PACCAR Trucks Melbourne has achieved the highest recognition possible for DAF truck dealers in Australia by winning the 2007 DAF Dealer of the Year Award.

Winning the award is testament to its focus on growing DAF’s presence in the Melbourne market.

Andrew Kneebone, General Manager, Retail Operations for PACCAR Trucks Melbourne, says he is thrilled to win the award, which recognises excellence in overall dealer performance, truck sales, parts sales and customer support.

“It is great to be recognised for our DAF sales and customer service efforts. DAF is a premium European brand – and with good reason. The range meets the needs of virtually every niche market, from smaller rigids for metro and short-haul applications to prime movers for heavy-duty and line haul,” Kneebone says.

“At PACCAR Trucks Melbourne we have a closely-knit team of knowledgeable sales and service specialists who are dedicated to DAF trucks – and this award acknowledges their commitment to providing great customer service.”

PACCAR Trucks Melbourne services the western and northern suburbs of Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong and surrounding districts. It is located only minutes from the Westgate Freeway and the Western Ring Road, and is within easy reach of CityLink, the Tullamarine and Calder Freeways as well as the Western and Hume Highways.

New and used truck sales, an ALLRig parts supermarket, an ALLRig Express truck wash, and state-of-the-art service facilities with 30 service bays including four fast lube service pits are all available at this leading dealership. It operates from 8am to 11pm Monday to Friday, as well as Saturdays until 6pm. A 24-hour breakdown and emergency parts service provides peace of mind for their customers.

In presenting the DAF Dealer of the Year award, Brad Wolstenholme, General Manager, DAF Trucks Australia, said PACCAR Trucks Melbourne is committed to excellence in every department. “We are proud to present PACCAR Trucks Melbourne with our premier award. This dealership has worked hard as a team to not only meet customer needs, but to also set a new standard for the industry,” he said.

“It has invested heavily in training staff and building a solid infrastructure that supports the DAF brand. It is proactive in the marketplace, by identifying and supplying a variety of transport solutions to new and existing customers. Above all else, PACCAR Trucks Melbourne has demonstrated its commitment to DAF customers, by providing them with the best service before, during and after the sale,” Brad added.

“We have had great success with the DAF CF range,” Andrew said. “These models feature a low tare weight for optimum payload, powerful engines and a broad range of chassis and axle configurations The CF series is suitable for a multitude of applications, ranging from inner-city delivery to construction vehicles and intrastate operations. DAFs are designed to make life easier for the professional driver.”

“DAF customer support is very important to us. We have two specialist DAF Sales Consultants and seven highly-trained DAF service technicians. As our DAF business grows, we will add other professionals to the DAF team,” he added.

DAF Trucks Australia, a division of PACCAR Australia Pty Ltd, distributes a range of medium and heavy-duty trucks throughout Australia.

The price of diesel fuel hit a record Friday — and gasoline prices are leaping so fast they could set records next week.

Rocketing retail fuel prices are the result of the week’s $100-a-barrel crude oil prices and tight supplies as refineries switch to producing costlier summer-blend, clean-air gasoline that’s required by federal regulations.

The nationwide average price for diesel Friday was a record $3.541 per gallon, according to data collected daily at more than 85,000 fuel stations by the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and published by travel organization AAA.

That’s a jump of 3.8 cents a gallon overnight and 7 cents in two days, huge moves in a universe where a penny is considered significant.

The nationwide average for regular-grade gasoline Friday was $3.115, up 2.9 cents overnight and 6.2 cents in two days. At that rate, the average price by the middle of next week would break the record $3.227 set May 24.

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Uncovered garbage trucks can no longer use the South Road Properties (SRP) road in going to the Inayawan landfill starting Monday.

Nagiel Bañacia, SRP’s newly appointed chief executive officer, announced Tuesday that the city will ban all uncovered trucks at the SRP to keep the area clean.

“This will keep the SRP area clean and free from falling garbage and filth,” Bañacia said.

Banacia said he noticed uncovered garbage trucks from the Department of Public Services (DPS) and the different barangays (villages) using the SRP road in going to the landfill.

Since the trucks were not covered, the garbage fell on the road. This happened especially to speeding trucks.

Banacia said the maintenance crew at the SRP spent more time cleaning the area of fallen garbage.

Banacia said cleanliness in the SRP area is important because this is the city’s prime project to attract investors.

He said he made the recommendation to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena who agreed to his proposal to ban uncovered trucks.

Banacia said the ban also applies to other types of uncovered trucks like hauler trucks and dump trucks carrying sand and gravel.

“If they want to use the SRP road, they should cover their trucks,” he said.

Starting Monday, Banacia said checkpoints will be posted at different entrances of the SRP.

Barangay captains were all notified.

Banacia said DPS chief Dionisio Gualisa is aware of the new rule.

Banacia added that by Monday, strict traffic rules will also be implemented in the SRP to avoid accidents, like the wearing of helmets for motorcycle riders, and backriders should be limited to just one person.

Despite an overall solid sales month for General Motors, deliveries of full-size sport-utility vehicles made in Janesville declined in January.The automaker reported Friday that compared to January 2007, last month’s sales of Chevrolet Suburbans were down 14.4 percent, whiles those of the Chevy Tahoe dropped 12.1 percent.

Deliveries of GMC Yukon XLs fell 19 percent, while sales of GMC Yukons were down 17.3 percent.

The four vehicles are made at GM’s assembly plant in Janesville as well as at GM plants in Arlington, Texas, and Silao, Mexico.

Last month’s drop continues a declining trend in the full-size SUV market that’s been taking shape for several years. That trend has been fueled by an uncertain economic situation and a consumer shift to crossover vehicles that get better gas mileage.

Last year, GM sold 338,600 Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukon XLs and Yukons, a drop of 4.7 percent from 2006. The 2007 sales number extended a decline that dates to at least 2002, when GM sold more than 500,000 of the trucks common to the Janesville, Arlington and Silao plants.

Expecting that decline to continue, GM will slow its production rate in Janesville starting in April. The local assembly line will slow from 52 jobs an hour to 44.

The slowdown, layoffs and an expected GM buyout plan are expected to decrease employment levels in Janesville, where 2,500 hourly and 200 salaried personnel now work.

On a corporate basis, GM shined in January while the rest of the industry took a dive. GM posted a 2.6 percent sales gain in January.

U.S. consumers bought just 1.04 million cars and trucks last month, down 4.3 percent from the same month a year ago. The performance translated into an annual seasonally adjusted selling rate of 15.24 million cars and trucks, making last month the worst January in a decade.

Nearly every major automaker posted declines. Sales were down 12.1 percent at Chrysler, 7.3 percent at Nissan, 3.9 percent at Ford and 2.3 percent at both Toyota and Honda.

Much of Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC’s future success will depend on customer reaction to the latest upgrades of their full-size pickup trucks introduced to the press Sunday during the North American International Auto Show here.Ford showcased the 2009 model-year version of its keystone vehicle, the F-150. The truck has been the best selling full-size pickup truck for 30 years, according to the company, but its leadership cushion has been shrinking over the past few years as competitors, most notably Toyota, have been closing the gap.

The 2009 F-150 will have more rear seating room, more carrying and towing capacities, an integrated trailer brake controller, trailer sway control, new safety features and a new high-end trim level among its upgrades.

The Dodge Ram 1500 plays an equally important role for the Dodge division as part of the now privately owned Chrysler. The latest version of the Dodge Ram 1500, also a 2009 model-year, will have a crew cab option, the first for this full-size truck. Other features include more power and torque from the optional 5.7 liter Hemi V8, a new coil spring rear suspension for better ride and handling, and upgraded interiors, a response to customer complaints about the current offerings, company officials said.

Both models will begin production later this year and be available in the fall.

See the March issue of LIGHT & MEDIUM TRUCK for complete coverage of these models and other vehicles introduced at the show.

It may be more than a decade until technologies such as electric vehicles can have an effect on worldwide demand for oil, so General Motors Corp. is putting its near-term energy-saving focus on ethanol, Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive officer, told attendees Sunday at the North American International Auto Show here.GM is partnering with Coskata Inc., a Warrenville, Ill., company that has developed processes for making ethanol out of many degradable products, Wagoner said. He did not provide details, but a company spokesman said later that GM is a part owner of Coskata.

Ethanol is a “temporary solution” to the need to reduce petroleum use, but with six million vehicles in the United States that could run on E85, it “offers a quick alternative,” he said.

Wagoner said the federal government should do more to develop a unified energy strategy and to encourage ethanol use by helping to increase the number of ethanol fuel stations. “It’s time for the [United States] to address this matter. It’s eminently doable,” he said.

Wagoner said GM would continue its research into fuel cells and other alternative power systems. GM has several gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles on the market and is about to introduce a hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe full-size sport utility vehicle.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. said U.S. auto sales fell in December, capping the worst year in a decade, and predicted that 2008 probably won’t be any better, Bloomberg News reported.

GM’s sales of cars and light trucks dropped 4.4% from a year earlier. Ford’s total tumbled 9.2%, while Toyota’s fell 1.7%, Bloomberg said. Toyota moved up to second in annual sales, pushing Ford from the spot it had held since 1931.

Ford said it expects a “challenging” U.S. economy in 2008, and Toyota cut its annual sales-growth forecast, after Americans bought 16.1 million cars and light trucks last year, the least since 1998, Bloomberg reported. GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said the U.S. economy may be a “risk” to auto sales this year.

For December, Asian automakers’ share of the U.S. market rose to 41.3% from 40.4% a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Sales of Ford’s F-Series large pickups, the best-selling U.S. vehicles, slid 22% last month and 13% for the year, Bloomberg said.

Ford Motor Co. selected Tata Motors Ltd. as the preferred bidder for Jaguar and Land Rover, putting India’s largest truckmaker in a position to take over two iconic British luxury auto brands, Bloomberg News reported.

Tata and the U.S. automaker will hold “further substantive discussions,” Ford Executive Vice President Lewis Booth said in a statement. Ford may fetch as much as 1 billion pounds ($1.98 billion) from a sale, said Stephen Pope of Cantor Fitzgerald in London, according to Bloomberg.

Buying Jaguar and Land Rover, which date back to Britain’s colonial era, would give Tata a presence outside Asia and provide access to new technology. Ford wants to sell the brands to focus on its money-losing North American business, Bloomberg said.