Rush Truck Centres announced Tuesday the successful completion of its acquisition of Carrier Truck Centers, a respected commercial truck dealership group that has served the transportation industry since 1960.
The acquisition adds five strategically located dealerships in Brantford, London, Woodstock, Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario, strengthening Rush Truck Centres of Canada’s presence across the province — one of Canada’s most important transportation and manufacturing regions and a critical cross-border freight corridor between Canada and the United States.
With the addition of Carrier Truck Centers, Rush Truck Centres now has 20 locations in Canada. The company says the acquisition reinforces its commitment to delivering industry-leading sales, service, parts, leasing and maintenance solutions, and adds customers will benefit from expanded service capabilities, increased parts availability, enhanced technical expertise and access to the resources and support network of North America’s largest commercial vehicle dealership organization.
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“Today marks an exciting new chapter for our organization as we announce the completion of our largest acquisition to date in Canada,” says Kevin G. Tallman, CEO of Rush Truck Centres of Canada. “For more than six decades, Carrier Truck Centers has earned the trust of customers across Southwestern Ontario through its commitment to service excellence, strong community relationships, and dedication to the trucking industry. We are proud to welcome their employees, customers and partners to the Rush Truck Centres family and look forward to building on that remarkable legacy together.”
“Carrier Truck Centers has been a major part of my life for over 65 years, and when I look back on our success, what stands out most are the people. I want to sincerely thank our employees for their dedication, hard work, and commitment and our customers for the trust and loyalty they have shown us,” adds Marv Long, owner of Carrier Truck Centers. “The relationships we have built together across the industry, and in the communities we serve, have meant a great deal to me and have been the most rewarding part of this journey.”
He adds, “When the time came to consider the future of the business, I wanted to ensure that our employees and customers would be supported by an organization that shares the values that have always been important to us. Rush Truck Centres of Canada has earned an outstanding reputation in the industry through its commitment to customer service, integrity, and treating both employees and customers the right way. Those shared values gave me confidence that they were the right choice.
“I want to congratulate the entire Rush Truck Centres team on this exciting new chapter and thank them for their professionalism throughout this process. I wish them every success moving forward, and I am confident they will continue to build strong relationships with our employees, customers, and partners for many years to come.”
In conjunction with this acquisition, Rush Truck Centres of Canada has promoted Tyler Szigatti to regional general manager; Southwestern Ontario Region, for the newly acquired Carrier Truck Centers dealerships. Szigatti has more than 15 years of truck dealership experience in Ontario, where he has held a variety of roles in sales and operations management. He will be responsible for the financial and operational performance of the newly acquired Carrier dealerships.
