Ask General Manager Brian Cunningham what Peterbilt Atlantic's newest location on Gloria McCluskey Avenue brings to the Halifax truck market and he will answer you with one word: service.
"We surround ourselves with the best people in the industry," Cunningham says, "and we all have a common goal - to put the customer first."
Cunningham agrees a lot of companies make the claim they are the best in service, but he believes Peterbilt Atlantic backs up its claims from the lastest hire right up to the company's CEO.
"Tim Hawkins is the third generation of the Hawkins family to be involved in the trucking industry and he knows how important service is to being successful," Cunningham says.
"If you've ever visited one of our showrooms, you'll know we're passionate about trucks," Hawkins says. "Our goal... is to give people the best products at the best value and to match it with fast, quality service that's second-to-none."
Underlying all of the company's efforts is the Peterbilt brand itself. Cunningham says the Peterbilt name is easily one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the trucking industry and its standards are high in order to protect that brand. That's why Cunningham is quick to point out that all of its factory-trained technicians and other staff meet - and often exceed - the standards set by Peterbilt.
"We are very training-oriented," Cunningham says. "Plus, we often recruit leaders from within the industry. We are always developing our own people and then complimenting them with the best from outside sources."
This philosophy directly contributed to Peterbilt Atlantic making the moving into the Halifax market this past July. When the opportunity arose to acquire the former Burnside Fleet Services, one of the factors that helped seal the deal was the quality of the staff that were already in place.
"We have maintained a large part of the former staff in the new operation, so customers will continue to see a lot of familiar faces when they come in, along with some new faces as we round out our team," Cunningham says.
What customers will also see is a totally revamped facility. Although renovations are still underway, Cunningham says the end result will be a clean, bright dealership featuring new office space, a new drivers' lounge and a totally reworked parts department.
"We will carry a pretty extensive parts inventory on-site, because we understand people are using their truck to make a living and we do our utmost to avoid downtime for our customers," Cunningham says. "That's why we are open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., so it's convenient for customers to get their work done when it's best for them."
For those customers looking to purchase a new truck, inventory is also important. Cunningham says Peterbilt Atlantic has a large truck inventory "at its fingertips" thanks to the company's seven locations, including Burnside, Kentville and Sydney in Nova Scotia; Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island; Fredericton and Moncton in New Brunswick; and its Quebec East operation.
Peterbilt Atlantic is this region's largest heavy-duty truck dealer. It's newest location, at 69 Gloria McCluskey Ave. in Burnside, is a provincial inspection station and is B 620 certified. Peterbilt Atlantic is also your source for custom tractor trailers, Caterpillar, Cummins and Rockico products, and the region's largest PacLease franchise. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., and you can reach the new location directly at 1-800-922-7383 or 902 468-7768.
