Cutting Through the Razor Blade Business Model: Why Autocar Is Different

“Give ‘em the razor; sell ‘em the blades.” 

That phrase is often linked to King Camp Gillette, who invented the double-bladed disposable safety razor. His company and his competitors began making razors cheap and blades expensive – a strategy so effective it became a business model of its own. 

Today, we call it the razor blade model: lure customers in with a low upfront cost, then make your money back by locking them into frequent, high-margin purchases. You see it everywhere today – from razors to printers and coffee pods. 

Unfortunately, it’s also become standard practice in the automotive industry. You’ve probably noticed how you get great discounts when you buy a new car or SUV – because the dealership is going to make a killing by charging a premium for service, repairs, and parts. 

The same goes for severe-duty trucks. With some OEMs, you don’t just buy the truck; you buy into an expensive cycle of dependency. You buy a “razor” dependent on expensive “blades”. 

This model is a big problem for customers. Here’s why. 

When Trucks Stop, So Does Business 

Trucks go down. 

At some point in time, all vocational trucks – garbage trucks, concrete mixers, terminal tractors, you name it – will require maintenance. 

The problem isn’t necessarily that trucks go down; it’s what happens when they do.  Most OEMs don’t support maintenance like Autocar does. In fact, many build their business around profiting from your problems. They sell you the truck, then rely on a steady stream of revenue from proprietary parts and pricey service contracts. 

In their model, the truck is just the starting point—the “razor.” The real money comes later, with the “blades.” 

This way of doing business puts stress on fleet owners and managers for a few reasons: 

1. The use of proprietary parts on trucks essentially lock owners into only using these parts, which affects parts availability and flexibility. 

1. Parts are often marked up and can come with a hefty profit margin. 

1. Some service contracts add value—but they can also drive up expenses and limit flexibility for fleet owners. 

1. More expensive maintenance leads to fewer resources for capital expenditures, equipment upgrades, driver and technician hiring and training, and other critical needs. 

 We believe there’s a better way to serve customers—and we’ve built our entire business around it. 

The Autocar Difference – and Why It Matters 

Autocar believes in selling a premium tool, purpose-built to the job at hand, and engineered to be as rugged and reliable as possible. That’s our bread and butter. We view parts and service as ways to help our customers stay up, stay moving, and stay in business. 

We like to say “We don’t profit off your downtime.” That’s why we: 

• Use non-proprietary parts. You can use off-the-shelf parts sourced from the store down the street if that’s what you need. 

• Help you track down and source parts, even ones that are hard to find, and get you what you need with a rapid-response parts team. 

• Give you a direct line to the factory so you can talk to the people who designed and built your vehicle – 24/7, for the lifetime of your truck. 

• Train your technicians for free. 

• Connect you with your preferred service location.  

Why do we do it this way? Because your Autocar truck is an investment, not a money pit. And your experience with us should reflect that.  

Lowering the total cost of ownership starts with keeping your truck on the road. That’s why we prioritize uptime—not just because it makes business sense, but because it aligns with our promise to support you for the long haul. 

 We’re not in the business of selling razor blades. We’re in the business of building the hardest-working trucks on the road—and having your back when it counts. 

Because at Autocar, the customer is the boss. And we take care of our boss.