The end of the United Auto Workers strike against the Kentucky Truck Plant is good news for people who like big Ford trucks – and the auto dealerships that sell them. The Louisville plant makes several of Ford’s bigger trucks and large SUVs like the Expedition. Mark Collier is the general manager of Paul Miller Ford in Lexington. He said because they’re a high-volume dealership, they were better prepared than many for possible shortages.
“We tend to get more inventory being a volume dealership. And on top of that, we actually do a lot of fleet and commercial business with the state. So therefore, we get additional vehicles that way, too.”
UAW and Ford reached a tentative deal last week, ending the two-week strike. Collier said if the strike had lasted two months, Paul Miller Ford might have felt the impact.
“We tried to plan for as hard as we could, I mean, of course, you can only plan so far ahead. So if it would have continued then it could potentially cause a little bit of slowness, as far as incoming vehicles.”
Another central Kentucky dealer said he’s had big Ford vehicles on back order for more than a year – and was worried about the impact of a prolonged strike against the Kentucky Truck Plant.
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