Buying Vehicles in NEMT Is About Relationships, Not Just Price

Provider. Broker. Software. Morgan has seen the NEMT industry from every angle. This series is your inside scoop into Non-Emergency Medical Transportation: honest answers and actionable advice to help you navigate the chaos and scale your business.

Buying vehicles is one of the first places new NEMT operators get burned, and it usually has nothing to do with the vehicle itself. It almost always comes down to who they bought it from and why that person was selling it.

Most people approach buying an NEMT vehicle the same way they would a personal car. They focus on the price, the mileage, and whether it looks clean enough to pass a quick inspection.

That approach works fine when you're buying something to drive to work. It doesn't work nearly as well when that vehicle is about to become the backbone of your operation, your schedule, and your cash flow.

You're Buying Uptime, Not Just a Vehicle

In NEMT, you're not just buying a vehicle. You're buying uptime, reliability, and support for the day something inevitably goes wrong. Because something always does.

The difference between a vehicle that quietly makes you money and one that constantly pulls you into firefighting mode usually comes down to the seller. Are they interested in a long-term relationship, or just a one-time payday?

If the person selling you the vehicle disappears the moment the check clears, that should tell you everything you need to know.

The best vehicle purchases I've seen came from dealers and upfitters who expected to see that operator again—whether for maintenance, adjustments, or future vehicles. They understood that in NEMT, reputations matter and bad equipment stories travel fast.

The Inspection Checklist: Ask the Right Questions

Before you even get excited about the price, you should be asking questions that tell you how the vehicle was treated.

1. Always pull the Carfax.Not because it tells the full story, but because it tells you enough to know what questions to ask next. Look for patterns:
   • Frequent ownership changes.
   • Inconsistent service records.
   • Long gaps in maintenance. These are all signals to slow down, not rush forward.

2. Audit the Lift and RampWheelchair lifts and ramps deserve even more attention than the engine. A lift isn't just a feature; it's a mechanical system that gets used repeatedly, under load, by different drivers, in real-world conditions.
   • Ask:How often was it serviced? Who serviced it? Are parts readily available
   • Test:Watch it cycle more than once. Listen for hesitation, uneven movement, or noises that don't sound right.

If the seller seems irritated by these questions, that alone should make you cautious.

Installation Quality Matters

Poorly installed lifts and ramps cause problems that show up slowly—usually at the worst possible time.

Loose mounting points, rushed wiring, or shortcuts during installation can turn into safety issues, failed inspections, or vehicles sitting idle while you wait for repairs. Downtime in NEMT is expensive, even when it only lasts a day.

Buy for Today, Not Someday

It's also important to be honest with yourself about what you actually need right now, not what you hope to need in the future.

Buying a vehicle that's "perfect for growth" but doesn't align with your current contracts, insurance coverage, or trip types is a common mistake. The vehicle should support your operation as it exists today, not force you into payments you can't escape yet.

Vehicle notes don't care whether your volume is light, a contract is delayed, or a driver called out. That reality should make you thoughtful, not fearful. And it should push you toward sellers who understand NEMT instead of treating it like a quick flip.

The Right Way to Buy

The operators who last treat vehicle buying as the beginning of a conversation, not the end of a transaction.

They buy from people who answer the phone after the sale, who give straight answers, and who understand that their reputation is tied to every vehicle they put on the road. They slow down, ask more questions than feels comfortable, and walk away when something doesn't add up.

Price matters. But trust, transparency, and support matter more.

If you're going to depend on a vehicle every day to keep your business running, make sure the person who sold it to you is someone you'd want to call six months from now.

Meet Morgan: The Guy Who’s Sat in Every Chair

• The Provider: Started in the trenches. Started by managing and growing a fleet to become the largest private fleet in the state.
• The Broker: He took a 13-van fleet and scaled it into the state's #1 operator for Medicaid brokers. Managed operations for a nationwide NEMT broker, gaining a behind-the-scenes understanding of how trip placement and performance work.
• The Software: Now at MediRoutes, he helps owners improve dispatch and operations using the exact strategies that scaled his own career.

Have a question or want to talk more with Morgan