Pictured: McCarthy Commercial Vehicles Alrode, was recently named the UD Trucks Dealer of the Year.  Here, dealer principal, Fernando de Sousa (middle) is presented with the award by Marle Visagie, senior manager retail development at UD Trucks, and managing director, Jacques Carelse.

Top achievers were awarded for their efforts during UD Trucks Southern Africa’s annual dealer conference.

Walking away with the top honours of Dealer of the Year was McCarthy Commercial Vehicles Alrode based in Alberton, Gauteng. The Best Medium Dealer award went to Produkta Trucks from Nelspruit and Best Export Dealer award to Duly Trucks of Zimbabwe.

Jacques Carelse, MD of UD Trucks Southern Africa, says “As a manufacturer, we at UD Trucks are extremely privileged that we don’t just have a dealer network through which we merely retail our trucks.  We have a network of extremely knowledgeable and experienced transport experts, who are also our business partners in every sense.”

“I know that UD Trucks has a dealer network that not only understands the business, but is committed to making this brand more and more successful, now and into the future.”

UD Trucks Southern Africa’s dealer network have to adhere to stringent quality standards, and are continuously measured across all disciplines, from parts to sales, service and admin, to bring customers only the best service and after sales support.

In a highly competitive market, the company believes the key differentiator is the level of service provided to customers, no matter the size of their fleet.

Adds Carelse, “We and our dealer network are committed to reducing downtime on customers’ vehicles through various strategies that include a high level of parts availability and offering support during breakdowns when our customers need it most.”

“We believe that these awards are also areflection of our dedication to bring our customers Ultimately Dependable products and services.  Customer relations are vital focus area in our organisation, and we place great value on building lasting relationships with all our fleet owners.”

Concludes Carelse, “In order to provide customers with a level of service that adheres to stringent world standards, staff in our dealer network are constantly trained and empowered to stay abreast of the latest developments within the industry.  The training enables staff to solve problems faster and assist customers in finding the right solution in the shortest space of time.”