Western Star Trucks

So John in Mallow.

And Bill says, 25 years ago today, I was inside the Western Star pub.

Who remembers that? It was near UCC.

It was being completely renovated at the time.

I remember it's an odd distinct memory to have but I remember like mixing I was probably making an apple tart so you know which way you're making the pastry and you're crumbling the butter and you're mixing it through with the flour I remember watching it and people telling the stories of you know how they got the call or they saw it on the telly then you know the realisation hit that one of their loved ones would have been in the area, then that panic of trying to get in touch with them, the realisation that never coming home again.

And it was just, I do remember that, but, you know, it would have been a couple of years on, but it was, oh, it's, and people have been so kind to share, you know, where they were 25 years ago, because, you know, it's something, these are moments that you're never going to forget where you were.

You know, on that day and when you heard it, like even, you know, the story of Bill being inside in the Western Star and saying it was the place to be for Freshers.

They were mad trying to get it ready for Freshers Week and it was near UCC and just turning around and looking at the screens.

So anyhow, we're on our way back with that.

And then on the way, because this is kind of remote where we're at, to be crazy we stopped at the western star dealer on

the way wanted to check in with those good folks over there and

i my shop had placed a parts order at the same time i was there so we loaded all that up in the trailer we just picked up how fortuitous hit the street and we're on the road again tim's wanting to know when we get home and i tell him whenever we decide to get there

We will get there when we get there.

I got to say, one of the things that I really like about this is that we really are in this industry.

I listen to so many shows these days that are about telling car dealers how to sell cars and the guy hasn't sold a car in 20 years.

Or they're telling a business – how to run their accounting department.

Man, it sounds like a lot of money when you say $14 million, but we are way, way less.

And it's like, looking at it, I'm like, oh my God, I want to get to where Western Star was.

And that's what's exciting.

It's like, when you look at it, Because a new truck, like you say, like a new Kenworth in that we're talking Canadian dollars.

I'm doing the math on my phone here just to double check it.

But they go for 450,000 Canadian for them new W9s, new C500s.

I want to get to where Western Star was when they were in Kelowna.

They were trying to do like 10,000 trucks a year, say 6,000.

So I think we will all freely admit that it hasn't fired how we would like it to.

However, we've actually got two of my great colleagues from Western Star in New Zealand at the moment this week.

to just go back to say, okay, what's the product? What's the placement? You know, what's the position we want this to have in New Zealand? You know, we've got a great new management structure in New Zealand, Penske in New Zealand now with Steve Kelly, you know, running the show.

He's building an amazing team now to go forward.

So we kind of took the attitude with New Zealand to – We've got to make sure we've got to have great after sales, great coverage, great everything before you try and put too many things out there.

We absolutely have a focus in New Zealand.

We have to make sure that we've got product that suits the New Zealand market in both Western Star and MAN, which I believe we do.

Now it's just about execution.

Certainly we, we would, and we do.

Um, our, you know, D- Daimler Trucks Remarketing primarily supports Freightliner and Western Star dealers.

That's who we support.

Um, but we will, we will quote and acquire any of those brands that you just mentioned and, uh, offer it to our dealer network.

I'm personally, I think Mac has got the best looking truck on the road, but nobody asked my opinion on which truck.

And yet nobody's mentioning a name from the past known as Western Star.

Yeah.

Yeah.

[laughs]

The Freightliner and the Western Star factory, that guy's busy as fuck.

I bet, yeah.

Wow.