Michelle Hutchinson, SYCN Auto Logistics: The Logistics Mistakes Costing Dealers Thousands

In this episode of Cue the Next Leader, VINCUE CMO Michael Hopkins sits down with Michelle Hutchinson, Director of Strategic Accounts at SYCN Auto Logistics and founder of Leveling Up Logistics, to talk vehicle transport, dealer inefficiencies, and the hidden costs most dealerships never see coming. With nearly two decades of experience across automotive logistics, Michelle brings a perspective that every dealer moving cars across the country needs to hear.

For most dealerships, vehicle transport is an afterthought, something that gets handled when it needs to get handled. But that mindset is quietly costing dealers thousands.

“Dealerships have lost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars not accounting for transport costs, whether it’s bringing a vehicle in or sending it out.”

It’s a problem Michelle has seen repeat itself across dealerships of all sizes, and it’s exactly why smarter logistics, and the right technology to support it, matters more than most dealers realize.

Michelle has spent nearly two decades working across every angle of automotive transportation. She’s seen the same patterns repeat themselves across dealerships of all sizes. Here are the three most common mistakes she encounters:

The logistics industry has come a long way from notepads and phone calls. Today, AI-powered quoting, real-time vehicle tracking, and platform integrations have fundamentally changed what’s possible, and what’s expected.

That’s where the VINCUE and SYCN Auto Logistics integration comes in.

With SYCN integrated directly into the VINCUE platform, dealers can manage vehicle transport alongside their entire inventory lifecycle, from acquisition to the end buyer, without ever leaving the system. As Michelle puts it, it’s like having a concierge: “You walk up to the desk, tell them what you need, when you need it, and they take care of everything.”

For dealers who are acquiring vehicles from outside their normal buying radius, which is increasingly common as acquisition becomes the lifeblood of used car operations, having transport seamlessly integrated into the same platform where they’re managing inventory isn’t just convenient. It’s a competitive advantage.

Michelle has built her entire consulting mission around one belief, knowledge shouldn’t be hoarded.

“I have seen people within my industry keep that information very close to their chest because they believe it gives them a competitive advantage. I want a client that’s educated. It makes the relationship so much better.”

For dealers, that transparency is rare in the logistics world. Michelle’s approach flips the script, the more her clients understand about shipping lanes, carrier vetting, and cost structures, the stronger the partnership becomes. It’s why she started Leveling Up Logistics, and it’s the standard she brings to every relationship she builds.

With VINCUE and SYCN Auto Logistics working together, dealers get:

Dealer consolidation is accelerating. Groups are getting bigger, buying footprints are expanding, and the logistics demands that come with that growth are scaling right alongside them. Michelle sees it clearly, the dealers who treat transport as a strategic function rather than a necessary hassle are the ones who will win.

VINCUE’s commitment to best-in-class integrations exists for exactly this reason. When dealers need to move metal efficiently, confidently, and cost-effectively, the tools to do it should already be inside the platform they’re using every day.

The VINCUE x SYCN Auto Logistics integration is live. Listen to the full podcast episode to hear Michelle’s full perspective on what smarter logistics looks like for today’s dealer.