a wide variety of products for truck beds, trailers, chock blocks, deck, docks and marina products, oil field applications, custom products. They operate out of Muenster, Texas and they can be reached at 877-786-2371. Rumber Materials website is informative and helpful and you can find it at www.rumber.com. |
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Granite Drawer Systems. Awesome Drawers! |
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Earlier this month at the NTEA Work Truck Show, I was looking for some special accessories. I love to sell accessories! We found Granite Drawer Systems of Wathena, Kansas at the show and it was just what I was looking for. These drawers are the best I have ever seen. Talk about heavy duty--these drawers are made of 14 gauge construction throughout, have 500 lb drawer slides tested at 550 lbs for 100,000 cycles. Most drawers are less than half that rating. Now, most don't need that much capacity, but I would say, it can't hurt!
They have a sweet brushed aluminum T Handle that is lockable and operates easily with one hand. The latches are hidden within the drawer face, making it both attractive and theft-resistant. This means you can lock some drawers and not others at will. Drawer faces are powder coated with 3-4 mil PPG powder coating. Here's the best part: The drawers are easily removed and reinstalled in the slides. We had them demonstrate this and the photos above are the actual product at the show.
The drawers are available in standard heights of 3", 5" and 7" and standard drawer depth is 18", but they can make depths from 10" to 62" to fit any compartment size. They have a limited lifetime warranty. There are two shots included here of drawers mounted in a Knapheide Crane Body that was in the Knapheide display at the show.
I tell you that I have looked at a lot of drawers from a lot of manufacturers and I have not seen a better drawer. They will outfit you with any combination of sizes you might need to fit any of your compartments. Indeed, they even make a stand-alone model with finished top and sides that you could put in a closet, out on display, put wheels on it and roll it around, you name it.
Now, here is the kicker. I was expecting these to be the most expensive around, but was thrilled when I found out how reasonably priced they are. They ship anywhere in the world. Got an existing body, no problem. Call them up, give them the dimensions, what you have in mind and they can make it happen quickly and efficiently. Call John Rauch, Operations Manager at 785-989-3100, ext 7710 or call Tom Jenkins, Customer Service at 785-989-3100, ext 7735. We met them at the show and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. Their website: www.granitedrawersystems.com.
Excellent product. Great design. Heavy duty and beautiful to boot. How can you miss?
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Sweet Pro-Tech Aluminum Contractor Body |
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Pro-Tech builds one of the nicest aluminum flatbeds on the market. Polish the side rails, add some nice aluminum wheels and you have a decked out truck that gets attention--even on a white truck. I have sold a number of these over the years. While cruising through the NTEA Work Truck Show last week, I spied this gorgeous contractor put together by Pro-Tech. I'm sure it was put together to show a number of their products, but I would love to stock one exactly like it. Here's some features that I liked:
- The base is the Pro-Tech aluminum flatbed. In this case it appears to be a 10' model. The side rails have been polished (a 1-hour or less job at the dealership with a buffer). It has the tapered headboard of which I think Pro-Tech does a particularly great job on the dimensions and design of.
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It has an aluminum backpack box behind the cab with access all the way through with upper and lower doors as seen in the photo. This box is 24" wide, so this along with the 10' flatbed are a perfect combination on the 84" CA chassis this is shown on.
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On the streetside is a Pro-Tech contractor box with the open top lids. Beautiful and very functional.
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Right behind the contractor box is an underbed box mounted on top with a 3-drawer assembly mounted in it. Doesn't that look hot! Very nice.
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Coming around back is a very nice fold down aluminum gate. I love the design of this gate.
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On the curbside is an aluminum basket. A very thoughtful addition.
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Next is a drop down lid box that is a nice tall one to carry some sizable items.
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Under the bed are some underbed boxes attached to the bottom of the backpack.
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Then there is the HD aluminum forklift loadable rack. (I recommend you ask them to build it with cleats and bolt it on rather than welding it). There is also an aluminum stop at the headboard and screen protecting the cab.
The best part, other than not dealing with rust, paint, peeling and all that maintenance stuff is the fact that the whole package is 40-50% lighter than the steel counterparts. This makes for more fuel efficient operation, and equally important is additional cargo capacity. It also allows you to use a 1-ton rather than a more expensive 4500/5500. Pro-Tech is in Vancouver, WA (Portland area) and LaVergne, TN (Nashville area). They also have a distributor network nationwide. Check out their website at www.protech.net. |
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Quick Shots |
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Real Power. PTO operated power generations systems.
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The Aerocell SRW from Unicell - The 1-pc Fiberglass Body |
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This is the Aerocell SRW from Unicell Body Company. This baby was quite a sight as we cruised the NTEA Work Truck Show. The hatchback rear opening was a real eye-catcher. Of course, Ryan and I had to try opening it and closing it a few times. It is really quite easy and smooth. But, look at the opening!! Yeah man! 435 cubic feet of storage! It is also available with swing-out 180 degree doors for you traditionalists.
It is cool to look at the outside of the super smooth, glossy body which is absolutely perfect for graphics with no seams, rivets, caulking, etc. The integral roof fairing and flowing body contours offer fuel-saving aerodynamics and visual appeal. (You could tell that last line came from their literature, right? Who talks that way? I know, I know, brochures do.)
This is a product I would put on my lot. It is new and different and interesting. It has a host of features that can benefit a large number of customers. It is great looking and fully functional. It is a great improvement on the single rear wheel cargo van or cutaway van body.
Unicell Body Company is located in Buffalo, New York. They are an approved bailment pool company for Ford, GM and Isuzu. You will find their website at www.unicell.com very informative and helpful. You can reach them at 800-628-8914. |
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Here's Something Fun! |
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Hillarious fun!
Luggage Handled
Here's something else:
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Redesigned and Improved |
Check out the redesigned and improved Commercial Truck Success reference website at www.comtrk.com. New larger size, center line main menu, easier navigation. Growing daily with currently over 120 pages, over 1,000 photographs and hundreds of links to suppliers and product websites all across the country for common and not so common bodies and other applications.
Keep telling us your thoughts on making it better and we'll keep changing it for the better. It will be expanding dramatically in the next 30-90 days, so keep looking! |
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