Brown and Hurley Kenworth DAF Toowoomba has taken out the prestigious Kenworth Dealer of the Year award for 2014.

In 1964 Brown and Hurley became the first distributor of Kenworth trucks in Queensland and NSW's Northern Rivers region. Over the years the group has expanded operations throughout those states, including opening the doors of its full service Toowoomba dealership to customers in 2009.

The award was presented at PACCAR's annual dealer event held in the Hunter Valley, with Brown and Hurley Kenworth DAF Toowoomba being announced victors from a field of over 55 dealerships throughout Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The prestigious Kenworth Dealer of the Year accolade is hotly contested amongst the dealer network and is awarded to the dealership with the highest ranking across five main areas: customer service, general dealership performance, truck sales, finance and parts support.

Presenting the award was PACCAR Australia's Managing Director, Mike Dozier, who congratulated the 2014 winner for its dedication to Kenworth owners and for achieving consistently high standards across all dealership operations.

"Our regional and rural dealers play a vital role in meeting our customers' needs outside of major metropolitan centres," Mike said.

"Over the years Brown and Hurley has made an important contribution in providing Kenworth with a strong presence through rural and regional Queensland and Northern NSW.

"The group has identified transport growth corridors and invested in dealerships to service these areas - the Toowoomba dealership is a wonderful example of a successful regional branch.

"Setting foot in the Toowoomba dealership, Kenworth customers and prospective buyers can expect the same high levels of service and advice that they would receive in a major metropolitan dealership.

"On behalf of PACCAR Australia, I congratulate the dealership on its most recent success and I know it will continue its very high standards into the future."

The sprawling 28,000 square metre Toowoomba dealership offers easy access for heavy vehicles via Carrington Road and provides sales of new and used trucks along with extensive servicing and parts facilities.

Among the amenities designed to ensure fast and efficient servicing, is a workshop with 22 truck service bays and ample parking areas for drivers to leave trailers while their prime movers are being attended to. The workshop employs 14 fully qualified technicians and seven apprentices, and is equipped with the latest specialist tooling and diagnostic equipment to expertly maintain Kenworth and DAF trucks.

While vehicles are being serviced customers can access the driver's lounge which features kitchen, bathrooms and comfortable sleeping quarters. If an issue occurs on the road the operation also runs a 24-hour breakdown service providing customers with extra piece of mind. And when it comes to parts availability, there's always plenty in stock along with excellent advice from parts team members boasting over 20 years' experience each in the business.

The Toowoomba branch is positioned ideally to service an area from Gatton, west to the South Australian border and from the NSW border into central Queensland.

Dealer Principal Matt Innes who took over the role in September from Tony Hurley, said the two had worked closely together for many years, with the aim of one day gaining the Kenworth Dealer of the Year mantle.

"I'm extremely proud of the work our team has done - we've really focused on our customers and supporting them in every way possible. We're also very pleased to have achieved the award in Brown and Hurley's 50th anniversary year as a Kenworth dealer," Matt said.

"At the beginning of last year Tony and I sat down together to implement our marketing and business plans for the dealership. Our goal has always been to grow the business by forging solid long-term relationships with our customers.

"If you do the right thing by your customers success will follow. This is an award that every Kenworth dealership wants to win, so we're thrilled to have been named Dealer of the Year."

According to Matt, in recent years dealership staffing has grown from 20 to 53 people on the back of a recovering agricultural sector, considerable mining exploration and a loyal customer base.

"The truck industry can be quite cyclical, especially in rural and regional areas where economic conditions are affected by factors such as weather," he said.

"The last few years have been very good and we hope to continue the momentum in 2015 and beyond - there's always going to be the need for high quality trucks such as Kenworth, along with the customer support services needed to keep these machines running in peak condition year after year."

General Sales Manager - Kenworth Trucks, Brad May, said that Brown and Hurley Toowoomba had performed very strongly across the judging criteria.

"A successful dealership was once only judged by the quantity of trucks it sold, but in today's competitive heavy vehicle market, it's crucial that all Kenworth dealerships are great 'all-rounders'," Brad said.

"As well as selling these vehicles, dealerships need to offer a complete ownership package that sees our customers receive top advice and service on all their truck-related requirements.

"Brown and Hurley Toowoomba epitomises what a Kenworth dealer should be - it performed exceptionally well on all fronts last year and by all accounts has exceeded our customers' expectations - well done to the team."

While this is the first time the Toowoomba branch has achieved Kenworth Dealer of the Year honours, as a group Brown and Hurley has now been bestowed the title an amazing 20 times, with 14 Kenworth and 6 DAF Dealer of the Year awards.

Kenworth trucks are designed and manufactured in Australia to meet the world's toughest applications.

Kenworth, a division of PACCAR Australia, is market leader in heavy duty trucks in Australia. Its trucks are also exported to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. PACCAR Inc, a Six Sigma company, is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. PACCAR also designs and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.

Photo caption: From left to right: Andrew Hadjikakou, Director of Sales & Marketing, PACCAR Australia; Matt Innes, Dealer Principal, Brown and Hurley Kenworth DAF Toowoomba; Tony Hurley, former Dealer Principal, Brown and Hurley Kenworth DAF Toowoomba; Mike Dozier, Managing Director, PACCAR Australia.

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