CJD Equipment Tasmania - part of Australia’s leading privately-owned equipment supplier - has been crowned DAF Dealer of the Year for 2013.

This is the first time the Tasmanian dealerships in Launceston and Hobart have won any PACCAR Australia dealer award, but it’s the third time for the CJD group, headquartered in Perth.

The announcement was made at PACCAR’s annual dealer event, held at the RACV Torquay Resort on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. More than 60 dealerships throughout Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea competed for a range of DAF and Kenworth dealer awards. The highly sought-after DAF Dealer of the Year accolade is judged on a points system across five main areas, including general dealership performance, truck sales, customer service, finance and parts support. Speaking at the awards ceremony, PACCAR Australia’s Managing Director, Mike Dozier, commended CJD Equipment Tasmania for its outstanding DAF sales, service and support.

"The DAF Dealer of the Year award is not about who sells the most trucks, but which dealer provides the best overall performance for the customer. CJD Tasmania is most deserving of this award. It is an excellent example of a DAF dealer and a credit to the CJD group," he said.

"This dealer operates from first-class facilities akin to those in major capital cities on the mainland. Most importantly, it has maintained high industry standards for a number of years by providing exceptional customer service in every facet of the business," Mike added.

CJD Tasmania’s State Manager, Daniel Rice, said he was delighted to accept the DAF award on behalf of all his staff.

"The DAF Dealer of the Year award belongs to everyone who works in our two Tasmanian dealerships - especially our DAF salesman, Service Manager and Parts Manager and their respective teams, who are all genuinely passionate about this premium brand," he said.

"We also have loyal, long-term DAF customers as well as a group of new customers who have given us the opportunity to introduce DAF into their businesses. Everything we do is for our customers," Daniel explained.

CJD Equipment Tasmania is a unique PACCAR dealer, in that it comprises two dealerships in Launceston and Hobart. It has been a DAF and Kenworth dealer since January 2008.

The Launceston dealership, located just off the Bass Highway, near the intersection with the Midland Highway, services the north, north-east and north-west of the state. It has 32 staff, with half employed in the workshop. The facility, which was updated three years ago, features an expansive display of up to 20 new DAF and Kenworth models in a variety of configurations. It offers a parts supermarket with $1 million in stock, a drivers’ lounge and fully-certified wash-bay facilities. The workshop also maintains a variety of specialised equipment, tooling and electronic diagnostic systems for servicing and repairs.

The Hobart dealership, situated just off the Midland Highway at Bridgewater, services the southern part of the island state. Purpose built in 2007, the dealership has 12 staff and similar-sized facilities to its northern cousin. Together, the two dealerships provide 24-hour emergency breakdown service and parts support throughout the state.

Daniel Rice says both dealerships had a solid sales year in 2013, with smaller fleets and owner-drivers buying a mix of DAFs for various requirements. These range from general freight, milk and livestock haulage to council applications, tilt tray, and dog and tipper operations.

"Without question, DAF has the best range of European trucks on the road. All models are engineered to the highest standards to ensure improved productivity and reliability, low operating costs, and driver safety and comfort. They are well suited to a variety of applications, from inner-city delivery and utility duties to regional and national distribution," Daniel said.

"The DAF range is backed by our hard-working team of professionals who are singlemindedly committed to our customers. Every person is focused on not only meeting their needs but exceeding their expectations. And that means adding value to our customers’ businesses in any of a number of ways," Daniel explained.

"We provide, for example, a full service for new truck purchases, including many little extras, such as registering trucks on behalf of our customers. We have dedicated parts representatives who regularly visit customers to check their requirements, and we offer a range of consultative services to ensure businesses take full advantage of their transport resources," Daniel added.

PACCAR Australia also presented the DAF Service Dealer of the Year award to Brown & Hurley - Brisbane, and DAF Parts Dealer of the Year award to Kenworth and DAF of Melbourne.

The CJD Equipment group has been working with PACCAR Australia since 1984 when it was appointed the Kenworth dealer for Western Australia, and the DAF dealer in 2002. Today, it manages the largest territory in the PACCAR network - the entire states of WA and Tasmania. It is headquartered in Perth and has five regional dealerships throughout the state. The Perth-based Kenworth DAF WA had previously won the Kenworth and DAF Dealer of the Year awards for 2006 and 2008 respectively.

DAF Trucks Australia, a division of PACCAR Australia, distributes a complete range of medium and heavy-duty trucks throughout Australia. PACCAR Inc, a Six Sigma company, is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. PACCAR also designs and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.

Photo caption: From left to right: Mike Dozier - Managing Director, PACCAR Australia; Daniel Rice - State Manager, CJD Equipment; Alan Barnett - Dealer Principal, CJD Equipment; Andrew Hadjikakou - Director of Sales & Marketing, PACCAR Australia.

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