Stephane Ferri, CEO of Car Wars, joins Driving Solutions to discuss new data revealing how missed phone calls are costing dealerships millions in lost service opportunities—and how artificial intelligence may help close the gap. Drawing from Car Wars’ 2026 white paper, Ferri explains why the phone remains one of the most important lead sources for dealerships, particularly for service scheduling and customer inquiries.

The conversation examines operational bottlenecks that occur during peak call periods, when service advisors are balancing in-store customers with high inbound call volume. Ferri outlines how AI-powered communication tools can answer calls, schedule appointments, and route inquiries more efficiently, helping dealerships capture more service business while improving customer experience. The technology can also integrate with CRM systems, track call history, and support follow-up processes, giving dealerships greater visibility into customer communication. As fixed operations remain a key profit driver, improving call management may play a critical role in strengthening dealership profitability.

Key discussion points:

• The scale of missed service call opportunities at dealerships
• Why the phone remains a critical lead source for service scheduling
• How peak call times create operational bottlenecks for service teams
• Using AI to answer calls, schedule appointments, and route inquiries
• Integrating call data with CRM systems to improve follow-up and tracking
• The impact of better call management on fixed ops performance

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Dealerships are facing growing threats from increasingly sophisticated vehicle theft and fraud, which can erode profits and disrupt operations. On today’s episode of Driving Solutions, Aaron Lee and Justin Bartlett from Ally Dealership Insurance share the most common tactics used by thieves and how to better protect their inventory.

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Dealership technology veteran Fred Fordin joins Driving Solutions to discuss launching Deelr.io alongside his son, Charles, and how AI-driven tools are reshaping inventory and recon management. Drawing on decades of retail and software experience—including leadership roles with Sonic Automotive, Hendrick Automotive Group, Dealertrack, and CDK Global—Fordin outlines a practical approach to improving dealership efficiency through data and automation.

Deelr.io’s platform focuses on recon workflow optimization and real-time inventory intelligence, with rapid onboarding and scalable integrations designed for modern dealer groups.

• How AI is improving recon inspections and workflow efficiency
• The role of business intelligence in inventory management
• Lessons from scaling software solutions across thousands of stores
• Integration capabilities with major DMS providers
• Strategic plans for expansion and dealer adoption

By combining operational expertise with AI-enhanced analytics, Fordin aims to help dealers make faster, more informed decisions across fixed ops and inventory management.

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Operational speed and cross-department visibility are becoming defining advantages for dealerships, and Charles Fordin, co-founder of Deelr.io, explains how AI-driven workflow automation is helping stores reduce recon cycle times and unify performance management. On Driving Solutions, Fordin outlines how Deelr.io’s platforms connect fixed and variable operations under a single framework built around measurable objectives.

The company’s Pulse business intelligence system delivers leadership-level projections and exception tracking, while Flow centralizes every step of a vehicle’s physical lifecycle. An embedded AI inspection agent, Fixed Eye, supports consistency and documentation across appraisal, reconditioning, and service workflows.

• Using AI to reduce recon cycle time and improve time-to-market
• Centralizing inspections, vendor coordination, and photography workflows
• Turning business intelligence into proactive management decisions
• Aligning fixed and variable operations under one performance structure
• Expanding multi-agent AI to support inventory and service goals

The result is a more coordinated operating model where automation enhances accountability and execution.

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Digital retailing has reached a tipping point as consumer expectations for online vehicle purchases continue to rise. On this episode of Driving Solutions, Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Jeri Reichel, AVP of Strategic Planning at Cox Automotive, to discuss why omnichannel retailing is no longer optional for today’s dealers.

Reichel explains how buyer behavior has shifted toward flexible, online-first experiences that still preserve the value of in-store interaction. She outlines how modern digital retailing platforms have evolved beyond early, disconnected tools to support real payments, financing decisions, and full or partial transactions without disrupting dealership workflows. The conversation also explores the growing role of AI in retailing, from improving consumer discovery to streamlining lender decisions and compliance. As expectations accelerate over the next 12 to 24 months, dealers that focus on seamless execution and reduce friction at key handoff points will be better positioned to retain customers and protect long-term profitability.

Key discussion points include:

• Why omnichannel retailing is now a baseline consumer expectation
• How digital retailing technology has matured in recent years
• The role of AI in improving efficiency and discoverability
• Where dealers commonly lose shoppers during the online journey
• Practical ways dealers can phase in digital retailing tools

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

PureCars executives Lauren Donalson, CEO, and Jason Wiley, President and Chief Revenue Officer, join Driving Solutions to discuss how clean data and AI-powered marketing can help dealerships drive service visits, strengthen customer engagement, and improve profitability in 2026. They explain why fixed operations remain one of the most underleveraged profit centers in automotive retail—and how smarter data practices can unlock long-term value across the ownership lifecycle.

Donalson and Wiley outline PureCars’ evolution from a digital media platform into a data-driven solution built around data hygiene, customer unification, and intelligent automation. The conversation explores how poor data quality limits marketing effectiveness, why AI is critical for identifying high-probability service and sales opportunities, and how omni-channel outreach can deliver measurable gains in service revenue and customer satisfaction. As dealerships plan for 2026, they share practical insights on where to focus investments to drive sustainable growth.

Key discussion points:

• Why fixed ops marketing is critical to dealership profitability
• The impact of poor data hygiene on customer engagement
• Unifying DMS, CRM, and third-party data into a single CDP
• Using AI to identify high-value service and sales opportunities
• Driving measurable gains in service visits and revenue per RO

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Ryan Kerrigan, managing director at Kerrigan Advisors, joins Driving Solutions to discuss why dealership buy-sell activity remains resilient despite ongoing industry uncertainty. He breaks down key transaction trends from 2025, including major multi-rooftop deals and continued consolidation among large dealer groups, while offering insight into how ownership dynamics are shifting across the industry.

Kerrigan also shares findings from the firm’s latest dealer survey, which shows improving sentiment and growing optimism heading into 2026. The conversation explores normalization of margins, rising Blue Sky valuations, and how EV market challenges and direct-to-consumer threats are shaping dealer strategy. From portfolio realignment to OEM developments and regulatory risks, Kerrigan outlines what dealers and investors should watch closely as the new year unfolds.

Key discussion points:

• Why dealership buy-sell activity stayed strong through 2025
• Consolidation trends and the growing scale of large dealer groups
• Dealer sentiment and profitability expectations for 2026
• Blue Sky valuation trends across franchise brands
• Risks tied to direct-to-consumer EV sales and OEM strategies
• Early signs of stabilization within Stellantis

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Cole Reiken, managing director of BlueDriver MAX, joins Driving Solutions to explain how professional-grade diagnostics are changing the way dealers appraise and acquire used vehicles. As higher-mileage vehicles become a larger part of dealer inventory, Reiken outlines why visual inspections and basic scan tools are no longer enough to protect margins and maintain customer trust.

The conversation explores how BlueDriver MAX delivers VIN-specific diagnostics, expanded OEM module coverage, and actionable repair insights that help dealers uncover hidden issues before purchase. Reiken also discusses how standardized diagnostic workflows can improve reconditioning efficiency, reduce unexpected repair costs, and create consistency across dealership locations. With real-time auction insights, seamless integrations, and measurable financial impact, diagnostic-driven appraisals are becoming a critical advantage in today’s used vehicle market.

Key discussion points:

• Why accurate diagnostics matter more as used vehicles age and mileage rises
• How BlueDriver MAX supports smarter appraisals and acquisition decisions
• Using real-time diagnostic data in auctions and at the dealership
• Reducing reconditioning costs and protecting used vehicle gross
• Standardizing appraisal workflows across multiple rooftops
• Integrating diagnostics with inventory and appraisal platforms

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Royce Neubauer, founder of Auto Hauler Exchange, joins Driving Solutions to discuss how vehicle logistics is becoming a competitive differentiator for dealers and OEMs. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in automotive transport, Neubauer explains why traditional hauling processes often create delays, limit visibility, and tie up dealer capital—especially as customer expectations around delivery continue to rise.

The conversation explores how Auto Hauler Exchange was designed to remove brokers from the transport process, allowing dealers and carriers to work directly through a transparent, real-time marketplace. Neubauer outlines how improved communication, documentation standards, and driver accountability can reduce risk, accelerate delivery timelines, and protect dealer profitability. As logistics increasingly becomes part of the retail promise, he shares why dealerships must rethink transport as a core operational function rather than a back-end necessity.

Key discussion points:

• Why vehicle transport delays strain dealer cash flow and inventory turns
• Connecting shippers and carriers directly without brokers
• Improving shipment visibility and accountability through real-time updates
• Reducing risk with stricter pickup verification and documentation
• Evaluating driver-level performance to improve service quality
• How logistics is evolving into part of the customer experience

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.

Pete MacInnis, CEO of eLEND Solutions, joins Driving Solutions to discuss the company’s recent Finance Report and how its fintech platform is helping dealerships overcome inefficiencies in auto financing. He explains how outdated credit-tier models can create a $4.7 billion annual revenue gap for dealers and outlines how modern, dynamic lender practices are reshaping the financing landscape.

MacInnis details how eLEND’s tools integrate credit, identification, and financial workflows to streamline pre-approval and deal-making processes. The platform reduces friction, accelerates transactions, and protects margins while maintaining SOC 2 Type II compliance and robust audit trails. He also highlights the new DealMaker tool, which seamlessly connects digital retailing, CRM, and inventory systems to dealer finance workflows—allowing dealerships to improve accuracy, speed, and customer satisfaction across the sales process.

Key discussion points:

• The $4.7 billion annual revenue loss caused by outdated credit-tier models
• Transition from fixed FICO tiers to dynamic lender pricing models
• How eLEND integrates credit, ID, and finance tools to streamline deals
• DealMaker tool for connecting digital retailing and finance workflows
• Ensuring compliance, reducing errors, and protecting dealer profitability
• Enhancing customer experience and transaction speed

Driving Solutions is the go-to podcast for dealership professionals who want to stay sharp, informed, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick and powered by CBT News, each episode brings you real strategies, smart tools, and expert insights to help you run a more profitable operation.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and visit CBTNews.com for more.