PACCAR announces its Dealers of the Year

Taking out the prestigious award for a phenomenal eighth time, Kenworth DAF Wodonga has been named Kenworth Dealer of the Year for 2023. And if that wasn’t enough, Wodonga added the 2023 PACCAR Financial Dealer of the Year to its long list of achievements.

The Kenworth Dealer of the Year is a prestigious accolade, hotly contested among the dealer network and is awarded to the dealer with the highest performance across all areas of their Kenworth business.

Speaking at PACCAR Australia’s annual awards ceremony Damian Smethurst, PACCAR Australia’s Managing Director, presented the award to Justin Brooks, David Burn and Chris Dziedzic, congratulating the team on its extraordinary customer advocacy, professionalism, and unwavering commitment.

“The Kenworth Dealer of the Year award is not about who sells the most trucks, but which dealer provides the best overall performance for the customer. Kenworth DAF Wodonga epitomises this and is a very deserving winner,” said Damian.

Chairman and Co-owner, Chris said: “I am so proud of David Burn and our wonderful team for taking out the most prestigious award in the Australia/New Zealand Transport Industry, Kenworth Dealer of the Year. Working with such an incredible partner as PACCAR, along with our wonderful suppliers, has made our goal of delivering the world's best, Australian-made trucks possible. Match this with the support of our fantastic, loyal customers and we have the perfect recipe for success.

“I am so proud to have handed over the Dealer Principal reins to David and to see his development. This achievement has benefits for both our people and the business from a brand reputation point of view and reinforces that we are the best of the best”.

Kenworth DAF Wodonga also referred to as Twin City Truck Centre was established in 1979 and is situated on the New South Wales and Victorian border. Since this time, the dealership has also been the worthy recipient of the PACCAR Parts, Service and PACCAR Financial awards.

Kenworth DAF Huntingwood has been named the 2023 DAF Dealer of the Year.

This is the first time Kenworth DAF Huntingwood has been awarded the accolade since its introduction in 2002.

The award was presented to Kenworth DAF Huntingwood General Manager, Zane Jamieson. The DAF Dealer of the Year program is structured to reward the best performing dealer within the PACCAR dealer network.

The award recognises superior performance across the business including customer relationships, facilities, parts and service, finance performance, market share, growth, and aftersales support. All areas that Kenworth DAF Huntingwood excelled in throughout 2023.

Damian Smethurst presented the Dealer of the Year trophy, congratulating Zane for the dealership’s landmark achievement to take out the highly coveted DAF award for the first time.

"Kenworth DAF Huntingwood, has been a valued member of our dealer network since 1981. It is wonderful to see Suttons Group having celebrated their 80th anniversary in 2023 and it is a credit to everyone at Huntingwood who has ultimately contributed towards winning this award”, said Damian.

Zane Jamieson echoed Damian’s comments, stating: “Without the entire dealership’s support this award would not be possible. It means so much to everyone. Our DAF customers and their commitment and faith in us drives us to be better every day” said Zane.

Director Craig Sutton added: “To win the DAF Dealer of the Year award is a fantastic honour and something we are very proud of. The Huntingwood team lead by Zane and Glenn are heavily focused on DAF and continuing to grow the brand”.

Kenworth DAF Huntingwood, also known as Gilbert & Roach Huntingwood, part of the Suttons Group, was first established in 1946 and is one of Australia’s longest serving truck dealerships.