The Shyft Group made three announcements at the Work Truck Show.
Shyft – specifically its Utilimaster, Royal Truck Body, DuraMag and Magnum brands – has been selected to join the Ford Pro Upfitter program, which launched today as a successor to the Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier accreditation program. Upfitters undergo a rigorous auditing process, demonstrating excellence in compliance, quality, manufacturing and customer service, and must meet specified business and volume requirements set by Ford. In return, Preferred Upfitters are permitted to purchase an unlimited number of chassis from Ford – eliminating the manufacturer’s previous cap – and make use of Ford’s Pro Dealer network.
Following a 2023 pilot, Utilimaster has received a PO to deploy its Rapid Driver Cooling System in 5,860 walk-in vans owned by an international e-commerce and parcel delivery company, which the company did not name. Utilimaster says that RDCS can be built into new vehicles or retrofitted into existing vehicles, and lowers ambient cabin temperatures by 20 degrees within two minutes.
Shyft has also signed a national distribution agreement with Model 1 Commercial Vehicles (formerly known as Creative Bus Sales). Model 1 will carry Shyft brands DuraMag and Royal Truck Body and offer local upfit services nationwide, creating a one-stop shop for fleets, municipalities, and work truck end users in services such as plumbing, heating, HVAC, landscaping, oil and gas, and general contracting.
