Dealer Spotlight – Vision Truck Group

Dealer Spotlight – Vision Truck Group

It all started 52 years ago with one man who had a great love for trucks. A love that evolved from driving tractors and operating machinery on his father’s farm near New Dundee. One of 12 children, John Slotegraaf Sr. was born in Holland and came to Canada with his parents. Growing up with a fascination for trucks, Slotegraaf Sr. came to believe that mechanics are the doctors of trucks, performing repairs as if they were surgeries. His vision was to open a shop that highlighted the importance of proper truck repair and the employees that do so. With a loan from a friend in 1966, Slotegraaf Sr. began his mission by opening the first, small repair garage at King and Eagle streets in Cambridge, ON. The first shop was so small that it could only accommodate cars and pickup trucks. Two years later, he moved to a larger three-bay facility, a site not far from today’s head office in Cambridge on Franklin Boulevard. He called the business Central Automotive Services and made his mark over the first 27 years repairing every kind of truck on the market.

Since then, the company has grown tremendously. Renamed Vision Truck Group (VTG) in the early 2000s, VTG specializes in not only truck repair, but as a truck dealership for both Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America with a Volvo sales office in Mississauga and four Mack Trucks sales offices across Ontario located in Cambridge, London, Stoney Creek, and the newest addition, Etobicoke. Adding to the growing success, there is also a Body Shop that specializes in repairs and service and a new 50,000 square-foot parts and distribution warehouse, both situated close to head office in Cambridge.

Known to many employees as a punctual and dedicated president, Slotegraaf Sr. had a mission to expand the company so that truck drivers and mechanics alike could have the best experiences in the trucking industry imaginable. It’s easy to see that vision has come to life and will only keep on reaching new heights as John Slotegraaf Jr. leads the company.

It was during his father’s six-year battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease that Slotegraaf Jr. assumed a more prominent leadership role and ultimately took over as president.

Today, the company thrives from the leadership of Slotegraaf Jr. and chief financial officer Steve Brenton, the son of former vice president Boyd Brenton as they continue lifting the company towards greater heights with the help of over 300 employees across seven locations. In 2016, Vision Truck Group was named Dealer of the Year by Mack Trucks. “Vision Truck Group exemplifies the kind of organization customers are drawn to, and for good reason,” said Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales for Mack Trucks North America. “The service, support, and dedication they provide keep their customers on the road and earning, and Mack Trucks is proud to be their partner.”

Our Vision

Our priority is always the customers. It may sound cliché and every organization may say it but Vision Truck Group truly goes above and beyond in highlighting the importance of the customer. This can be seen in every department’s hard work and dedication. For example, did you know that Vision Truck Group was the first in putting the Uptime Center Process into motion? The main purpose of the development of Uptime Centers was to reduce wait times because technicians began noticing that trucks with short repairs would often get stuck behind those with more timely repairs and that the concept of “first come, first serve” wasn’t working so well.

“This idea was pioneered by Vision Truck Group Mississauga in 2013, and then the process was refined, developed and implemented by Mack and Volvo North America,” said Travis Brown, Vision Truck Group Director of Service Operations. “We started a process and once Mack and Volvo heard about its success, they took the reins and now there are over 110 Uptime Centers across North America.”

Through these types of examples, it is evident that at the very core of Vision Truck Group is the goal to provide customers with the best options in the trucking industry. Even in sales, customers can take advantage of free demo programs which allow them to test drive trucks for extended periods of time in order to gauge whether or not a specific truck is right for them.

Beyond that, the VTG Parts Department offers a wide range of year-round promotions and discounts that help customers save money, time, and future expenses. We know that trucks, repair, and maintenance can cost a pretty penny so we do all that we can to partner with companies such as Ex-Guard to provide the best possible deals to benefit the customer.

Moving forward, Vision Truck Group has plans to expand further across Ontario while maintaining business practices that put the customer first.

Community Involvement

Vision Truck Group is a proud supporter of the community and the organizations that we are a part of. Our charitable involvement is a way for us to give back to the people and groups who have been loyal to us over our 52 year history. Twice annually, we review applications for charity sponsorships and donations; we have an external council that provides a thorough unbiased review so that each and every application is met with equal consideration.

Over the years, we have supported various organizations such as Canadian Cancer Society, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Milton District Hospital, EduDeo, Bible League Canada, as well as minor sports sponsorships.

Additionally, for the past eight years Vision Truck Group has also been participating in the SickKids Foundation Annual Heat Wave Volleyball Tournament to raise money for children living with cancer. This year, three teams are already signed up to play in the Cambridge tournament during the first weekend of June.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to making peoples’ lives better and easier. Whether that’s customers, community and charity members, or employees, our company is what it is because of the people that surround us and help us be better collectively.

Alena Kondratieva
Marketing Coordinator
Vision truck group

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THE 2018 NSRMCA SHOW

KEEPING HCR Contractors Safe

2018 NATIONAL STAR ROUTE ASSOCIATION EVENT

Western Region Manager Dennis Geipel and I recently attended the Western/Central National Star Route Mail Contractors Association (NSRMCA) as a vendor for their meeting held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, NV on Monday, January 15th through Wednesday, January 17th.

Dennis and I visited with many HCR contractors and mail haulers in Las Vegas that stopped by our vendor booth. Many of these same visitors gave us testimonials as to how the Ex-Guard grille and bumper protection system performed on their respective vehicles. The majority of the comments we received were very complimentary as to how Ex- Guard minimized downtime because of its well-proven ability to sustain multiple wildlife collisions little or minimal damage to trucks.

To give all of you some background, the NSRMCA represents over 17,000 United States Postal Service Highway Contract Route Carriers (HCR). The HCR routes consist of contract box delivery routes, which resemble a Postal rural route; and also larger contract routes that consist of the utilization of straight trucks all the way up to tractor/trailer long-haul routes. The Association has two basic objectives of providing legislative and regulatory protection for its membership and ultimately for the entire postal highway contracting industry.

Having worked with this industry for several years, it is clear to see how this industry is a ‘good fit’ for Ex-Guard, and how we could assist HCR straight truck and tractor/trailer mail haulers deliver their vital product with “certainty, celerity, and security, in accordance with the operating schedule”. Many of the HCR routes begin their day at dawn, and end at dusk, running a set schedule while others provide around the clock service going from point to point, city to city, and state to state.

With the HCR routes covering so many miles per day, it is no wonder many of the drivers for these HCR contractors encounter deer and other four-legged creatures. It is a high priority with the Postal Service that the HCR contractors reach their destinations on time, but the safety of the driver and equipment is of utmost importance. Protecting these Contractors is our business and we take it very seriously.

Ex-Guard is very supportive of the United States Postal Service and all the mail haulers across the U.S. I have had the honor and privilege of working with many of the Contractors that are members of the NSRMCA for over 3 decades prior to my career with Ex-Guard.

BOB SAXTON
Director of Marketing
EX-GUARD INDUSTRIES

ATA TMC – Truckers Against Trafficking

2017 TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition

We are very honored to have partnered with the Truckers Against Trafficking organization at the TMC Convention, providing the Ex-Guard for the truck that was displayed on the “Everyday Heroes” truck. What an honor it was to take part in creating this unique truck, showcasing the positive changes the truck will bring within the trucking industry to help with the prevention of human trafficking. The proceeds from this truck’s auction will go towards funding the program’s expansion.

THE 2017 NTEA WORK TRUCK SHOW

The Transit Guard took 2 days of beatings from attendees at the 2017 NTEA Work Truck Show.

The annual Work Truck Show was a lively event drawing 11,799 attendees and 505 exhibiting companies. The Ex-Guard team thoroughly enjoyed the amazing exhibits and the hundreds of new and innovative products that were promoted at the show. We are thankful to all who visited our booth and checked out our bestselling CV series grille guard!

Ex-Guard’s Ford Transit guard (CV-25TR1B) endured 2 days of beatings from attendees at the 2017 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. A special thanks to all who participated in the Hammer Test. The CV Series from Ex-Guard^® has a unique design that fits the vehicle well. Our CV series guards are manufactured using the same methods as our semi-truck guards. The 12 gauge high-tensile steel is coated with a thick PVC layer that offers unmatched durability, allowing it to really take a beating.

Collision Mitigation Systems