Isuzu Australia has announced that Double R Trucks has acquired the former Peel Valley Tamworth Isuzu dealership with the company welcoming the acquisition and describing it as a huge boost for trucking in North West NSW
Double R has been in operation for nearly 17 years. and Isuzu says that it has a foundation of diversity with sales and services across the agriculture, transport, construction and mining sectors, tracing its beginnings back to being an equipment repairs provider and Isuzu says it has delivered on and off-site maintenance solutions to industry and equipment owners before branching out into new equipment sales.
Isuzu Australia’s chief of sales and aftersales, Ben Lasry said the company welcomed Double R to the Isuzu Trucks family.
“We’re really pleased to have Double R Trucks on board representing the country’s top truck brand in northern NSW, the team at Double R have an excellent read on the market in and around Tamworth, and we’re excited to see what the future holds,” said Lasry
“After spending time with the team in recent months, I can say with great confidence that truck customers in regional NSW are in the safest of hands with Double R,” he added.
This is the first Isuzu truck dealership acquisition for Double R and according to its managing director, Rusty Russell, it’s a momentous achievement for the whole team.
“To say we’re excited about partnering with Isuzu Trucks is an excessive understatement,” said Russell
“The excitement and the nervous energy have been bubbling through the Double R team at Tamworth to take on Isuzu Trucks and everything’s set to deliver outstanding results.”
The first Double R location started in 2005 in Mudgee, when Russell decided to change paths after a highly successful career with Caterpillar in Australia and overseas.
Within a short time, Double R was able to grow from a one-person business with a single service vehicle, to opening the first of many locations in Mudgee, and expanding to include Hunter Valley and Gunnedah in New South Wales, plus Karratha and Leinster in Western Australia.
Isuzu says that the new move means that trucking needs of Tamworth will be in good hands, with a strong contingent of the former Peel Valley Tamworth team making the jump to join the Double R Trucks Tamworth team.
According to Isuzu one of the most exciting parts of the dealership acquisition is the sign-on of Brad Hickey, otherwise known as the ‘Hicksta’, Peel Valley’s highly skilled service technician who took out top honours at the Isuzu National Skills Competition in July and declared a local legend.
“We’re super excited in supporting Hicksta as he prepares for the global competition. It’s a real win to have him on board with us,” Rusty Russell said.
Brad Hickey and fellow technician Louis Holt from Bendigo Isuzu are set to compete against teams from more than 40 countries in the prestigious Isuzu World Technical Competition, the I-1Grand Prix (I1GP), on 4th November.
The pair are representing Australia, after besting a pool of more than 60 technicians and apprentices in the national competition.
Isuzu says the legendary technician is not the only Isuzu celebrity in the Double R Truck ranks.
“Drew Murden, our workshop manager, who coordinates the workshop team, was a finalist in the Isuzu National Skills Competition in 2017,” added Russell.
“Drew went to Japan with the Australian team, where they collected the bronze medal.
“It’s exciting to have Hicksta and Drew there to offer that senior support and advice to the team. I could not be prouder of the Double R Trucks Isuzu team containing two nationally awarded Isuzu technicians, here in Tamworth.
“It’s so exciting to be involved with a brand like Isuzu Trucks to really acknowledge the skillset and the training that is put in by the technicians as they go through apprenticeships and then post-apprenticeship education.”
“That’s why Double R Trucks was so eager to work with Isuzu. They acknowledge the pressure that’s placed on experienced service technicians, and despite skill shortages and labour pool demands Isuzu has proven time and again that they support technicians along with their full range of staff.”
Isuzu says that Tamworth is at the heart of a region undergoing growth and expansion, and says it’s clear that Double R Trucks is the perfect partner to team up with meeting the broader transport needs of the region, with plenty of infrastructure and construction jobs underway the team will surely be kept on their toes.
“Thirty-three years as truck market leader is a testament to Isuzu and demonstrates the quality and integrity of the brand,” said Rusty Russell.
“Any business that can stand by a reputation of 50 years of trading trucks in Australia is a business that Double R Trucks looks forward to learning from and working with,” he added.
