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Driving Solutions with Jim Fitzpatrick, powered by CBT News
Welcome to Driving Solutions, the 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 dives into the real-world strategies, tools, and vendor solutions helping today’s auto dealers run smarter, more profitable operations.
From fixed ops and F&I to digital retailing and dealership leadership, Driving Solutions covers the full scope of dealership operations. Whether you're a dealer principal, GM, sales leader, or part of the management team, you’ll hear the trends, tactics, and expert insights that drive real results.
Listen now and visit CBTNews.com for even more expert interviews, dealership news, and solutions.
Follow us on social @carbiztoday and @cbtnews to stay connected and join the conversation.
Episodes
35 episodes
How Data and Identity Are Transforming Automotive Advertising
Automotive-specific media buying strategies are reshaping how agencies drive performance and retain dealer clients. On this episode of Driving Solutions, fullthrottle.ai Co-Founder Amol Waishampayan explains why agencies are mov...
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The rise of automation in service departments
Jeff Adams, Director of Fixed Ops Product Planning at Reynolds & Reynolds, discusses how AI and automation are transforming fixed operations by eliminating inefficiencies, improving customer communication, and increasing service capacity. H...
How dealer alliances are reshaping automotive retail strategy
Founder and CEO David Mondragon discusses how AutoTrust Dealer Alliance is helping independent dealers compete through collective scale, cost reduction, and operational flexibility. He explains how the platform enables dealerships to strengthen...
Solving Fleet Downtime and Delivery Delays
Peter Janczewski, Senior Vice President of Sales at Draiver, joins Driving Solutions to discuss how automakers are rethinking vehicle logistics to improve visibility, speed, and operational efficiency. As OEM supply chains grow more co...
Why Dealership AI Needs Better Data Integration
Kerri Wise, Chief Marketing Officer at Lotlinx, and Lance Schafer, GM of Product and Technology, join Driving Solutions to examine why generic AI tools are falling short for dealerships—and what’s needed to unlock real value. Drawing o...
Unlocking Fixed Ops Profitability
Leigh Silver, CEO of Dynatron Software, joins Driving Solutions to discuss how dealerships can unlock greater profitability in their service and parts departments through better data utilization. With decades of fixed operations experi...
Stephane Ferri Breaks Down the Dealership Phone Call Problem
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. Drawin...
Fred Fordin on Launching Deelr.io and AI-Driven Inventory Management
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 s...
Charles Fordin on AI Workflow Automation for Dealerships
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 uni...
Jeri Reichel on Why Omnichannel Retailing Is Now Essential for Dealers
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 Aut...
Lauren Donalson and Jason Wiley on AI-Driven Dealer Growth
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 en...
Ryan Kerrigan on the State of Dealership Buy-Sell Activity
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, includi...
Cole Reiken on Using Diagnostics to Protect Used Car Margins
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...
Solving Dealer Transport Delays with Royce Neubauer
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 trans...
How eLEND Solutions Streamlines Dealer Financing — Pete MacInnis
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 credi...
Erin Kerrigan Breaks Down Dealership Valuations and Consolidation
Erin Kerrigan, founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors, joins Driving Solutions to analyze why dealership buy-sell activity is on pace for a record-setting year in 2025. Drawing on the firm’s latest data and blue sky insight...
Amberly Allen Breaks Down Modern Payments for Dealers
Amberly Allen, founder and managing partner of Dealer Merchant Services (DMS), joins Driving Solutions to discuss DMS’s recent acquisition by Priority Payments and what it means for automotive dealers navigating a rapidly changing paym...
Amberly Allen on Surcharging, Taxes, and Payment Technology
In this episode of Driving Solutions, Amberly Allen, founder and managing partner of Dealer Merchant Services (DMS), breaks down how evolving payment rules are reshaping dealership operations and compliance strategies. As credit card s...
How AI Is Transforming Dealer Prospecting with Bill Egan
Efficiency and personalization are becoming essential differentiators for dealership profitability. On this episode of Driving Solutions, automotiveMastermind VP of Product Bill Egan explains how new predictive and AI-powered to...
How Digital Displays Transform Dealership Culture And Results
We explore how North Georgia Toyota uses digital screens to elevate customer trust, motivate teams, and replace manual reports with live, shared data that updates every 15 minutes. GM Greg Epps shows how real-time visibility builds culture whil...
Why Process, Not Leads, Decides Your Dealership’s ROI
We cut through AI hype and zero in on performance, showing how process, follow-up, and clear communication drive higher close rates across multi-store operations. We share measurable ways to vet vendors, deploy AI as a useful assist, and get ba...
Your Trade Appraisals Could Be Costing You $12,000 A Month Without This Tool
BlueDriver Max is revolutionizing the vehicle appraisal process by providing dealerships with fast, accurate mechanical diagnostics that prevent costly mistakes and build customer trust. • Scan first: The BlueDriver Max device plug...
Revolutionizing Dealer Operations with automotiveMastermind & DriveCentric
automotiveMastermind and DriveCentric announce a strategic partnership that will integrate Mastermind's predictive data intelligence directly into DriveCentric's CRM platform, creating a seamless experience for dealership staff.• automo...
Dealers who embrace AI are winning the customer satisfaction game
Mark Vickery of Cox Automotive reveals how AI is transforming car dealerships by personalizing customer interactions and improving satisfaction rates to all-time highs. We explore how dealerships are using predictive technology to understand sh...
Reimagining Automotive Events: How Digital Dealer Is Transforming for Today's Dealerships
Digital Dealer is evolving with significant changes for their October 14-15 event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, responding directly to dealer and exhibitor feedback. The show has been condensed from three days to two, creating de-conflicted con...