BAILMENT POOLS: The Secret of the Work-Truck World

If you've ever wondered how some upfitters crank out fully built work trucks while everyone else is still “waiting on the chassis,” the answer is often hiding in plain sight: bailment pools.

It’s not exactly a household term, but if you’re in the business of getting trucks built and working — instead of parked and pending — it’s worth knowing one of the smartest shortcuts in the work truck world.

Ram bailment pool trucks sit in the yard waiting to be upfit.

.

So, What Is a Bailment Pool?

A bailment pool is basically a stash of new chassis's, trucks or cargo vans that are set aside for upfitters. Instead of sending every vehicle to a dealership, the OEM earmarks a batch to be held by trusted partners who build commercial vehicles. These trucks aren’t sold yet — they’re just waiting to be needed by customers or dealerships.

How Common Are Bailment Pools?

Since it’s essentially an extension of the vehicle manufacturers completed vehicle product offerings, bailment pool upfitters are considered second stage manufactures of vehicles. OEMs have a very strict and selective process for choosing bailment pool partners. For instance, only around 30 upfitters across 50 states have a RAM/Ford or Chevy bailment pool. That means most upfitters have to wait for a chassis just like everyone else. 

Why It Matters

• No scavenger hunts – We’ve already got the chassis.

• Faster builds – The truck shows up at our shop, not a dealer lot three states away.

• Simpler process – Fewer handoffs. Less paperwork. More wrench time.

Whether you’re replacing one truck or planning a fleet, a bailment pool means your job doesn’t sit idle while you wait for metal to show up.

Who Actually Wins Here?

Literally everyone. Especially if you’ve got deadlines, customers, or crews waiting on a truck that doesn’t exist yet. Instead of shopping for a chassis and then figuring out the upfit, you get the whole package in one stop — chassis, upfit, and if needed, we can even roll financing or leasing into it. Less chasing, more building. If you’re a dealer, you’re pulling from our inventory. If you’re an end customer, we work with your dealer or one in our nationwide network to ensure it goes smoothly for you.

The Bottom Line:

A bailment pool won’t make you breakfast or fix your schedule, but it will get your truck on the road faster- and in this industry, time saved usually means money earned (or at least fewer angry phone calls from the field).

Want to learn more about how it works? Shoot us a message. We promise not to upsell you something with chrome - unless you’re into that kind of thing.