There's a bright future for the independent truck dealer, according to George Grask, 1999 Truck Dealer of the Year. Speaking at the The Maintenance Council's Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN this week, Grask also shared his concern over the dire need to recruit technicians in to the trucking industry.

Grask said the competition from white-coat trades for young people's skills was intensifying and that it is in the industry's best interest to clean up its act by making service workshops an attractive environment for technicians to work in.
Grask, who is a owner of Peterbilt and GMC dealerships in Davenport and Cedar Rapids, IA., said that despite consolidations at the manufacturer, dealer and fleet customer level, there will always be a place for the service-oriented independent dealership that understands and responds to its customers needs. He said the independent is best able to get close to its customers to really understand what those needs are and be able to repond quickly to them.