• HinoLabs aims to help dealers cash in on trends

    ONTARIO, CA – Using an unusual business plan, Hino Motor Sales USA has created a new department called HinoLabs that will try to finds ways to help the company’s dealerships profit from major trends and turning points in the trucking industry. Take the new hours of service rules that go into effect next year, said VP David Kaufman, who is a member of the HinoLabs team. “Time spent loading and unloading
    Oct. 24, 2003
    2 min read
    ONTARIO, CA – Using an unusual business plan, Hino Motor Sales USA has created a new department called HinoLabs that will try to finds ways to help the company’s dealerships profit from major trends and turning points in the trucking industry.

    Take the new hours of service rules that go into effect next year, said VP David Kaufman, who is a member of the HinoLabs team.

    “Time spent loading and unloading at the dock becomes much more critical because, under the new rules, the 14 hours in a driver’s work day run consecutively, meaning that time spent loading and unloading their truck, breaks, even their lunch hour counts against their total clock,” he said. “So we want to come up with new ideas to help reduce dock time as well as open up an opportunity for generate profit for dealers.”

    In the case of reducing dock time, Hino is working with Decade Products to develop returnable containers that speed truck loading and unloading time as well as reduce or even eliminate cardboard boxes, pallets, and other ‘dunnage,’ Kaufman said.

    “We help customers increase their loading/unloading efficiency and create a new stream of revenue for our dealers at the same time,” he explained. “That’s what Hino Labs is all about.”

    Other profit generation efforts currently being looked at by HinoLabs, noted Kaufman, include maintenance consulting programs, used truck auction offerings, and managing parts inventories for fleets.

    About the Author

    Sean Kilcarr

    Editor in Chief

    Sean Kilcarr is a former longtime FleetOwner senior editor who wrote for the publication from 2000 to 2018. He served as editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2018.

     

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Voice Your Opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!