Chuck Hartle is the founder and president of PartsEdge, a powertool for New Car Dealerships Parts Operations, helping to increase DMS utilization, improves efficiency, accuracy, and profitability with solid and consistent plans for eliminating all types of idle inventory in a Parts Operations. With over 40 years in the auto industry Chuck has the know-how and love for the industry that has enabled PartsEdge to identify the biggest needs of dealerships.

DMS Frustration Is Real—But Smarter Sourcing Can Fix It

On this episode of the PartsEdge Podcast, Kaylee sits down with Chuck Hartle, founder of PartsEdge, for a deep dive into the one thing most parts managers dread: sources. Whether you're using CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack, or even newer players like Tekion, source management can be a massive time suck—or a major unlock—depending on how it’s set up.

Chuck explains why most DMS systems treat sources like a problem to be avoided. But that’s exactly where the opportunity lies. By creating the right number of sources (think 15–20, not 5–10), dealerships can gain control over inventory flow, pricing, accounting, and reporting in ways that dramatically reduce obsolescence and shrink the time managers spend wrestling with their DMS.

Sources: Dirty Word or Secret Weapon?

Most DMS platforms don’t make it easy to create and maintain sources. CDK alone requires navigating a dozen modules just to set up a single source properly. So, it's no surprise parts managers get frustrated and default to using a catch-all source that quickly becomes a black hole of bad data, mispriced parts, and messy accounting.

Chuck walks through how different DMS platforms handle source setup—some better than others—and reveals the common traps that lead to inaccurate reports and inventory accounting nightmares. From mismatched tire sales to over-reliance on default sources, these issues can quietly cost stores thousands every month.

Turn Your DMS Into a Partner (Not a Problem)

The core of Chuck’s advice is this: if your DMS isn’t working for you, it’s probably because your source structure isn’t doing its job. Properly segmenting parts into logical sources—by accessory type, pricing rules, asset account, or special programs—lets the system do more of the heavy lifting.

He shares real-world examples like:

• Isolating menu-priced items so they’re always sold at the right price

• Segmenting special orders into their own source for easier tracking

• Creating dedicated sources for RIM/ASR-controlled parts to clean up ordering

• Managing Motorcraft vs OE parts with separate pricing logic to protect margin

With smart sourcing, Chuck says, your override report gets shorter, your inventory gets cleaner, and your job gets a whole lot easier.

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Sponsors:

This show is powered by PartsEdge: Your go-to solution for transforming dealership parts inventory into a powerhouse of profitability. Their strategies are proven to amp up parts sales by a whopping 20%, all while cutting down on idle inventory. If you’re looking to optimize your parts management, visit 🔗 www.partsedge.com.

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Takeaways

• Most DMS platforms make source setup overly complicated—but that’s where your control lives

• The “default source” is the #1 cause of accounting and pricing errors

• Smart source management allows you to run cleaner reports, optimize pricing, and avoid obsolescence

• Dealers should aim for 15–20 thoughtfully designed sources to unlock DMS efficiency

• With the right structure, your system starts working for you—not against you

Quote

“Your people should be managing the sale—not the price, not the inventory issues. Smart sources do that work for them.” -Chuck Hartle

Connect

Chuck Hartle
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-hartle-1923ab14

Website: www.partsedge.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: www.partsedge.com