Jodie Teuton, chairwoman of the American Truck Dealers (ATD) and vice president of Kenworth of Louisiana and Hino Trucks of Baton Rouge, is featured in the latest MyDealership.org video series. Teuton talks about the importance of dealerships to their local communities as employers offering well-paying career opportunities and generating taxes…

Since 2013, the nation’s franchised new-car dealers and industry allies stood side-by-side as we fought the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to preserve the dealer assisted financing model, and its irrefutable benefit to all car-buying customers. In May, our customers won a major victory when Congress and the President voided the CFPB’s…

Many dealers may have seen news stories about the broad privacy and data security regulation coming from the European Union (EU) called the “General Data Protection Regulation” or “GDPR.” GDPR is European law, but it applies to any company, anywhere in the world, that “controls” or “processes” information about people in the EU. Violations carry…

On May 21, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) to urge the inclusion of repealing the 12% federal excise tax (FET) on heavy-duty trucks in an…

On May 21, President Donald Trump signed into law S.J. Res. 57 – a measure passed by Congress to reject a Washington bureaucracy’s rule which could have eliminated the ability of car dealerships to discount loans for their customers. “This is a great day for consumers, as Congress and the President have helped to preserve their ability to…

I have a nickname for my husband Rich. I call him “Inspector Gadget.” Why?  If there is an accessory, tool, garment, widget or part for a mountain bike or a motorcycle – he owns it. If a neighbor or friend needs a “bearing puller,” which, by the way, is an unusual tool to have at home, he’s your guy. If our garage was a parts department and…

I was 32 years old when I was promoted to General Manager of a Ford Dealership. I remember the fear and excitement I felt the first day I drove up to the building and parked my car in the parking lot. I was told the “Customer Service Surveys and Scores” were not very good and we were losing our customer base. I knew that if you have…

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has launched a new training program exclusively for dealership managers. The new NADA Professional Series provides training to new or high-potential department managers working in sales, office, parts and service. It's designed to fit the busy automotive retail lifestyle of dealership managers…

As a young professional in the car business, I was comfortable being a contributor but I always had the desire to be shown the “big picture.” I wanted to know why and how my individual contributions helped my company achieve its goals. Thankfully, I was lucky to have great mentors help me see how the pieces worked together. Managing an…

As a young professional, I dreamed of becoming a Dealership Sales Manager. Have you heard the phrase – “Be careful what you wish for?” That phrase rang true on my first day managing a new team at a dealership. I had worked hard hitting sales objectives to get the promotion. I was ready to get results. But there was one problem. I had the ability…