Commercial Motor Vehicles Pty Ltd (CMV Group) has expanded its Victorian Hallam Truck Centre Kenworth and DAF (PACCAR) operations, acquiring Somerton and Ballarat as sales territories.
The group will acquire the existing TRP Ballarat and TRP Somerton parts outlets on January 1, 2025, and it will build a new Kenworth and DAF Truck dealership at Mickleham, in Melbourne’s North.
The new PACCAR dealership, Melbourne North Truck Centre, will open in 2028.
“Melbourne North Truck Centre will support the ever-growing customer base to the North of Melbourne, along with the inner West, including Ballarat, a pivotal region for Australia’s important national freight task,” CMV Group joint managing director Daniel Crawford says.
“Locating a full-service dealership adjacent to Australia’s greatest freight route, the Hume corridor, is also critically important to improve the level of service and support for PACCAR customers on the eastern seaboard,” he says.
CMV Group’s relationship with PACCAR began in 1968 when it obtained the franchise in Adelaide. Melbourne North Truck Centre will join its PACCAR dealership network, which includes CMV Truck Centre in Adelaide, Hallam and Bayswater Truck Centres in Victoria, and the Barry Maney Group in Mount Gambier.
“PACCAR Australia is thrilled to support CMV Group’s expansion with the new Melbourne North Truck Centre, which will significantly enhance our customer service and support in this vital growth corridor north of Melbourne,” PACCAR Australia managing director Damian Smethurst says.
“This investment reflects our unwavering commitment to our customers, ensuring they have access to the highest level of service and expertise.”
“CMV Group’s longstanding partnership with PACCAR, marked by their strategic investments in key locations, reinforces our shared mission of supporting the success of our current and future customers,” he says.
Hallam Truck Centre general manager Matt Keene is excited to extend their Victorian operations.
“Our investment in Melbourne North Truck Centre (MNTC) represents the strength we see in the Kenworth, DAF Truck and Cummins brands and demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers across South Australia and Victoria,” Keene says.
“The new dealership at Mickleham will offer world-class facilities designed to attract and retain a great team and deliver the results our customers expect.
“When you overlay the new MNTC dealership with our current dealership operations, including Wimmera Truck Centre at Horsham, the level of service and support we can provide is significantly increased, particularly along the main freight corridors leading to Melbourne.”
Construction of MNTC is expected to commence in 2026 and be completed by early 2028. In the meantime, Melbourne North Truck Centre will operate from a temporary leased facility at 106 Hume Highway, Somerton, and will offer truck sales, servicing, parts, and PacLease rental commencing in Q1 2025.
“With our Kenworth and DAF customers at the forefront of our minds, we were keen to be operational as soon as possible, and we feel fortunate to have been able to secure a great temporary location for MNTC as a way to support our customers in the immediate future,” Keene says.
“Providing convenience and maximum uptime for our customers is always a priority, and in conjunction with this temporary full-service dealership, we’re pleased to be able to offer roadside repair, breakdown assistance, and 24/7 customer support in the newly appointed territory.”
Industry veteran Martin Hinkley has been appointed Branch Manager of Melbourne North Truck Centre, bringing 20 years of experience in the heavy-duty truck and parts industries to the group.
“I’m extremely excited to join MNTC and the wider CMV Group,” Hinkley says.
“Their value of safety first and prioritising exceptional customer service resonates with me, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of building a dealership and a team from scratch.”
The acquisition of TRP stores in Somerton and Ballarat significantly bolsters the CMV Group’s TRP network in Victoria, complementing existing Pakenham, Peninsula (Hastings) and Warrnambool stores.
“We are excited to have both TRP stores at Somerton and Ballarat join our existing TRP operations, and we look forward to smoothly transitioning those customers in early 2025 and ensuring we continue to offer the convenience and customer service they’ve come to expect,” Keene says.
“Our TRP stores in both South Australia and Victoria play an important role within our PACCAR operations as we look to support our growing customer base and ensure we can offer them the option of genuine parts alongside a range of reliable quality, warranty-backed parts for all makes of trucks and trailers,” he says.
The CMV Group will shortly commence a local recruitment drive, seeking to hire workshop technicians, service advisors and a sales team for Melbourne North Truck Centre, who will initially base themselves at Hume Highway before transitioning to the newly constructed dealership.
Melbourne North Truck Centre will be a subsidiary of the giant CMV Group, which began operations in 1934.
The fourth-generation family business operates light and heavy vehicle dealerships and agricultural interests, predominantly in Victoria and South Australia. It employs more than 2000 staff.
