Starting Point: Your Fleet Today

• Tell me briefly how many active power units are in your fleet today and the mix by Class (4-5, 6-7, 8).
• How many of those units are within 24 months of your typical replacement trigger? Options: 0, 1-5, 6-20, 21-50, 51+
• Walk me through a recent replacement decision, who signed off, and the decisive factor that made you choose the replacement timing.
• What duty cycles do your trucks run, including typical daily miles, payload ranges, and average shift length?
• Who on your team owns vehicle specification decisions, and who signs capital approvals and maintenance contracts? Options: Fleet manager, Operations director, Procurement, CFO/Owner, Shared responsibility
• Which telematics or fleet management categories do you use to track utilization and fault codes? Options: OEM telematics only, Third-party telematics platform, Both OEM and third-party, No telematics in place, Other

Where Replacement Pressure Comes From

• Which single fleet signal, such as age, mileage, emissions risk, or contract win, would make you place replacement orders immediately? Options: Vehicle age threshold, Cumulative mileage threshold, Regulatory compliance risk, New contract capacity need, Rising downtime/cost
• How often do emergency out-of-service events or failures cause you to miss customer commitments each month? Options: None, 1-2 times, 3-5 times, 6-10 times, More than 10
• Walk me through the last time a build-slot delay moved a delivery date, what you told the affected customers, and the downstream costs you incurred.
• Identify the one performance metric you watch that most closely predicts cost per mile for a unit. Options: Fuel MPG, Uptime percentage, Maintenance cost per mile, Mean time between failure, Other
• If your top replacement trigger doubled tomorrow, would you accelerate orders this quarter, and why or why not? Options: Yes, we would accelerate, No, we would not, Depends on budget availability, Unsure

How Downtime and Cost Bite into Operations

• Estimate the total cost of a single day of downtime for one unit, including penalties, driver idle time, and rental replacements. Options: <$500, $500-$1,500, $1,500-$3,000, >$3,000, Don't know
• What recurring patterns in maintenance tickets or fault codes tend to precede longer repairs?
• Who typically makes the call to approve an out-of-cycle repair versus a temporary field repair to keep a truck moving? Options: Fleet manager, Maintenance manager, Operations lead, Procurement, CFO/Owner
• When repairs force changes to an upfit or body, how often do you fix in-house versus sending the unit to an external upfitter? Options: Mostly in-house, About half and half, Mostly external upfitters, We outsource all upfits, Not applicable
• Name the one downstream cost that, if removed, would make a new procurement option pay back within your target window.

What Could Break This Plan

• Identify the single most likely risk in your current replacement plan that would stop you from meeting contract commitments. Options: Extended factory lead times, Spec errors requiring rework, Parts or service gaps, Budget shortfall, Regulatory change
• To what extent are extended factory lead times a problem for the specific chassis and upfit combinations you need? Options: Not a problem, Minor delays that we can absorb, Materially disruptive, Project-ending risk
• Describe any geographic gaps in parts or service coverage along your top operating routes that have caused issues in the past.
• If regulatory changes accelerated obsolescence for a vehicle class you rely on, how quickly would you need replacements to avoid penalties or contract breaches? Options: Within 4 weeks, 4-8 weeks, 8-16 weeks, 16+ weeks, Would require immediate evaluation
• Point to the single risk that, if unresolved, will force you to pause vendor selection. Options: Uncertain lead time, Lack of parts/service, Unable to integrate telematics, Budget approval, Other

Other Paths on Your Shortlist

• List the other vendors, incumbents, or internal programs you are actively considering to meet this fleet need. Options: Other dealer with OEM backing, Regional independent upfitter + dealer, Keep current fleet and repair, Internal rebuild program, Leasing company
• For each option you are weighing, what is the single reason they might win compared with an external dealer bundle?
• Tell me whether anyone on your team has proposed solving this internally, and who would own execution if that path were chosen. Options: Yes, maintenance team, Yes, operations team, No internal proposal, Unsure
• State the conditions that would need to hold true for you to stay with your current approach rather than change suppliers.
• Assuming your incumbent matched our lead time and offered a comparable maintenance package at the same price, what remaining gap would still make you switch suppliers this year?

Is Your Team and Tech Ready?

• Do you have an internal contact who can provide telematics API access and a test endpoint within the timeline you expect? Options: Yes, ready now, Yes, available within 2 weeks, Available in 2-8 weeks, No dedicated contact, Unsure
• List the third-party systems that must integrate before vehicles can enter service, and name who on your side owns each connection.
• Provide the number of dedicated technical resources your team can assign to telematics integration, VDI connections, and firmware acceptance testing. Options: None, 1, 2-3, 4-6, More than 6
• Are there permits, local registrations, or regulatory approvals that could delay deployment beyond 90 days? Options: No major approvals needed, Some local permits, usually <30 days, State-level approvals likely, Federal or complex approvals likely, Unsure
• Choose the option that best describes the state of the data you will provide for vehicle history, utilization, and driver hours. Options: Clean and accessible exports, Partial exports with gaps, Mostly missing or unstructured, Owned by a third party with restricted access
• Would inability to provide API access or sample data within 2 weeks stop a pilot from starting? Options: Yes, we could not start, No, we can proceed without it, We could start with limited scope, Unsure

Picture It in Service

• Imagine every new truck hit your uptime and fuel efficiency targets; what would that change about your ability to win or price contracts?
• Name the operational KPI you would use to declare a new spec successful after 90 days. Options: Uptime percentage, Cost per mile, Fuel MPG, Warranty/repair rate, Driver satisfaction
• Describe the ideal handover to drivers and fleet management, including who trains, what materials are required, and how acceptance is recorded.
• State how you will measure parts and warranty responsiveness in the first year of operation. Options: Mean time to repair, Parts availability rate, Warranty claim turnaround, Customer-impact incidents
• Provide the names and roles of the internal approvers who must sign off to place a full order if a 90-day pilot hits your KPI.

Next Steps and Decision Drivers

• Point to the single procurement outcome that would make you sign this quarter rather than later. Options: Guaranteed delivery window, Confirmed maintenance support network, Attractive financing terms, Spec accuracy guarantee, Other
• Outline the primary stakeholders required for final approval and the typical time each one takes to decide.
• Choose the procurement decision criteria you will weight highest. Options: Total cost of ownership, Lead time and delivery certainty, Uptime and reliability, Warranty and service coverage, Financing structure and monthly cost
• Select the acquisition structure and budget range per unit that best matches your target Options: Purchase, under $100k, Purchase, $100k-$175k, Purchase, $175k-$300k, Finance/loan, undecided range, Operating lease, monthly target available
• When do you need the first units in service to meet contract obligations, choose the earliest acceptable delivery window. Options: Within 4 weeks, 4-8 weeks, 8-16 weeks, 16-26 weeks, Flexible/unsure
• Explain the one internal blocker that, if not cleared in 30 days, will prevent this project from proceeding.

• Solution Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and cost to your operation
• You confirm the demonstrated vehicle configuration meets the duty-cycle and uptime needs from Discovery.
• Run a build-slot availability check for the validated spec and deliver a slot availability report with tentative delivery windows.
• Replay a representative duty-cycle scenario with the proposed vehicle spec
• You confirm the proposed financing and service package delivers the required cost-per-mile profile and aligns with contract timelines.
• Prepare a provisional 5-year total cost-of-ownership model for the agreed scenario, including maintenance and residual assumptions.
• Demonstrate upfit acceptance and service plan handling for remote routes
• Provide three representative routes with payloads, daily cycles, and any seasonal peaks for use in the scenario replay.
• You agree on acceptable delivery windows and the evidence needed to commit to order placement.
• List the stakeholders and decision gates required to approve build-slot commitment and financing within your timeline.
• Show financing bundle and 5-year cost-per-mile impact
• Assess delivery timing risk and mitigation options
• Validate that this maps to your needs

• Solution Experience Session
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Submit factory vehicle orders
• Allocate in-stock units and deliver
• Custom vocational upfit installation
• Pre-delivery inspection and road test
• Factory-backed warranty enrollment
• Activate preventive maintenance agreement
• Fleet financing and lease structuring
• Process trade-in and apply credit
• Install telematics and integrate fleet systems
• Driver familiarization and operator training
• Local parts staging for operating routes
• Emergency roadside and mobile repair coverage
• Post-delivery modification and retrofit services

Submit factory vehicle orders

• Which OEM model, powertrain and cab configuration do you require by VIN or model code?
• How many chassis do you intend to order in this factory run? Options: 1-5, 6-20, 21-50, 51+
• Do you require factory-installed emissions or regulatory packages specific to a state or local jurisdiction? Options: Yes, No
• When is the latest acceptable factory build-slot delivery month for the first unit? Options: Within 30 days, Within 60 days, Within 90 days, Quarter specified (provide below)
• Which factory options must be locked on order (e.g., axle ratio, wheelbase, PTO provisions)? List specific option codes.
• Specify any factory-required documentation you will provide at order (e.g., purchase order number, fleet account ID, credit approval letter).

Allocate in-stock units and deliver

• Which delivery preference do you have for in-stock allocation? Options: Immediate delivery from dealer lot, Dealer transfer from nearby lot, Timed delivery to site
• How many in-stock units do you need allocated versus factory orders? Options: All from stock, Mix of stock and factory, None — factory only
• Which dealer location ZIP codes are acceptable for pick-up or origin of delivery?
• By what date must the first allocated unit arrive on site to meet contract start or replacement timing? Options: Within 7 days, Within 14 days, Within 30 days, Specify date
• Which delivery acceptance criteria will you use to confirm each unit meets ordered spec and arrives within the agreed build-slot window (for example: VIN match, signed PDI checklist, and delivery date no later than specified target)? Options: VIN match and PDI signed, VIN match only, PDI plus operational road test, Custom acceptance criteria (describe)
• Who at your organization will be the authorized receiver for allocated units and what contact details will they use?

Custom vocational upfit installation

• Which vocational bodies and modules must be installed (e.g., dump bed with hoist spec, crane model and rated capacity, refrigerated box with BTU rating)?
• How many upfit acceptance points do you require (for example: electrical integration, load test, paint match, controls labeling)? Options: Standard 5-point, Extended 10-point, Custom checklist
• Which upfit vendor approvals or certifications (for example DOT certification, National Association of Trailer Manufacturers guidelines, or OEM body builder program ID) are required? Options: OEM-certified upfitter, Dealer upfitter, Third-party certified (provide ID)
• When scheduling upfit work, what lead-time window do you need between chassis delivery to upfitter and completion? Options: <7 days, 7-14 days, 15-30 days, Specify
• What acceptance criteria will you use to sign off final upfit installation (for example: signed upfit checklist, load-test at rated capacity, functionality verification of installed controls)? Options: Signed checklist plus load test, Signed checklist only, Operational demo required on-site
• Provide any vehicle-specific integration requirements for the upfit (for example: PTO shaft locations, harness connector part numbers, inverter or auxiliary battery specs).

Pre-delivery inspection and road test

• Which PDI (pre-delivery inspection) checklist items are mandatory for your fleet (engine oil level, brake adjustment, lights, telematics provisioning, fluid leaks)?
• How many road-test miles or operational cycles do you require during PDI to validate duty-cycle readiness? Options: Short drive (5-10 miles), Extended drive (20-50 miles), Operational day test (complete duty cycle)
• Which tolerances or thresholds will you accept during PDI (for example: oil pressure range, idle RPM range, acceptable brake fade limits)?
• Who from your operations team will be present for final PDI and sign-off including name and role?
• What documentation will validate PDI completion for your records (for example: signed PDI checklist PDF, annotated defect list, timestamped telematics snapshot)? Options: Signed PDI checklist PDF, Photographic evidence and checklist, Telematics snapshot plus checklist, Other documentation (specify)
• Which delivery acceptance threshold will mark the unit as accepted into service (for example: zero critical defects, fewer than two minor defects corrected within 7 days)? Options: Zero critical defects, Allow up to 2 minor defects, Custom threshold (describe)

Factory-backed warranty enrollment

• Which warranty package term do you require for powertrain and driveline coverage (for example: 3 years/200,000 miles, 5 years/500,000 miles)? Options: Standard OEM term, Extended term (provide years/miles), Custom term (specify)
• Do you require transferability options for warranty in case of resale during the lease or ownership period? Options: Yes, No
• Which warranty enrollment documents or VIN list must be submitted to activate factory coverage?
• Are there any operational conditions that should be excluded from warranty coverage (for example: snow-plow use, off-road operation, or unapproved upfit modifications)? Options: Yes, No
• How will you want warranty claims routed (for example: through dealer service bays, direct to OEM portal, or via your fleet manager)? Options: Dealer service bays, Direct OEM portal, Fleet-managed and brokered
• Identify any required response-time SLA for warranty repairs at dealer locations on your primary operating routes (for example: next-business-day parts availability).

Activate preventive maintenance agreement

• Which preventive maintenance plan cadence do you require for each vehicle class (for example: every 10,000 miles, every 12 months, or duty-cycle based intervals)? Options: Mileage-based (specify interval), Time-based (specify interval), Duty-cycle based (provide metrics)
• How many scheduled service visits per year should be included per unit under the PM agreement? Options: 1, 2-3, 4+, Custom
• Which service level must be available at nearest service bays on your routes (for example: full diagnostics and parts, mobile-only, or basic inspections)? Options: Full service bays, Mobile service only, Hybrid coverage
• Who will own the maintenance log and how will maintenance records be shared (for example: dealer portal access, CSV export, telematics integration)? Options: Dealer portal access, CSV export, Telematics integration, Other (specify)
• Are there mandatory items you want included in every PM visit (for example: brake measurements, suspension torque, DPF/regeneration check)? Options: Yes, No
• Estimate your acceptable uptime threshold between preventive maintenance events (for example: 98% uptime monthly).

Fleet financing and lease structuring

• Which financing structure best matches your planning horizon for these units? Options: Operating lease, Capital lease, Loan/purchase, Custom hybrid
• How long should the primary lease or finance term be to align with contract durations (in months)? Options: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, Specify
• What residual or end-of-term target do you require for calculating monthly payments (for example: % of MSRP or fixed dollar per unit)?
• Do you require fleet-level cost-per-mile guarantees or true-up mechanisms tied to utilization? Options: Yes, No
• Who will be the authorized signer for financing documents and what form of ID or corporate documentation will you provide?
• Indicate any credit approval constraints we should know (for example: minimum FICO, company financial statement requirement, or treasury approval).

Process trade-in and apply credit

• Which units will you trade in (list VINs and current odometer hours/miles)?
• How would you like trade-in credit applied (against unit price, held as deposit, or applied to fleet account)? Options: Applied to unit price, Held as deposit, Applied to fleet account, Other (specify)
• Which acceptance criteria will determine final trade-in valuation (for example: condition tiers, required service records, and allowance for aftermarket upfits)? Options: Condition tiers and service record, Flat book value adjustment, Independent appraisal required
• When do you need the trade-in removal from your yard relative to delivery of the replacement (for example: simultaneous swap, within 7 days after delivery)? Options: Simultaneous swap, Within 7 days, Within 14 days, Retain old unit until disposal instruction
• Are there environmental or decommissioning requirements for traded units (for example: fluid drain, battery disposal, VIN plate transfer)? Options: Yes, No
• Estimate the expected trade-in credit range as a percentage of current market book value to help structure the deal.

Install telematics and integrate fleet systems

• Which telematics hardware endpoint (OBD, J1939 CAN gateway, OEM telematics gateway) do you require installed per vehicle? Options: OBD dongle, J1939 CAN gateway, OEM gateway prewired, Other (specify)
• How many integration endpoints must be supported at go-live (for example: your fleet management system, payroll, fuel card reconciliation)? Options: 1, 2-3, 4+
• Which telematics data points are mandatory to stream at acceptance (for example: VIN-level GPS, engine hours, fault codes, fuel level)?
• Who will provide API credentials or access to your fleet management system for integration?
• Do you require on-vehicle installation evidence such as serial-numbered photos and a verified telematics heartbeat within 48 hours of delivery? Options: Yes, No
• Specify any data retention or export format requirements for telematics data (for example: CSV daily export, JSON API, 365-day retention).

Driver familiarization and operator training

• Which driver groups require training on new equipment (for example: line-haul drivers, vocational operators, service technicians)? Options: Line-haul, Vocational operators, Yard drivers, Service technicians, Other
• How long should each operator training session be to meet your compliance and safety needs? Options: 30-60 minutes, 1-2 hours, Half-day, Full-day
• Where should driver familiarization occur (for example: at delivery site, at dealer training facility, or via on-line modules)? Options: On-site at delivery, Dealer facility, Virtual/online, Combination
• Who will approve driver competency after training and what evidence do you require (for example: signed competency form, observed road test, telematics performance improvement)?
• Do you require training materials to be retained in your LMS or provided as printable checklists and certificates? Options: LMS integration, Printable checklists and certificates, Both
• Indicate any regulatory or company-specific training mandates that must be included (for example: DOT hours-of-service refresher, lockout/tagout procedures for service staff).

• Purchase Agreement
• Build-Slot Reservation
• Financing/Lease Agreement
• Warranty Confirmation
• Maintenance & Service Agreement
• Trade-In & Residual Valuation Agreement
• Deposit & Payment Authorization
• Delivery & Acceptance Schedule
• Mutual Obligations & Order Terms

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate Review
• Quarterly Operational Review

• Publish the quarter's operational dashboard with trends and action-item status for asynchronous review.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented acceptance decision for the deliverable set against the targets recorded in Solution Scope.
• If any criteria failed, produce a remediation plan with milestones and resolution dates to achieve acceptance.
• Confirm the incumbent units are decommissioned or formally retained-read-only and archival actions are scheduled.
• Publish the acceptance decision record and circulate to stakeholders within 24 hours.
• Document remediation tasks for failed criteria with milestone dates and start the remediation tracking register.
• Execute the incumbent decommissioning checklist and confirm data archiving or migration is complete.
• Performance trends versus targets
• Confirm whether vehicle uptime percentage and mean time to repair remain on track relative to targets recorded in Solution Scope.
• Prioritize the top residual-value enhancement requests and add them to an action register with target dates.
• Close completed remediation items and reassign or escalate any overdue items.
• Update parts stocking strategy and reorder points to improve parts fill rate and reduce MTTR.
• Prioritize enhancement requests that materially affect residual value and schedule technical evaluation for the top two.
• Confirm deployment scope and owner commitments
• All delivered units confirmed commissioned or a remediation plan recorded for any failed items.
• Top 3 early operational issues identified and remediation actions agreed.
• Telematics endpoints validated as reporting to the buyer's fleet-management system.
• Distribute the completed commissioning checklist and list of failed acceptance items for asynchronous review.
• Place priority parts orders or expedite existing orders to address any missing critical parts.
• Publish updated driver familiarization and credentialing status for all delivered units.
• Present first-period outcomes against targets
• Determine whether vehicle uptime percentage and average cost per mile are moving toward the targets recorded in Solution Scope.
• Agree a prioritized set of corrective actions with target completion dates to address the top 2 metric gaps.
• Confirm parts lead-time mitigation actions to reduce repair delay impact on availability.
• Update preventive maintenance schedule to address the top identified failure mode and publish the revised schedule.
• Place or escalate parts orders identified as critical to reducing MTTR and document expected delivery dates.
• Tune telematics alert thresholds and confirm alert routing to reduce false positives and speed diagnosis.
• Commissioning and handover validation
• Service and parts ticket burn-down
• Service ticket and MTTR trends
• Present outcome data per acceptance criterion
• Parts availability and lead-time impact
• Document pass/fail per criterion and formal acceptance decision
• Residual-value risk and enhancement requests
• Driver onboarding and fleet-management integration status
• Root-cause diagnosis and corrective plan
• Early service and parts signals
• Remediation plan for any failed criteria
• Open remediation and continuous-improvement register
• Incumbent fleet wind-down confirmation
• Blockers and immediate remediation actions