
By Fleet Management Weekly Staff
January 15, 2025
American Coating Company, based out of Madisonville, Louisiana, is transforming the automotive service industry through its innovative subsidiaries: Patriot Liner, one of the nation’s top spray-on bed liner companies; Patriot Fleet Solutions, a one-stop-shop liaison connecting FMCs and a network of certified dealers; and Patriot Rust Defense, a leading supplier of rust prevention and corrosion resistance undercoating.
Co-founded by Josh and Scooter DeLaune, this family-run enterprise provides cutting-edge solutions to streamline connections between dealers and FMCs while providing dealers with the tools they need to grow their businesses.
We sat down with Josh DeLaune, co-founder of American Coating Company and its subsidiaries, to discuss Patriot Fleet Solutions, its genesis, and how it fits into American Coating Company’s plan to help FMCs and dealers.
Tell me about how Patriot Fleet Solutions started. Where have you been, and where are you going?
We started the company just over three years ago. I was working for another big company, and I called my dad, who was semi-retired. I said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. I’ve built many good relationships and think we can make a big difference in the industry.” That brought him out of retirement, and he became my partner. He runs the operations side of things.
We started as Patriot Liner, a next-level spray-on bed liner supplier company. We watched the retail market trend down over the years while the fleet business saw an upward trend: base model, white trucks, vans stripped from the factory, service bodies, etc. I knew that’s where we needed to go next. As the retail trend came down, we decided to launch Fleet Solutions.
We already had a vast network of experienced fitters that could do lighting, protective coatings, and undercoating for rust; you name it. The next step was to build a relationship with the fleet management companies. That’s where we met Henry [Chedraoui], now the VP of our Fleet Solutions program. His role is to build relationships with FMCs and use those relationships on the ground level to connect those dots for upfitting.
Tell me more about Patriot Fleet Solutions. What services do you offer fleets?
When Fleet Solutions began, I asked Henry what was missing from the industry. After all, he knew the industry better than we did. He told us the one thing that would change the industry would be to build proprietary software to eliminate the need for FMCs to seek out information from the shops actively.
The software would allow FMCs to search their vehicle’s VIN and see what the status is from the dealer. It’s a constant line of communication that eliminates the middleman, streamlining it from the dealer to the FMC.
Our dealers are truck accessory aftermarket guys by trade, but they have molded into this fleet world. Lighting and graphics aren’t things everyone can do, so we’re trying to diversify our network and give them the proper training to become the industry’s next upfitters. Our core focus for Fleet Solutions is to build a nationwide grid of upfitters so that FMCs can be confident their vehicles will be taken care of.
What’s in store for Patriot Fleet Solutions in 2025?
We’re most excited for 2025. We’ve beta-tested our proprietary software, which we hope to launch to our FMCs and dealer network in March fully. After that, we’ll roll out a private-labeled truck accessory line, including industry-standard toolboxes, bed covers, and truck bodies. This will all be accessible to our dealer network.
We aim to have Patriot Fleet Solutions be the relationship binder between the FMCs and our applicators, who have specialty services you can’t get anywhere else. For example, our Patriot Liner protective coating is the industry’s best spray-on bed liner, so we want the FMCs to use that along with their upfitting.
We also recently launched Patriot Rust Defense, which focuses on rust prevention and corrosion resistance. This is crucial in coastal areas with a lot of salt water because it helps extend the longevity of these vehicles. Those are just a few of the services we’ll offer since we want FMCs to consider us a one-stop shop.
Can you share more about your and your father’s background?
When I was around 10, my father left the Navy after about 16 or 17 years to start a spray-on bed liner shop. This was when the industry started, and I remember my grandfather telling him he was crazy to leave the military three years shy of retirement to chase a spray-on bed liner dream. But he did, working his way up to regional distribution and eventually executive vice-president.
It’s one of the best-known bed liner companies in the country now. When that company sold, they decided to start another one. I had just gotten out of the Navy myself, and I decided to join. We built the company up, and it eventually sold.
This time, we decided we wanted to be in control. We’d seen what happens when private equity gobbles up smaller businesses–sometimes customer service declines. Our dealers mean the world to us, so we wanted to build something we could be proud of. Then, the industry started shifting towards fleets, so we shifted.
We wanted to be forward-thinking and customer-focused, giving our customers the tools to help them grow and increase their sales. Many suppliers say they do what we do, but we don’t just sell them chemicals–we want them to succeed using the tools we provide genuinely. We’re not just suppliers, we’re partners.
What can your company do to help dealers?
We’re going to the NTEA [Work Truck Show] to show off our Fleet Solutions software, but we also want to show businesses how to grow their shop. I know many businesses want to take the next step or diversify but are scared to do it alone. I want these dealers to join our team so we can fill out a complete nationwide FMC network.
Dealers can feel free to reach out if they want to join a better team and supplier. We don’t take everybody, but if you can fit in and are interested in growth, we’re interested in having that conversation.