Annual fleet meet hosts receptive crowd

Drew Aloisi, Mickey?s National Sales Manager (left) chats with D.J. Harrison of AVI Foodsystems, a major food service company, during the NTPC conference.

An upbeat crowd of 1,250 attendees and 180 exhibitors at the National Private Truck Council annual meeting in April heard the overriding message that private fleets continue to bring a significant value to corporate transportation. The agenda of workshops and speakers concentrated on best management practices and model benchmarking standards used by leading private fleets, including examples of products and solutions designed to increase fleet effectiveness.

  Mickey Truck Bodies made its maiden appearance at the 2018 show in Cincinnati, OH and found the audience ?very receptive to our products, features and options,? says Gary Remley, Northeast Regional Manager. ?We decided to exhibit to expand our van body customer base and it was the right call. We interacted with many new prospects as well as some familiar faces. The workshops and roundtable discussions at the conference also provided great insights into the state of the industry and future needs and expectations.?

  Most attendees at the NPTC conference said they plan to grow their fleets organically by buying or leasing additional equipment in the next five years. Many plan to add both outbound and inbound lanes to private fleet routes where possible. This means hiring new drivers and acquiring new trucks and trailers beyond replacement levels.