The End of Dealerships...(Mostly)

[ScubaRx]

I just noticed that with the exception of the dealer in Canada, all of them are now gone. All sales have officially moved back to Hohenwald. I think this will come as welcome news to many potential new owners. Many were opting to actually come to Tennessee for their pickup and delivery anyway. It has been reported that many dealers were taking payment, handing over the keys and sending people on their way without any kind of walk through. That's just not acceptable. Other dealers were selling the trailer, allowing the new owners to pick up their unit in Tennessee and still charging them $1.2-1.5K for "cleanup and delivery". That's just wrong. I believe this is a wise and good move for Oliver. They gave it a good run. Sometimes things just don't work out as well as predicted.

Good job, Guys...

Edited Wednesday at 02:46 AM by ScubaRx

[SeaDawg]

A little sad to see this, as I thought the intent was to have qualified service beyond Hohenwald . But, I get it.

Oliver is a distinct elite niche product. 

 

 

[FloraFauna]

I am NOT disappointed to see the dealer network go. But a separate issue is finding good service centers outside Hohenwald.  I managed to find one in my Wisconsin area where i feel comfortable taking my Oliver.  The key to this success is the willingness of Oliver tech support to work with them when necessary.  OTT has been very good about this.  After all, most of the components are not "Oliver" and appear in other trailers.  At one time I suggested creating a directory of Oliver-friendly service centers across the US, but the logistics of doing so and the relatively small footprint of Olivers didnt make it practical.

[HDRider]

I have to think the lack of authorized or certified Oliver service outside of Hohenwald is a bit of a turnoff to some. Prospective buyers need to realize the vast majority of RV repairs have nothing to do with the trailer shell itself.

 

My research says these guys operate similarly.  There might be more.

• Casita Travel Trailers

• Escape Trailer Industries

• Scamp Trailers

• Bowlus

• Luxe Fifth Wheels

• Hallmark RV

[Wayfinder]

I'm sitting here trying to remember when they announced the dealership concept at the 2023 or 2024 Oliver rally. I feel like many people were upset at the idea, and others verbalized that it would not work out well.  That's just my old brain perspective of recollection.  

Personally, I'd prefer to keep Oliver one of those unique, and somewhat mystical brands, there's true value in that.

On the other hand, this adds more load to OTT themselves.  In such a small "country" town, I'm not sure how challenging it is to find quality employees and much their rotation they experience.  

 

Edited Friday at 09:20 PM by Wayfinder

[HDRider]

On 7/17/2026 at 4:19 PM, Wayfinder said:

how challenging it is to find quality employees

I have to think they suffer with it.  I hear that over and over from business owners. 

[taylor.coyote]

Doing all business factory direct has proven to be a good business model for Oliver. Selling through dealers reduces the company's margin and in theory should increase units sold.  If Oliver were my company, I would choose the be a specailty smaller company with a higher margin than selling more at a lower margin as long as your are able to reasonably absorb the factory and indirect overhead. The overhead has to be a significant number that rolls up into the cost  when spread over only couple hundered units.  I'd love to see their books  "get peak under the hood" to truly understand the business puzzle. I'm sure they have an interesting challenge. 

Edited 17 hours ago by taylor.coyote