Used Car Week 2022: Interview With Ty Thompson (Podcast)

In this episode of the PAL Podcast, Jeremy Louisos talks with Ty Thompson from Cars on the Move. They chat about the connections and interactions that take place during Used Car Week 2022.

Jeremy Louisos: Greetings. My name is Jeremy Louisos. I’m with Preowned Auto Logistics and we’re here with another episode of the PAL Podcast. We’re here at Used Car Week 2022 in San Diego, with the famous Mr Ty Thompson, CEO of Cars on the Move. How we doing buddy?

Ty Thompson: Man, I’m so good. This has been an amazing conference. And for you?

Jeremy: This is a little bit of a trip for me right now because it’s always the other way around.

Ty: I know.

Jeremy: You’re interviewing me.

Ty: All the time.

Jeremy: And here the roles have been reversed.

Ty: I love it.

Jeremy: I have my friend up here.

Ty: I’m so excited. I mean, really, it’s exciting to be the guy that gets… Ask me questions.

What Have You Learned From Used Car Week 2022?

Jeremy: Yeah. Well, so the first question, how’s the show going?

Ty: Whoa.

Jeremy: You’re, so, and I’ll preface this.

Ty: Yeah, yeah.

Jeremy: You’re someone who I think has unique ability and it’s rare to see someone that has the confidence, the interest, the enthusiasm to just be all over the show, talk to anybody about any topic, and genuinely listen, be impressed. Like your sense of wonder is just, it’s touching to me truly. And you’re inspiring. So that said, you’ve been running around this place doing what Ty does. What have you learned?

Ty: What I’ve learned, I think about the farmer, right? The farmer waits patiently for the fall and spring rain, or the spring and fall rain. So I think about the farmer a lot. And I think about, we’ve been coming to these conferences for probably over three years now. And to see the seeds that we’ve planted and the rain that’s here, right?

Jeremy: Yeah.

Ty: We’re starting to see something that’s grown. I’m a relationship guy. You know that. So this particular conference right here, Bill Zadite. Thank you, Bill Zadite. I always say thank you.

Making Connections at Used Car Week

Jeremy: Thank you, Bill.

Ty: Thank you, Bill. It’s really, this is I think maybe our fourth one we’ve been to. We’ve known a lot of people. So last night we, the highlight, here’s the highlight. Okay. And this really melts my heart. It makes me so excited and almost teary eyed because we’re down in the lobby, Jay’s with me and Jay and I never go to these together. Very, very rare.

Jeremy: Right.

Ty: So Jay and I are together, we’re down in the lobby and we always talk about, because we’re always excited. So I’m like, “Hey, Jay, have you heard of Car Lots?” “Oh yeah.” I said, “You know Holly.” He’s like, “Oh yeah, I know Holly, but Holly would probably never talk to us. We’re just these little guys.” I’m like, “No, I know Holly. Come here.” So we’re talking to Holly. And she’s been really nice, Car Lots. Right? You know who I’m talking about?

Jeremy: Holly? Is it Valante?

Ty: Valante? Yeah.

Jeremy: Yeah. Yeah.

Ty: So we’re having this great conversation, just having fun. Bill walks up. It’s kind of like putting this stamp of approval on Ty and Jay, right? I mean, this is the father. He walks in the room.

Jeremy: Boys.

Ty: Boys. And gives us this really just the most kind gracious approval. Like the nod. Like, man, I love you. I appreciate you guys.

Jeremy: That’s awesome.

Ty: What you’re doing. And for us, I mean, we’re working at this really hard all the time. We’re trying to connect. We’re always trying to promote. We’re always trying to, I like to demonstrate, I want to show you what I’m talking, kind of educational. So to have a guy like Bill just come up and say, “Thanks guys for being here. Really appreciate you,” in front of a pretty elite crowd, for us.

Jeremy: That’s awesome. Yeah. That’s so cool. That’s so cool. Well, you earned it.

Ty: Well, we’re still earning it. We don’t stop.

Jeremy: Every day. You got to earn it every day.

Ty: That’s what ATI, Cars On The Move. We don’t stop.

Jeremy: Yeah.

Electric Vehicle Transportation and Storage

Ty: I mean, we don’t take anything for granted. Things are changing at a rapid pace. I mean, I was on a panel here, which I was really happy about. I think it was EV transportation and storage, right?

Jeremy: Yeah.

Ty: Which by the way, I’m not a big EV guy. I think we’ve talked about that on some previous shows. So I’m like, why am I on this panel? And I was really wondering that, like the whole time, until we got to the part about, so you guys know, so the guy hosting the panel, John Roberts, I think, JR.

So we get to the part about these things are heavy and you can haul nine on a trailer, but you can’t haul nine of these EVs. I’m like, oh, now I know I’m here. It’s my turn. And I’ve been quiet this whole time thinking, man, I don’t know if I’m going to say much because I’m not a fan.

So, yeah. You’re right, John. Let’s break this down to the guy driving the truck. Let’s really expose what we’re talking about. I just spent $350,000 for an 80-foot truck and trailer that says Peterbilt and Cottrell on it and I’m really excited about it because it can haul nine cars. So with the weight of an EV, you went from nine to six, is that fair? You’re in transportation.

Jeremy: We’re hoping it’s not, but that might be.

Ty: Might be. Right. And I mean you get paid on most of these, if I’m wrong, tell me. But it’s usually per car.

Jeremy: Per unit.

Ty: Right. So I spent $350,000 for a 80-foot Peterbilt and Cottrell trailer that can haul nine cars. Now I’m only hauling six. Okay, problem. Well, let’s talk about the driver in this. Do you guys know how the driver gets paid? Percentage of the load. Percentage of the load.

So the guy makes $100. Industry standard is $25. Start doing the math. So this driver, and as a fleet owner, I want my driver to make more money because I want him to stay here because there’s a driver’s shortage. It’s hard getting a guy that knows how to load a car. Okay. If you just took three cars off this guy’s truck, that’s not three cars off his truck, that’s three cars out of his wallet.

Jeremy: How’s that going to work?

Ty: Yeah.

Jeremy: Yeah.

Ty: And the room was like, whoa. Oops.

Jeremy: And then you’re like, oh. So that’s why they asked me to be here.

Ty: Yeah.

Jeremy: Well, and that’s something that I’ve always appreciated about your show.

Ty: Oh.

Advocating for Drivers and Carriers in the Vehicle Transport Industry

Jeremy:  Is advocating for the carriers, advocating for the drivers, the boots in the ground. I think we’re doing the titans of car shipping. We’re talking about those blue ribbon.

Ty: Blue chip.

Jeremy: Blue chip. Yeah.

Ty: The blue chip carrier.

Jeremy: The blue chip carrier. Right.

Ty: We stole that, by the way. That’s Marco’s term.

Jeremy: Marco’s. Yeah. And he seemed very comfortable with us borrowing it.

Ty: Oh, yeah. Yeah. He’s like, have it. A matter of fact, I ran into him in the hall. And that’s another thing, the people you see here, the relationships and that, we talk about that all the time. We do, the relationships.

Jeremy: All of our relationships. Yeah.

Ty: Yeah. Marco, we stole it. I Said, “Hey, I stole it.” He’s like, “Keep using it.”

Blue Chip Vehicle Carriers

Jeremy:  So on our side, we’re talking about what it takes to be a blue chip carrier. More demands. We need this thing done. We need condition reports, and then we need timeliness and we need communication and all these sorts of things that are being… And we might need a different look. There might be some branded deliveries and some more complicated pickups. And now the loads are breaking down. All these sort of challenges where we’re asking a lot of these drivers and here comes another thing that is not rewarding all this hard work. It’s going the other way. I guess it begs the question to me, what was the reaction in the panel that you’re in? How do we answer for that?

Ty: Well, the part of my goal in being here at these conferences is we can’t just walk in and say what we think. With these conferences, and I love it, but there’s this political, you kind of got to be careful. I mean, you got three people sitting in a panel.

I’m one of them. I’m a super trucker. I’ve been all around the grease in the transport parking lot. And you got somebody who’s sitting there with really beautiful nails and beautiful hair and a beautiful dress who’s maybe not familiar with this, but is really pro EV, electric view, right?

Jeremy: Yeah. Yep.

Ty: How do we have a conversation without getting in a fight? I’m a transport guy and all I want to do is I’m right and let’s fight. Right? You’re wrong.

Jeremy: Passion.

Ty: Very passionate. So I don’t think, I mean, to get back what you’re saying. We’re just getting to where we’re going to get to a real conversation. Okay. I’m a long gamer. I’m planting the seed. I’m waiting for the fall and the spring rain.

Jeremy: I like it.

Multiple Perspectives at Used Car Week

Ty: So if I can get on a panel, if I can be a host, if I can talk to a guy in the hallway, “Hey, I was in your meeting.” I was in one just a little while ago. It was digitization of transportation for auction, right?

Jeremy: Yeah.

Ty: I’m sitting there. I’m listening to it. That’s great guys. I love what you’re saying. And I’m not being mean, but I am saying you’re missing a really important piece to this conversation. Do you know what that is, guys? And, no. You’re missing the transport guy.

You’re talking about everything around him and he needs to be here and you need to hear what he has to say. I appreciate all your technology. That’s great. And I’m really appreciative that it kind of helps out the consignor and the auction or the shipper.

Jeremy: We’re forgetting somebody. There’s a piece, there’s a part to this dance.

Ty: Yeah. But it goes back to the relationship. It goes back to we’re not going to change the world tomorrow.

Jeremy: No.

Ty: I’m probably the hardest to carry. And everybody, I’ve talked to a lot of you guys and somewhere along the way, Ty, you represent the carriers well. Whatever that means.

Jeremy: You know what it means.

Ty: I just know that when I’m talking to a guy who hauls cars, I don’t pull any punches. If you want to own your own business, really? There’s a lot involved. Let’s talk about that. So that’s what we do. Our relationship with PAL, Preowned Auto Logistics, and what you guys do, we’re learning. We get to come to your corporate headquarters. We got to spend the day at the office.

Jeremy: PAL party. Right?

Ty: PAL party.

Jeremy: We had a good time that day.

Ty: It was beautiful.

Jeremy: Yeah.

Ty: Amazing people that I get to meet.

Jeremy:  I appreciate that.

Interacting With Industry Professionals at Used Car Week

Ty: Yeah. Get to interact. Okay. I know you guys. Because of our platform, we get guys that need help. I can send them to a guy like you and it’s taken care of. Thanks, buddy.

Jeremy: Ty, it’s totally mutual. We love being a part of your world as well. Let’s keep it rolling. And just the last thing I’d just say there is we need you out there advocating for the carrier.

Ty: Yeah.

Jeremy: Because it’s easy for that piece to be swallowed up. And if that voice is loud enough and keeps kind of planting those seeds, then I think, yeah, long game, I think we might get folks aligned with what has to happen because this needs to be a partnership.

Ty: Well, it does. And you know, get into the carrier world and they’re going to scream and holler about how bad everybody else is. That’s where I come in. Hold on. Let’s clean up our side of the street first. Okay, guys.

Jeremy: Well said, Ty. Well, thank you so much.

Ty: Thank you very much.

Jeremy: Thank you so much for joining us. Enjoy the rest of the show.

Ty: Absolutely.

Jeremy: I’m sure we’ll catch you up in a little bit.

All right. Well, that was Ty Thompson, always with the insights in our auto logistics space, the stuff that you need to hear.