Model 1 Commercial Vehicles, a bus and transportation services dealer, signed a national distribution agreement with The Shyft Group.
For Model 1, the agreement adds an expansive commercial product offering, which supports vehicle upfitting and second-stage manufacturing, and gives The Shyft Group access points into new markets and a national distribution and upfit footprint.
Model 1 will carry Shyft Group brands – DuraMag, Royal Truck Body and Magnum – and offer local upfit services nationwide. This agreement brings a larger in-stock product offering to Model 1 customers, expands The Shyft Group’s footprint nationally, and creates a one-stop-shop option for fleets, municipalities and work truck end users in services, such as plumbing, heating, HVAC, landscaping, oil and gas, and general contracting.
“While selling this vehicle category is not new for Model 1, the collaboration with The Shyft Group expands offerings across the country and touches into new markets with local servicing and upfitting,” said TJ Matijevich, Model 1 vice president and general manager. “Traditionally, the commercial supply chain for upfitted vehicles has created unnecessarily long wait times and complicated processes. Someone has to fix that, and Model 1, in collaboration with Shyft, is going first.”
Model 1’s access to chassis pool inventory and vehicle body stock eliminates the traditional domino effect timing lag experienced by most in the commercial vehicle space, the company said.
Matt Duffy, national sales director with The Shyft Group, said, “Model 1’s vast geographic footprint with 23 brick and mortar locations, combined with their ability to access chassis pools, makes for a really strong distributor partner. Through Model 1 dealerships, Shyft and Model 1 are giving fleet management companies and end users better visibility, control and speed that others cannot unlock on their own.”
Model 1 is a vertically integrated dealer, leveraging relationships with vehicle OEMs, as well as offering upfit facilities and handling service aspects, including quick-ship vehicle delivery, licensing and titling, the company said.