Would you pay extra to have hauling included for "free"?

[Coyote machine]

There's nothing complicated in what I posed as a solution. If you're say five or less miles into the next upcharge for mileage then increase the uptick by half; over that charge the full uptick of mileage.
Simple is best. Comparing AAA and cars, trucks is not the model to follow here. Tractors are a different breed. Farmers can't wait on haying, etc. Car breaks, rent one. Tractor breaks, crops don't get tended to.
Forget lawn tractors, garden tractors. Stick to utility tractors, say 35HP, (or whatever) and up. Offer the program where it will serve those who need it and where you and the customer will both benefit most.

You could incentivize it at time of sale: offer 15% off first service labor, 10% off any parts used to complete the service. $50 finder's fee for referrals that end in a sale of a new tractor, $25 for completed new customer sale of a used tractor over $5000. Etc. Discount coupons with the towing package for purchase of implements within 6 months of buying your tractor with towing package at original sale time.

And people by their very nature are going to complain about something no matter how you tailor your program. Most of the people, as much of the time as possible would be a realistic goal. You can't please them all, all the time.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I think 1/2 price is fair. Both parties shoulder some of the expense. You can always say "it's on me" if the situation calls for it.

 

[DavesTractor]

Some good discussion on mobile service. If we sold huge equipment, we would have to invest in a $100k plus truck with crane, welders, compressor, hydraulic hose machine, etc. Because it is not practical to tow a D9 to the shop for anything less than a major issue.

I wish Brian operated in our area, we would gladly push a little business his way. He has invested in the tools needed to have a great chance at making a repair with minimal back and forth. It is the back and forth that is the problem. People call and say "my tractor won't start", or "has a leak" and unless the owner is fairly savvy, you generally can't get a very good idea of what is wrong, or even what sort of fluid is leaking. It is very difficult to carry all the parts. If you looked at even our modest parts department, it is clear that it would take multiple trucks and trailers to bring it all.

On mobile, let's say we charge $85 hour plus so much for travel. Obviously a guy 80 miles up in the sticks is going to burn a lot of time as opposed to a guy 4 miles from the shop. That has to be factored into the formula. Then you get there and the hydraulic leak ends up being an engine oil leak, which is actually a rear main seal. So the tractor is split and parts need to be ordered. That requires another trip. Customers do not like to pay for the second trip. They want our crystal ball to be clear enough that we can handle it in one trip. Sometimes we can, sometimes we can't.

By the way, I should mention that even though I am bringing up the negative aspects of hauling and onsite service issues, by far and away most folks are not that way. Most pay for hauling with no issues, or bring in the tractor. But about once a month someone decides that since "it was not my fault" I should not have to do anything beyond calling the dealer, and certainly not pay for hauling. We have over 1000 tractors sold in our local area, so we really can't complain about a dozen folks a year that are upset about hauling.

One solution we use is to tell folks that if they are patient, we will have a truck in their area, generally dropping off a new sale and we can then backhaul for 1/2 price, or sometimes free if we are right in their neighborhood. This works well.

 

[Capricious]

"... But about once a month someone decides that since "it was not my fault"..."




Just go fishing that day...

 

[timster2]

I like the idea of mobile service trailer. Perhaps you could consider updating some of the equipment in the shop and take the old equipment and recycle it outfitting a service trailer. It would decrease the initial cost while updating and perhaps increasing productivity in the shop. In the event that the mobile service trailer needs a part find some older retired guy or gal that would be willing to deliver parts part time or on an as needed basis using their own vehicle.

When I worked for a large fleet one of the dealers had a whole crew of retired guys that would pick up and deliver vehicles and parts under warranty. They were happy for the work and did not want a steady job just some extra money. The old guys even worked out the most efficient ways to route themselves around the city picking up and delivering.

 

[Capricious]

"..The old guys even worked out the most efficient ways..."



Us old guys still know a thing or two...

 

[mikehaugen]

Us old guys still know a thing or two...

Only those that you can remember! :laughing:

 

[timster2]

"..The old guys even worked out the most efficient ways..."



Us old guys still know a thing or two...

I resemble that remark :thumbsup::laughing:

 

[DavesTractor]

We use retired guys, guys that have CDL's and like to drive. But you still have to pay them well if you want good guys. The advantage of the retired guys is that they are happy to work 8 hours in a given day and then be off for a day or two then work 2 hours, etc. To them it is extra $$ in retirement and they see it as bonus $. However, if you push them to work 40-50 hours in a busy week during spring they remind you that they are retired and they can get cranky if you don't let them go fishing or to see their grandkids!

For liability reasons, they do not use their own cars. They use our trucks and are on our insurance and it is still costly. What is nice is that if we have a slow week, we aren't paying these guys to stand around.

We did have a retired guy that worked as a private contractor. He had his own truck and trailer and insurance, etc. That was awesome, but he soon found that if we could not keep him pretty busy 12 months out of the year (which he really didn't want anyway) that the cost of the truck, trailer, tires, fuel, insurance, etc., was so much that he was working for free. So he sold his rig and now hauls for us hourly using our equipment.

You can't beat these experienced, careful, and respectful guys as delivery folks.

 

[DavesTractor]

"..The old guys even worked out the most efficient ways..."



Us old guys still know a thing or two...

Except they can be rather capricious.