Professional Distributor - 12

DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE
up to - Bob, or whoever, [he's] going to
send them your way."
Being on good terms with a shop
owner or manager at stops can also
help when it comes to skips and thefts.
Nelson recounts multiple instances in
which a shop manager has helped him
recover goods stolen from his truck by a
customer. In one case, a shop manager
came to him. In another, he reached out
asking about the missing tool.
"I had a guy at a shop that took a set
of sockets off my truck on a Monday
during a flyer sale," he says. "I had them
all laid out perfectly, so I knew something was missing. I called the [shop's
manager], and in 15 minutes he sent
me a picture back [and asked], 'Is this
what you're looking for?' And I said,
'Yep.' Those guys will help you out. If
they don't like you, they're not going
to spend their time or risk [angering]
a fellow co-worker to help a guy they
don't really care about."
Whether it's getting a foot in the
door starting out or recovering product from a sticky-handed customer, it's
well worth it for a tool dealer to put in
the time to build a relationship with
shop owners and managers. Of course,
that will also extend to customers, since
they're the ones spending money on the
truck. Mobile tool sales has a lot to do
with forming positive relationships.

OLD TRUCK, NEW TRUCK
As the day heats up, so does the truck's
interior. Nelson starts the 2014 Ford
F-59 step van's generator to get the
A/C unit going.
"I have one roof A/C ... I wish I
would have put two up there because
it's hot here," he says. "Probably the
only two places worse than here are
Arizona and maybe Las Vegas. We [have]
dry heat, but it's hot. And the trucks
are kind of like a toaster oven, they get
hot quick."
As the generator starts on the third
try, Nelson starts talking about the
problems he's had with his truck. He

bought the 18' step van new when he
started with Mac, but after years of carrying too much weight for the engine, a
recent traffic accident began triggering
some engine problems, and Nelson has
decided it's time to move on.
"About two months ago, the truck
got wrecked," he says. "I had two cars
crash in front of me, and the second
one bounced back into the front of my
truck. That put my truck down for like
three weeks. I told them to just bend
the hood back out, I had to get back to
work - you can't be down that long."
Unfortunately, he wasn't out of the
woods just yet. Once the hood was bent
back into place and patched up, Nelson
says there was an electrical issue with
the motor that took another couple of
days to fix. After that, he noticed a tick
in the motor that eventually turned into
a major engine problem which "took the
top of the motor out." When he got the
truck back after that repair, he noticed a
tick on the other side of the motor and
decided he'd had enough.
"Then I got mad and ordered a new
truck," he says. "They're building it for
a display truck at the [2020 Mac Tools]
show, and then I'll pick it up after."
It's easy to see Nelson is excited
about the new truck he has ordered.
It's a 2020 Peterbilt 337 with a 24'
box, and it's sure to be outfitted with
the latest and greatest in mobile tool
selling equipment.

12 Professional Distributor I December 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com

Nelson's 18' step van is soon to be replaced by
a brand new Peterbilt with a 24' box.

"I'm getting the bigger truck with
a bigger chassis that will handle the
weight," Nelson says. "It's kind of a big
investment ... I went all out. The new
one will be a cab chassis with a 24' box.
It'll have a cab like this where I can turn
and go into the back, and it will also
have a side entrance door so the guys
won't have to crawl through here."

WRAPPING UP
After Nelson finishes up at his last stop
for the day, he heads for home in the
nearby suburbs, reflecting on his week's
work and what remains to be done.
"I usually save Saturdays for cleaning the truck, things like that, doing
toolbox deliveries and any kind of
pickups and deliveries that I've got to
do," he says. "Occasionally, I'll get a
Sunday where I'll have to work to get
the truck organized. It's not a ton of
time, but it's still time you've got to be
on the truck. My son is seven, he comes
out and helps me a little bit. I pay him
in candy," Nelson laughs.
As excited as he is about the future
of his business and the new truck he
has on order, Nelson seems content
with what he has now: A career he
loves, a busy route with loyal customers, a successful business that continues
to grow, and a family that supports him.
All in all, it's not a bad day's work.
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