With a full-service lease from PacLease, Miller Supply Inc. has delivery optimization and brand development all wrapped up in one neat package.
Miller Supply provisions United Parcel Service franchise stores throughout southern California. The Rancho Santa Margarita-based packaging supply distributor also delivers materials to the bookbinding industry.
Owner Eric Miller says Inland PacLease in Montebello, Calif., worked with him to place his face and the image of his wife’s puppy, plus the company’s logo and its colors, on the trucks so that they would stand out for brand identification.
“This past year was our best ever,” he says. “Sales were up 15 percent, we got a double-digit increase in driver productivity, and this year prospects look just as bright if not brighter, thanks in part to PacLease.”
Miller moved to full-service leasing several years ago when the cost of maintaining its trucks became too much to handle.
“At one point, all six of our trucks had major mechanical problems within a one-week period,” Miller says. “We had $25,000 in repair bills in that week alone.”
The trucks Miller leased from another major leasing company were too light, underpowered and improperly equipped. Miller Supply now leases ten Kenworth T300s through PacLease, equipped with automatic transmissions and higher horsepower and higher torque engines. The transmissions and engines help drivers deal with traffic conditions, travel distances, and the effects of powerful winds.
Inland PacLease also provides additional rental trucks for peak seasonal business and on-site maintenance service through a mobile maintenance truck, which helps Miller deliver on time.
“In order to successfully compete, not only do we have to keep our operating costs down, but our trucks must stand out while looking their best and representing our company’s image and brand well,” Miller says. “Otherwise we’d lose the business.”