Who Needs Dealer Plate Control?


I've just returned from what you might call a whirlwind tour of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. A trip from the Canadian border to the southern part of Florida and back in 10 days. During that brief time I was able to visit with some of the automobile dealers along my route and I certainly saw the facilities of hundreds more. Some very impressive installations to be sure!

On a trip like this by car, in my case a very nice 4X4 crew cab pick-up truck (I prefer trucks), one has a lot of time to think. I spent that driving time thinking about you dealers and your need for dealer demo plate control. I looked at the beautiful stores knowing that they were at risk with every dealer demo plate that was out on the road because as in a line paraphrased from an insurance industry publication, "A demo plate represents the entire assets of the dealership when it is on the road." I was also comforted by seeing many whose names were very familiar to me knowing that they were using a demo plate control system that significantly reduced their liability exposure. I wondered how I could convince each and every one of you, large and small, that you need to have some form of demo plate control for your own protection. Certainly, if you all decided to purchase the product that my company manufactures it would be very good for my business, but in the overall scheme of things if every dealership had some form of demo plate security and control system it would be even better for the automobile retail business.

Did you know that 70% of all money paid out by the insurers of automobile dealerships is directly related to claims arising from the use of demos? If something could be done to reduce the amount of money paid out by insurers, costs would surely come down as would risk. Well, something can be done. Every dealership, regardless of size, or location, regardless of state requirement or regulation, needs to implement some form of reliable, proven and effective dealer plate security and control system. There should be industry standards for such equipment. Industry experts should be working with state and national dealer associations and insurance industry consultants should establish these standards. With these standards in place, dealers could purchase dealer plate control systems and equipment with confidence, knowing that the system met at least minimum security and control requirements.

I'm ready to get to work on this to improve security and reduce risk all across the nation. It's not a small job and will doubtless require a great deal of time and effort but I'm convinced that the result will be worth the effort. Dealers will be able to profit from reduced costs and improved efficiency. I fear it will take a long time to get the work of creating industry standards done so I would suggest that you not put off securing your plates while you wait for the standards to be established. Every dealer already knows what is required and with a little effort can verify the capabilities of the few offerings presently on the market. I would recommend that you check them all or seek the endorsement of a dealer you know who is using a product you are interested in. Who needs dealer demo plate control? You all do.