Hands-on training remains one of the most effective ways to turn product knowledge into practical skills. Across our industry, manufacturers, distributors and manufacturers’ representatives are bringing that training directly to their customers, and potential customers, through mobile classrooms, live-fired laboratories and fully equipped demonstration vehicles.

These trucks and trailers allow industry professionals to see products in operation, practice installation and troubleshooting techniques, and receive expert guidance without traveling far from the jobsite. We are placing the spotlight on companies that are taking training on the road, helping contractors strengthen their skills, stay current with new technology and work more confidently in the field.

School is in session! 

Please note answers have been lightly edited for style and clarity. Bello www.bellousa.com

Eric Phelps, managing director: We put the Bello Mobile, as we call it, on the road the last week of January and put 29,000 miles on it, taking it across the entire country. It’s been everywhere. Bello is a new brand founded in 2024 by me, an industry veteran, and two partners. As a new brand, having showroom sales staff touch and feel the products helps them feel comfortable with something new. 

The Bello Mobile runs on solar power, so we can highlight our mirrors, medicine cabinets and vanities, including undercabinet lighting on some models. We have a working smart toilet, too!

Davenport Associates www.davenportassociates.com

Phil Reid, principal: Our live-fired Liberty Pumps training trailer is new to the streets of New England. We recently began representing Liberty Pumps and saw a trailer as the best way to bring that momentum directly to the market. Outfitted with Liberty’s latest grinder, sump and duplex systems, we take it throughout New England to train installers, wholesalers, engineers and other necessary industry professionals.

It’s hard to argue that there is anything better than hands-on training when it comes to talking about complex products. Seeing live-fired equipment operate, handling the products and understanding how they function gives customers practical knowledge they can carry directly into the field, something a brochure or email simply can’t replicate.

At Davenport, our focus is on building brands through education, relationships and field support, and the Liberty Pumps trailer is a perfect example of that approach in action!

Fieldpiece www.fieldpiece.com

Meggan Kessler, marketing director: At Fieldpiece, we’re all about helping HVACR pros do their jobs easier, faster and better, and our Mobile Training Trailer lets us take that mission on the road. The 35-foot trailer is a hands-on training center built to bring Fieldpiece tools to life. With a working mini-split, heat pump and furnace on board, technicians, contractors and distributors put our tools to work on real systems, ask questions and see firsthand how Fieldpiece products are built for the jobs they tackle every day. 

The trailer is fully self-contained with its own generator and Starlink connectivity, so we can pull up and get to work just about anywhere. From distributor open houses and contractor trainings to regional trade shows, it gives our sales and training teams a great way to connect with HVACR pros, share what we know and, most importantly, get tools in their hands.

F.W. Webb Co. www.fwwebb.com

Michael DelConte, vice president of heating and LP gas sales: As a full-service wholesale distributor, we deliver training directly to trade professionals through our Hydronics Mobile Training Stations and Gasmobile Training Trailers. Fully outfitted with products and equipment from our manufacturer partners, these mobile units provide hands-on classes tailored to attendees’ experience levels and needs. By bringing training to our customers’ jobsites, offices and other convenient locations, we give them an efficient way to build practical knowledge about the tools, equipment and systems they use every day. 

We can tailor our mobile training to changing industry trends and offer customized instruction based on contractor needs. Mobile training helps us develop stronger relationships with our customers and gives them a valuable resource that complements the products in our inventory. 

LMP Sales www.LMPsales.com

Jim Mummert, director of sales: LMP Sales has used our training and promotion trailer for years to bring hands-on product education directly to our customers. Updated annually with new products and applications, the trailer allows us to deliver mobile product demonstrations, technical training and application support wherever our customers need it.

We offer on-site training at customer events, as well as hands-on sessions at the LMP Malvern Training Center. The trailer demonstrates a variety of applications featuring Little Giant water and wastewater pumps, and SJE Rhombus control panels and alarm systems. Customers can see real-time gpm, pressure and amp draw while experiencing different operating scenarios.

More than a collection of static displays, the trailer provides an interactive, real-world learning experience. This hands-on approach helps customers better understand product operation, installation, troubleshooting and application, giving them the knowledge and confidence to select and promote the right solutions.

Navien www.navieninc.com

Brett Butler, marketing communications manager: The Navien product trailer has been on the road for a little over a year, featuring the latest HVAC, water heating and water treatment innovations from Navien. Three different trailers have gone all over the United States and Canada and continue to make stops throughout the year where contractors and wholesalers can talk to the Navien team and learn about all our new products, programs and promotions. 

Giving professionals in the field a hands-on experience of our new products allows them to become more familiar with the technology and better prepare them for their next Navien installation. Having conversations with our team also allows contractors to work through situations they have encountered in the field with previous installations so that they have the right solutions for the future.

Noritz America www.noritz.com

Jared Mead, product trainer: Noritz North America’s mobile training vehicle, the Noritz Van Show Tour, travels across the United States to showcase its advanced lineup of tankless water heating products. The van features an interactive sliding display that highlights product benefits and performance in a hands-on format at contractor and distributor locations nationwide. 

By bringing training directly into the field, Noritz offers installers and contractors an immersive, in-person experience with its tankless systems. These sessions emphasize product features, installation best practices and troubleshooting, giving professionals the confidence and skills they need to deliver reliable solutions on the job.

Pedrollo Group USA www.pedrollousa.com

Jana Bartlett, director of marketing communications and strategy: Field training is where pump performance becomes real. Since February 2022, the Pedrollo Group Training Trailer has taken that experience on the road, providing a fully equipped mobile training center that brings hands-on pump demonstrations, product comparisons and practical know-how directly to your team.

During a visit, participants can run live pump races to compare Pedrollo Group solutions with other brands and walk through cutaway components to examine construction quality and reliability. The training also provides an opportunity to answer technical questions and deliver focused instruction in a controlled, real-world setting.

The Pedrollo Group Training Trailer supports contractors, distributors and water professionals across the United States and Canada, helping teams specify the right pump, install with confidence and maintain reliable systems. Along the way, Pedrollo Group builds lasting partnerships grounded in expertise, service and shared success.

Pepco Sales and Marketing www.pepcosales.com

Rachel Edens, marketing manager, sales and marketing: Pulled by our sales teams’ fleet of Ford trucks, Pepco’s PPRCT trailer is a mobile fab shop to launch NUPI’s new PPRCT initiative on jobsites across Texas. The 17-foot interactive demonstration trailer features a full suite of McElroy Mfg. fusion tools, NUPI PPRCT samples for training, a gas generator, air conditioning and full audio/visual functionality.

It’s small enough to pull onto a construction site but large enough to have six or seven people inside and 20 to 30 people outside watching through the large side opening in the trailer. We have a generator large enough to operate all our McElroy heaters and other equipment and, being from Texas, it has a small AC unit that helps.

Platsky Co. www.platsky.com

Greg Aranoff, co-president: At Platsky, we believe in making training convenient, accessible and hands-on. In 2018, we took that commitment on the road. Today, our full-time trainers use three mobile training vans to bring hands-on learning to contractors, supply houses, jobsites and industry events. The reason is simple: The easier we make it for customers to touch, feel and learn about the products we represent, the more comfortable and confident they become specifying, selling, installing, servicing and troubleshooting them. 

Our live-fire equipment ranges from heat pumps, mini-splits, grinder pumps and pressure boosters to commercial restroom and safety equipment — and more. Custom displays allow customers to see, operate and troubleshoot products in real-world applications. 

Building relationships through education is at the heart of who we are at Platsky. By bringing hands-on learning directly to our customers, we give them the knowledge and resources they need to succeed and, in doing so, earn their trust.

Spirotherm www.spirotherm.com

Dino Pioli, senior regional manager: We have a trailer instead of a truck. We have been bringing our brand to distributors all over the Northeast to bring our product knowledge and deliver lunch or breakfast while we are at it.

Our mobile trailer helps educate our distributor partners along with their heating contractors. Air and dirt removal from a hydronic system is critically important to system efficiency and longevity. Contractors need to understand this, and this provides a vehicle (pun intended) to do so.