Paccar has announced it has delivered the 4,000th DAF truck to an Australia customer, since it started selling the European brand down under in 1998.
DAF was purchased by PACCAR in 1996 and brought the Dutch truck maker under its overall control along with its British brand Foden and since then has risen to stronger sales in Europe and across the world, including 4000 sales here in Australia.
DAF’s Australian general manager Robert Griffin said the brand continues to gain market acceptance and it’s showing with increasing sales and a growing market share on the back of bringing new products to market meet and exceeding the needs of its customers.
“The DAF brand under the PACCAR Group has also built an exceptional support network of dedicated dealerships across the country,” Rob explained.
The milestone 4000th DAF was delivered to a long time DAF owner, Steve Brown of S&J Brown who bought the truck through Suttons Kenworth DAF at Arncliffe in NSW. It is in fact the second milestone truck for the owner-driver. In 2002 he purchased the first DAF CF85 delivered in Australia.
“It was a bit of a surprise, being the 4,000th truck, because I was also the first CF85 customer in 2002,” Steve Brown says.
“I tested out some of the competing vehicles, but in the end the CF85 got me over the line because being a previous DAF owner, I knew it was going to be very reliable and productive, and Suttons came up with a good deal.”
“Back then it was the first European truck I had ever driven. Being the first Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe CF85 customer, I got to choose the number plate: DAF430, which related to the 430 hp engine.”
Brown first came into contact with DAF after trading in his Ford Louisville 14 years ago, just a few years after starting work as a car-transporter.
The 4000th DAF is a 6×4 FTT specced with a ZF 12 speed AS-Tronic transmission mated to a 460hp 13-litre Paccar MX engine and featuring disc brakes at the front and Airglide suspension at the rear.
All up the S&J DAF usually hauls around 35 tonne which includes seven cars.
“The DAF has a really good tare weight so it lends itself well for our needs and it’s got that balance of performance and I’ve got to say, the quality of the ride you get out of the truck with the sound proofing — it’s comfortable, quiet and easy. It’s like driving a car,” said Steve.
Since first arriving in Australia in 1998, DAF’s local range has expanded to include the LF, CF75, CF85, and XF105 series trucks.
In Europe and the United Kingdom, DAF has been number one for more than 20 years; in Europe, DAF is the leading prime mover manufacturer; and in America, the PACCAR MX engine is being fitted into Kenworth and Peterbilt brands.
“We are now seeing a cross pollination of design and components that we’ve never seen before. The CF85 is our biggest seller and accounts for upwards of 30 percent in terms of DAF sales,” said Robert Griffin.
“We are extremely proud of the fact that we are setting some milestones and we would thoroughly enjoy making the next milestone more quickly. Our customers certainly appreciate the productivity and reliability benefits that DAF delivers for them, and our total quality commitment and outstanding support network means we are with them all the way. The industry is also seeking value for money, and I think DAF encapsulates all of that,” said Robert.
