Navistar Corp. has initiated Operation Assist, a disaster relief program put into effect to help in Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts on the East Coast to get International Truck customers back in business as soon as possible.
Through Operation Assist, Navistar is coordinating with its International Truck North American dealer network and International Used Truck Centers to help customers in the East Coast find new or used trucks to replace lost or damaged vehicles.
In addition to quickly replacing damaged vehicles, Navistar will match employee and dealer contributions up to $50,000 to the American Red Cross.
"We are proud to join the thousands of companies that are doing their part to offer hope to people whose lives have been devastated," said Troy Clarke, Navistar president and chief operating officer.
Navistar has organized lists of available new and used International trucks and trailer inventory from its North American dealer network to assist in the recovery. Dealers across the country are working together to provide access to the variety of trucks needed to aid customers in the region.
"We created Operation Assist to facilitate trades among dealers and speed the process of getting needed trucks to the region. We're trying to get our customers back in operation as quickly as possible," explained Jeff Ordner, director, International Fleet Sales, Northeast Region.
IC Bus, a Navistar company, has already answered the call for help by delivering an order of 100 school buses to Amvoy School Bus, Staten Island, NY, in an effort to quickly restore school bus service for children.
Meanwhile, Navistar's Idealease truck leasing program has thousands of International trucks with titles and leases in its inventory across the country, which can be quickly deployed to customers on the East Coast.
"A lot of our customers still don't know what they have or don't have. So, we are getting trucks ready with different kinds of bodies and trying to figure out how quickly we can get things out there to help," added Mike McMahon, vice president, Used Truck Sales, Navistar. "If people come to us and need help, we will figure out how to help them. In times like these, it's about more than business. We want to do the right thing."
