Creativity drives business success for Tom’s Truck Center.
The Los Angeles-area operation, which started as a gas station more than 70 years ago and also spent time as an automotive service center, car dealer and truck service shop before selling its first truck, has always been known in southern California as a business that understands how to transform in intelligent ways to meet the future needs of customers.
Now staring down the state’s impending zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) revolution, Tom’s Truck Center is once again on the forefront of innovation. The dealer is following the Entrepreneurial Operating System, expanding and updating its business model to create a market strategy that will make Tom’s an essential player in the region for decades to come.
Such consistent change could be a challenge for a lesser dealer. But at Tom’s, change is part of the company’s DNA. The company tells customers it is “driven to keep you driving,” and CEO and President K.C. Heidler says doing that well takes a willingness and desire to evolve.
“We view ourselves as leaders in our market, and to do that we have to lead,” he says. “We have to be open to change and grow our business to meet new customer demands.”
A finalist for the Successful Dealer Award for the first time in 2023, Tom’s Truck Center’s commitment to being on the vanguard of the trucking industry can be found in its approach to electric vehicles. Over the last decade, Tom’s has made significant infrastructure investments to its two locations to support ZEV technology and has even partnered with a new OEM (Nikola) to prepare for a dwindling diesel and gasoline future.
Tom's Truck Center is known nationwide for its parts business. The company was an early adopter of e-commerce and ships parts across the country in addition to its expedited delivery capabilities in its market.
