The logo may have a truck in it, but there’s really nothing a customer can’t order from Truck Supply Companies.
“If you ask for a cheeseburger, we don’t say, ‘We don’t have that,’ we ask you how you want it,” says General Manager Tommy Hill. “We will always go the extra mile for the customer to get what he’s looking for.”
Truck Supply’s willingness to go the extra mile is well documented.
The business was a single location when Edward Neeley bought it in 2003 and now has four locations across South Carolina with a fifth expected to come online within 60 days. Beyond expanding its footprint, Truck Supply has expanded its drive-in service capabilities, bench and shop services and even acquired a Midwestern shop in 2022 to strengthen its overall offering.
In 2013 the company’s first phase of growth under Neeley and Hill earned it the Trucks, Parts, Service Distributor of the Year Award, and this year it has been nominated again, recognized by the independent aftermarket, the duo believe, for its continued customer focus and the familial atmosphere that enables it to keep expanding despite a challenging market.
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“We hear horror stories from other parts of the country and we’re booming,” Neeley says. “This will be another great year for us.”
Neeley gives his workforce all the credit for that. Since taking over the business, he says he’s always stressed Truck Supply employees don’t work for him, they work for their customers.
Truck Supply’s leadership encourages associates to cultivate relationships with customers so the latter are comfortable coming to them with any request, and are quick to reward that level of service.
Being in the truck parts and service business can be a fast-paced, high-stress job. Customers don’t always contact Truck Supply in the best mood — a sidelined truck is never fun — but deep customer-employee relationships eliminate animosity between a trucker and counterperson and turn sourcing a part into a conversation between friends.
“If I can do my job fast, accurately and get them what they need, it makes me feel good about what I do every day,” says Doug Berley, counter salesperson at the Columbia, S.C., store. “It’s a very validating feeling.”
“My customers know they can call me at 8 p.m., when my competitors won’t answer the phone, because they know I will,” adds Lauren Bryson, territory sales manager. “We’re very genuine. We care when they’re sitting on the side of the road. We’ve earned their respect.”
Which is something the company doesn’t take lightly.
Bryson says everyone at Truck Supply holds themselves and the company to a high standard. Respect takes time to earn but can be lost quickly, she says, so the Truck Supply team works constantly to make sure that doesn’t happen.
A willingness to stock anything a customer requests, and be available any time to provide it, drives Truck Supply's go-to-market approach.Truck Supply Companies
The 8 p.m. call is just one example. There are others.
Hill says Truck Supply’s stores officially open at 7:30 a.m., six days a week, but employees arrive early to support customers who show up at 7 a.m. needing parts before picking up their freight. On Saturdays, stores that close at noon are often still serving customers past 2 p.m. Neeley says if a customer arrives at a store and associates are there, they don’t leave until the customer is satisfied.
He jokes, “12 p.m. is kind of like a speed limit. It’s more a suggested time.”
But the long hours don’t bother Truck Supply employees. The company’s locations are cheerful, sociable stores. Employees like being there and working with customers, says Taryn Giuffrida, branch manager in Sumter, S.C.
“We see these people more than our own family members sometimes,” she says. “Our customers are our family. We know them. We remember their children’s birthdays … This is more than just a job.”
Yet Truck Supply doesn’t run on vibes alone. The company leans heavily on HDA Truck Pride University for workforce training and also leverages great vendor relationships to hold regular fleet nights to educate customers and employees alike.
Hill notes the way knowledge is shared across the business is a definite sense of pride.
“One of the good things about our counter is if one person doesn’t know something, they can always ask the person beside them,” he says.
“Everybody is a team and you are never alone,” adds James Piselli, who works in the Sumter warehouse. “There is always somebody to help you.”
The TPS Distributor of the Year Award is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN), Cummins, High Bar Brands, Interstate Billing Service and Procede Software.
