DODGE TRUCK has taken another step to strengthen its presence in the commercial truck market, according to Mike Coughlin, national Dodge field marketing director.
Speaking at the NTEA convention, Coughlin provided details on the Dodge Business to Business Partners Dealers Program. The program is designed for the "commercial retail" market-a segment that falls between the personal use market and commercial fleets of more than 50 vehicles. Dodge wants to better serve companies that operate between one and 50 commercial trucks.
The program is scheduled to be launched this spring, Coughlin said. The target will be 300-400 Dodge dealers in what the truck manufacturer considers to be the largest "commercial retail" markets. While the program will be available to all Dodge dealers, only those that qualify will be able to participate.
To participate in the program, Dodge dealers must meet a range of requirements, including:
o Stock a specified level of commercial vehicles.
o Hire a commercial sales manager and two outside sales people for commercial accounts.
o Participate in the factory-funded demo program.
o Attend regional training sessions on commercial trucks and equipment.
o Establish a service process designed to better meet the needs of the commercial retail customer.
o Have facilities capable of serving the needs of the commercial truck customer.
"Some of the dealers who may want to participate may not have the necessary door height or the hoist capacity needed for commercial trucks," Coughlin said. "We expect about 300 dealers will sign up, but this will be an ongoing process for the first year or so."
Other Programs
The new dealer program is the latest in a series of steps Dodge has taken to capture more of the commercial truck market. Coughlin recapped some of the previous programs, including:
o Incentive programs. For 1999, Dodge is offering customers up to $800 cash for new Ram trucks equipped with a snowplow, $800 cash for Ram chassis cabs installed with a $1,500 truck body, and a $1,250 Crown shelving package with the purchase of a Ram van.
o Commercial Finance Options. Introduced in 1998, the CFO program offers financing from Chrysler Financial for small and large fleets, municipalities, public and private institutions, and customers with unconventional applications.
o Chassis pools. Dodge now has 30 commercial truck pools across the United States.
New Transmission
Perhaps the biggest news from a product standpoint is the introduction of the new six-speed manual transmission.
Designed to match up with the Cummins diesel and large-displacement gasoline engines, the NV 5600 transmission from New Venture Gear offers six forward speeds and reverse, all in constant mesh and synchronized.
Gear ratios include a 5.63 for first, a direct fifth gear, and a 0.73 overdrive sixth gear.