Through an expansion of its Hallam Truck Centre Kenworth and DAF dealership operations in Victoria, Commercial Motor Vehicles Pty Ltd (CMV Group) has today announced the acquisition of the sales territories of Somerton and Ballarat.
This territory expansion will see them take over the existing TRP Ballarat and TRP Somerton parts outlets from 1 January 2025 and build a new state of the art Kenworth and DAF Truck dealership at Mickleham, in Melbourne’s North.
The dealership, which will be known as Melbourne North Truck Centre, will open in 2028 and further solidifies CMV Group’s commitment to PACCAR Australia and their customers.
“Melbourne North Truck Centre will support the ever-growing customer base to the North of Melbourne, along with the inner West, including Ballarat, which is a pivotal region for Australia’s important national freight task,” said CMV Group Joint Managing Director, Daniel Crawford.
“Locating a full-service dealership adjacent to Australia’s greatest freight route, the Hume corridor, is also critically important to improve the level of service and support for PACCAR customers on the eastern seaboard,” he said.
CMV Group’s relationship with PACCAR commenced in 1968 when they obtained the franchise in Adelaide, and Melbourne North Truck Centre will join their well-established network of PACCAR dealerships, including CMV Truck Centre in Adelaide, Hallam and Bayswater Truck Centres in Victoria, along with the Barry Maney Group in Mount Gambier.
“PACCAR Australia is thrilled to support CMV Group’s expansion with the new Melbourne North Truck Centre, which will significantly enhance our customer service and support in this vital growth corridor north of Melbourne,” said PACCAR Australia Managing Director, Damian Smethurst.
“This investment reflects our unwavering commitment to our customers, ensuring they have access to the highest level of service and expertise,” he continued.
“CMV Group’s longstanding partnership with PACCAR, marked by their strategic investments in key locations, reinforces our shared mission of supporting the success of our current and future customers.”
Hallam Truck Centre General Manager, Matt Keene said he was excited to be extending their Victorian operations.
“Our investment in Melbourne North Truck Centre (MNTC) represents the strength we see in the Kenworth, DAF Truck and Cummins brands and demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers across both the states of South Australia and Victoria,” he said in a statement.
“The new dealership at Mickleham will offer world class facilities designed to attract and retain a great team, and deliver the results that our customers expect from us.
“When you overlay the new MNTC dealership with our current dealership operations, including Wimmera Truck Centre at Horsham, the level of service and support we can provide is significantly increased, particularly along the main freight corridors leading to Melbourne.”
The construction of MNTC is expected to commence in 2026 and will be completed by early 2028.
In the meantime, Melbourne North Truck Centre will operate from a temporary leased facility at 106 Hume Highway, Somerton and will offer truck sales, servicing, parts and PacLease rental commencing Q1, 2025.
“With our Kenworth and DAF customers at the forefront of our minds, we were keen to be operational as soon as possible and we feel fortunate to have been able to secure a great temporary location for MNTC as a way to support our customers in the immediate future,”said Keene.
“Providing convenience and maximum uptime for our customers is always a priority and in conjunction with this temporary full-service dealership, we’re pleased to be able to now offer roadside repair, breakdown assistance and 24/7 customer support in the newly appointed territory.”
Industry veteran, Martin Hinkley has been appointed Branch Manager of Melbourne North Truck Centre bringing to the group over 20 years’ experience in the heavy-duty truck and parts industries.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining MNTC and the wider CMV Group,” he said.
“Their value of safety first and prioritising exceptional customer service is something that really resonates with me and I’m looking forward to the challenge of building a dealership and a team from scratch.”
The acquisition of both TRP stores in Somerton and Ballarat significantly bolsters the CMV Group’s TRP network in Victoria, complementing existing stores at Pakenham, Peninsula (Hastings) and Warrnambool.
“We are excited to have both TRP stores at Somerton and Ballarat join our existing TRP operations and we look forward to smoothly transitioning those customers in early 2025 and ensuring we continue to offer the convenience and customer service they’ve come to expect,” added Keene.
“Our TRP stores in both South Australia and Victoria play an important role within our PACCAR operations as we look to support our growing customer base and ensuring we can offer them the option of genuine parts alongside a range of reliable quality, warranty-backed parts for all makes of trucks and trailers.”
The CMV Group will shortly commence a local recruitment drive, seeking to hire workshop technicians, service advisors and a sales team for Melbourne North Truck Centre, who will initially base themselves at Hume Highway before transitioning to the newly constructed dealership.
Melbourne North Truck Centre will operate as a subsidiary of the larger CMV Group who commenced operations in 1934.
The 4th generation family business operates substantial light and heavy vehicle dealerships, along with agricultural interests, predominately in Victoria and South Australia.
CMV Group today employs 2,000 people.
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