CHICO, Calif. -

Work Truck Solutions has launched Vehicle Acquisition Search Tool, or VAST, which it says will help dealers find and acquire the necessary inventory to serve their broadest range of customers.

VAST offers access to inventory sources specifically for the wholesale acquisition of commercial work trucks, vans and pickups. The tool will soon expand to include SUVs, which will provide a one-stop-shop experience, the company said.

Work Truck Solutions said access to structured data will improve search efficiency, locate the right vehicles, and increase time spent serving customers.

Company founder and chief executive officer Kathryn Schifferle said inventory access is crucial for dealers.

“So we have developed the technology and the platform that offers dealers access to the broadest selection of inventory so that they can be highly selective,” Schifferle said.

VAST brings in inventory from many partner sources all onto one platform. Those partner sources include rental companies, fleets, fleet management companies, OEMs, auctions, finance companies, and even the dealers themselves.

“We wanted to cut down on the required time investment for search, while increasing the quality of choice,” Schifferle said. “We are the agnostic aggregator — no dog in the fight. All we want is to help the dealer and at the same time bring the highest quality purchase opportunity to our vehicle source partners.”

Work Truck Solutions senior adviser Jim Press said demand is high, and dealers need inventory to sell.

“We have been developing this solution at Work Truck Solutions since last year when we knew inventory would be a challenge,” Press said. “Now with the chip and other supply crisis, it is even more timely.”