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It’s been 10 years since Thaer Hamdi decided he was done turning wrenches and done working for other people. To celebrate, the Cornwell Quality Tools dealer, whose route is located north of Boston, bought himself a new truck.
“I said to myself, I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I mind as well treat myself and buy a new truck the way that I want it,” Hamdi says. “So every time I get in it, I’m going to be happy with it.”
Although his last truck didn’t have anything wrong with it, it didn’t have what he wanted in a truck. As Hamdi notes, and as most mobile dealers can attest to, more time is spent within the truck than at home, so it’s important to have it the way you like it.
Hamdi bought his new truck, a 2020 20’ Freightliner MT55, from Summit Bodyworks. Originally, it came with a basic layout, but Hamdi decided to completely revamp the interior. Notable features include display sections, lots of drawers, pull-out panels, and a removeable shelf, to name a few.
He has two large display sections: one dedicated for his diagnostic tools and another for cordless tools – mostly Milwaukee Tool. Since he sells quite a few of each, he wanted a bigger section for these specifically, allowing customers to easily see and grab the products.
He also has a section for air tools; however, it’s much smaller than the other sections.
“I still sell quite a few air tools, but nowhere near as many as I used to,” he says, noting he went from displaying 18 air tools in his last truck down to eight now. He says it’s just enough to put in front of his customers to remind them that he still sells them.
He also made sure to incorporate a lot more drawers on his new truck. For Hamdi, drawers keep his tools more organized and provide a better use of space. They are also more convenient for his customers.
The tools that Hamdi once had hanging on the back wall of his old truck can now be found in his new pull-out panels. He has four panels, each double-sided, for tools to hang on — a nice feature that his customers also enjoy.
“Customers really dig it,” he says. “It’s pretty cool.”
When designing his truck, Hamdi also made sure to have a removeable shelf installed in a space where a toolbox would typically go. That way if he didn’t have a toolbox on hand, he could display more tools.
Aside from all his custom features, customers would still probably say they like his refrigerator which is filled with energy drinks and snacks.
“I have customers just come on my truck every week to buy food,” he says laughing. “I don’t make a lot of money off food, but it gets the guys on my truck.”
Over the 10 years of selling, Hamdi has noticed that whenever he gets a new truck (even his previous used trucks), sales increased.
“I don’t know if it’s me being more motivated having a new truck, or customers see a new truck and feel more confident to buy,” he says.
A new truck also helps with moral, he says, adding, “It’s like new clothes. You just want to go out and you feel more confident. When you get a new truck, you want to hit the streets and you feel fresh.”
Hamdi has just one more feature to add to his new truck before being complete – a sound system with subwoofer.
“It’s a multi-purpose thing, it’s good for me and customers like it,” he says.
