Cold Calling and Networking: The Hard Truth About Commercial Truck Sales

By: Rick Vestal

Commercial Truck Veteran | Summit Truck Bodies Specialist

Commercial truck sales isn’t like selling cars. And honestly, it isn’t like most sales jobs. This industry doesn’t run on walk-in traffic or impulse buyers. It runs on businesses that depend on equipment to stay alive. These customers aren’t shopping for something fun — they’re making decisions that affect their crews, their contracts, and their livelihood. That’s why commercial truck sales is different, and that’s why it’s hard.

Sales Isn’t Easy — Especially in This Business

A lot of new salespeople come into this industry thinking the job is learning the product, quoting prices, and waiting for customers to show up. But commercial truck sales doesn’t work that way. If you’re waiting for leads to fall into your lap, you’ll be waiting a long time. The truth is, this business is built the hard way — through uncomfortable conversations, early mornings, and effort that doesn’t always pay off right away. Cold calling and networking aren’t side tasks. They are the job.

Cold Calling Isn’t Just a Phone Call — It’s Showing Up

Cold calling in commercial truck sales isn’t sitting behind a desk reading a script. It’s picking up the phone when you know the person on the other end is busy, and you might get shut down. It’s walking into a fleet yard at 7:00 a.m. with coffee and donuts, introducing yourself even when you feel like you’re interrupting someone’s day. It’s stopping by job sites, asking questions, listening more than talking, and being willing to hear “not right now” a hundred times. That’s why most people don’t do it — and that’s exactly why it works.

Networking Is Where Real Truck Business Happens

Networking isn’t passing out business cards and calling it a day. In commercial trucks, networking is trade shows, meet-and-greets, industry events, and after-hours dinners where the real conversations happen. It’s building relationships with contractors, upfitters, fleet managers, municipalities — the people who actually move this industry. The biggest deals rarely come from an advertisement. They come from being present, being known, and being trusted. That kind of trust takes time.

New Salespeople Struggle Because the Payoff Isn’t Immediate

This is one of the hardest lessons in truck sales: most of what you do today won’t pay you today. The calls you make this week might turn into business six months from now. The customer you meet at a show might not buy their next truck until next year. That delay is what breaks a lot of new reps. They want quick wins, but commercial truck sales is a long game. The reps who last are the ones who stay consistent when nothing is happening yet.

Commercial Truck Customers Want a Partner, Not a Pitch

These buyers don’t need someone to “sell” them. They need someone who understands their operation and fights to get them the right truck — the right specs, the right body, the right deal, and the right timeline. Buyers can tell immediately who’s real. If a customer calls a dealership and gets told, “Just come in and test drive it,” they’re not talking to a true commercial truck professional. This isn’t retail. This is business.

The Truth About Success in This Industry

Cold calling and networking are hard. They’re uncomfortable. They take effort, and they take time. But they are the foundation of a real career in commercial truck sales. This business rewards the people who show up early, follow up, stay visible, and build relationships that last longer than one transaction. Commercial truck sales isn’t easy, but if you do the hard work, it’s worth it.

Closing Thought

After more than 25 years in this business, I can tell you the truth: commercial truck sales is hard. It’s not easy, it’s not quick, and it’s definitely not comfortable in the beginning. But it can be one of the most rewarding careers out there if you’re willing to do what others won’t. Make the calls. Show up early. Build the relationships. Do the uncomfortable work before it pays off. Because in this industry, the people who put in the effort are the ones who earn customers for life — and the ones who last.

Check out my website! https://summitbodies.com/

Let's connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rick-vestal-96ba9b14

Rick's Bio:

Rick Vestal helps Texas heavy-equipment teams keep their crews productive by delivering the right service trucks—spec’d correctly, delivered on time, and supported for the long haul. With more than 25 years in vocational and fleet sales, he has sold and supported thousands of work-ready trucks across the energy, construction, and equipment dealer industries.

Rick’s career highlights include being a top U.S. producer for Ram, leading a Top-10 truck fleet dealership, and now specializing in Summit Truck Bodies, where he pairs premium truck bodies with practical, job-ready specs built to withstand real-world abuse.

Clients count on him for:

• Fast, accurate spec’ing (cranes, compressors, lube, drawers, lighting, PTO, GVWR, axle & wheelbase)

• Straight answers on lead times and budgets

• Full lifecycle support—from up-fit coordination and delivery logistics to parts and after-sales service

Trusted by equipment dealers, road builders, and heavy-equipment companies across Texas, Rick combines deep expertise with a hands-on, solutions-first approach to keep crews working efficiently and fleets performing at their best.

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