Pacific Truck has been forged on the efforts of each member of our team over the years, and it is a true privilege to take time to reflect and recognize those members who have been forging our collective success for decades. Friday, June 3^rd marked our inaugural official Service Awards Ceremony. We chose the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, perched along the edge of Edmonton’s scenic river valley. The building stands apart from all others that have been more recently erected. Akin to the award recipients of the evening, the years of service are reflected in the Fairmont’s stoic and powerful presence. It stands as a formidable model for younger and future structures built along the river valley to look towards.

Throughout the evening, breathtaking views (the most breathtaking within a 150 mile radius anyway) from the riverfront patio were enjoyed by all. A four-course dinner in the private Wedgwood Room followed, with an awards ceremony and closing out the night. Since events are wonderful, but can be fleeting, each employee received a plaque as a lasting commemoration.

So, what is a career then? Is it the money earned? Or the accomplishments achieved? Or is it the memories shared with colleagues as you fight together along the path to success? This writer is partial to the latter. We can often forget that above anything else, a career is a journey to success.

Each of our Pacific Truck employees in attendance for this ceremony have become leaders while building their career with us. They have each been a stoic and powerful presence for our future leaders to model themselves after. Pacific Truck is grateful to have every single one of them, and will continue to demonstrate that gratitude.

Over the last few weeks since we sent out our last update on the developing COVID-19 pandemic, we have been taking further steps in order to mitigate risk and maintain business continuity. We remain focused on the health and safety of our employees and our customers, as well as our ability to maintain high-quality service. Currently, we are not experiencing any significant disruptions as a result of COVID-19.  Our supplier partners have indicated their operations remain solid and intact.  We have implemented a number of steps to ensure the continued availability of our workforce, workplaces, equipment, and critical inter-dependencies.  Our entire team is ready and standing by to support you.  You rely on us every day and we’re going to continue to provide the important services you need.

Increased Sanitation Measures

• 8 new hand sanitizing stations have been created throughout the building
• Clear signage outlining social distancing steps and sanitation measures have been installed
• Entrances and exits have been limited
• Masks are being worn within any high traffic areas
• Our cleaning services have amplified and increased in frequency

Your Pacific Truck Team is Still Here Every Day and we are Ready to Support Your Needs

All Canadians depend on the trucking industry and we are all on the front lines to support Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Truck drivers deliver essential goods, including medical supplies, food, gas, and other key materials.  As much of the country shuts down for COVID-19, the trucking industry has stepped up to keep the supply chain moving. We will continue to fulfill your needs so that you are able to in turn fulfill the needs of your own customers.

We will continue to update you as the COVID-19 situation develops.
Stay safe and stay healthy,

Your Pacific Truck Team

We ask all Canadians to thank a trucker whenever they get a chance.

After our inaugural participation in 2018, our team was ready to show the other corporate competitors that we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with now and into the future. In 2018, everyone had a great time and fostered some great friendships between departments. However, our last place finishes left something to be desired (although, Pacific Truck was voted the team that best exemplified sportsmanship last year).

This year, we had a goal of continuing to display good sportsmanship, while at the same time, starting to sneak up the overall leaderboard. With 2 Gold Medals, a Bronze Medal   and several other Top 10 finishes, we at Pacific Truck, achieved our goal.

This year’s Corporate Challenge began with Bowling. Our roster could have easily fielded two teams, but since each company is only allowed to register one team per event, we had a lot of subs and a healthy cheering section.

As the evening progressed, there were tons of gutter balls, and even a few strikes. But most importantly, there were more than enough smiles and laughs to spare. Right before the end of the night, in the last frame of the second round, our bowling ringer, Steven Dean rolled a “turkey” (3 strikes in a row). Perhaps a good sign of things to come next year for our bowlers?

Rainouts prohibited us from several events along the way as Edmonton seems to continue to have one of the dreariest summers ever. So, the four members of our trivia roster were quite pleased that this event was held indoors at Beercade on Whyte Ave. One of the few events that allowed for the consumption of beer and chicken wings while participating, Trivia has been a favourite amongst the different companies across Edmonton. Plus, the Beercade manager sat with our team and took really good care of us all night. Unfortunately for Team Pacific Truck, our Canadian population growth rate by specific year wasn’t quite as well-honed as some of the other teams which resulted in us losing a ten-point bonus question and dropping to the middle of the pack in the final standings. Do you know what the population of Canada was in 1978?

When poker night rolled around, we really started to pick up steam. While other teams were throwing back drinks, and finding it tough to keep their poker-faces, our team of three racked up the third highest chip count of the 60 competing companies. The Bronze Medals were the first medals Pacific Truck won in our history of two corporate challenges, but they would not be our last…

If you ever needed a subtle reminder that your peak physical condition is probably in the rear-view mirror, head over to the City Fit Centre in Old Strathcona and try to complete one of its obstacle courses. This was the first year for Team Pacific Truck for this event so now we know what to expect next time (and that a pretty good amount of training is required in the weeks leading up to it). Our roster of three were said to have cheered the loudest for each other though which is really what it’s all about: excellent teamwork.

Billiards really proved to be our strongest suit this year with a completely dominating performance end to end. Our guys took home the Gold Medal for overall performance and the Gold Medal for best shot throughout the night. Captain, Dale Taylor, did not get to hold onto his medals for very long though as his two daughters each took one for themselves. At least we have photo evidence that Dale won big this year.

Never has the low-intensity game of cribbage been more hotly contested that on the night of June 7^th, 2019. Two hundred players crammed into a hall built for one hundred and played over a thousand games of cribbage in just under 90 minutes. Everything was meticulously timed in the fashion of an Olympic 100m dash. The photo-finish had our guys fall outside the top 10 teams while only being twenty-one total points down from 1^st place.

Volunteering is always an important part of the Edmonton Corporate Challenge because it requires so much effort on the part of so many people to make this complex series of events successful each summer. We would like to thank each of our volunteers this year: Kurtis Marceniuk, Jeff Borgford, Ian Reed, and Keston Gray.

Now that the 2019 edition of the Edmonton Corporate Challenge is behind us, we are already looking forward to improving on our great performance during next year’s event.

Transmissions are at the heart of any heavy duty commercial vehicle. A well-built transmission can be the difference between your heavy duty truck getting where it needs to go and being stuck on the side of the road accruing downtime. Any downtime means lost money, and that’s before you factor in the cost of new parts and service repairs.

Doesn’t it make sense to buy your transmissions for your heavy duty truck from the #1 Rebuilder in Canada? The transmission market is full of different builders and rebuilders and it can be hard to choose where to buy your rebuilt transmission. Pacific Truck has you covered. Whether you need a rebuilt transmission or a repaired transmission, Pacific Truck is where to buy your next transmission for your commercial vehicle. Pacific Truck is the company you can trust for all your heavy duty powertrain needs.

Let’s take a quick look at the difference between a standard rebuilt transmission and a Pacific Truck rebuilt transmission:

A Standard Rebuilt Transmission

A lot of rebuilt transmissions on the market are rebuilt with used components from an old junk vehicle. More often than not, the components and the core are not properly surface blasted and cleaned. These transmissions. For this reason, it`s hard to tell if the components have a high usage history or poor maintenance history which can lead to a much greater chance of failure. Many completed rebuilt transmissions can lack the proper testing and warranty coverage that would give a customer peace of mind. This introduces some red flags, and is why you should only choose to buy your rebuilt transmissions from a rebuilder you can trust.

A Pacific Truck Rebuilt Transmission

The true difference between one rebuilt transmission and another is who rebuilt it and what components were used. Pacific Truck rebuilds transmissions to meet or even exceed a brand-new OEM transmission. All core material is inspected, checked against OEM specifications for correct dimensional tolerances and precisely remanufactured to ensure proper operating pressures. Rebuilding involves reconditioning by cleaning, inspecting and replacing worn out parts. Testing of the transmission is performed to manufacturer measured specifications. At Pacific Truck, our Dyno machine is always running because we Dyno test every single transmission we build before it gets sold.

Pacific Truck offers two different rebuilt transmissions to meet and exceed your heavy duty needs. All our transmissions are built in our 80,000 square foot certified shop and warehouse, equipped with expert rebuild technicians. Due to our facilities and on-staff technicians, Pacific Truck can produce up to 600 rebuilt transmissions per month. We know that speed of delivery is important to our customers which means it’s important to us. That’s why Pacific Truck keeps a large inventory of rebuilt transmissions on our shelves for immediate availability. You can rest assured that when you need a transmission, Pacific Truck will get you one right away. Finally, you can buy from Pacific Truck with confidence because every rebuilt transmission that we sell first passes the toughest Dyno test in the local market.

The Pacific Branded Rebuilt Transmission

• Ideal for Gravel, Energy, Mining, Logging and Nationwide Hauling
• Made with 100% North American Content
• Dyno Tested
• Exceeds Manufacturer Rebuild Specifications
• Immediate Availability
• 30 Month Unlimited km Canadian Warranty

The Eaton Rebuilt Transmission

• Ideal for Any Job and Conditions
• 100% Genuine Eaton Content
• Renowned Eaton Quality
• Dyno Tested
• Made to Exact Manufacturer Rebuild Specs
• Immediate Availability
• Roadranger Support & Real-Time Coverage
• 2 Year Unlimited km North American Warranty (3-Year with PS-386 lubricant)

Pacific Truck: Even More Than You Thought

In addition to being the leaders in aftermarket powertrain; Pacific Truck also has a wide range of fleet products from industry-leading manufacturers such as Bendix, Firestone, Jost, Marathon, Stemco, SKF, KIC Accuride, Premier, ConMet, Uni-Bond, and many more.

Pacific Truck is your home for heavy duty brake drums and hub assemblies to starters and alternators, and everything in between. Our inventory in all encompassing and totally uncompromising so our customers know that whatever specific part they’re looking for, they’ll be able to find it at Pacific Truck.

We ensure that no matter what our customers need, we can supply it. Our shelves are always stocked with vendor products that meet or exceed OEM spec.

Call 1-800-263-7619 today to get the best solution for your heavy duty truck part needs.

2018 was the inaugural year for Pacific Truck’s participation in the City of Edmonton’s Corporate Challenge. With 57 employees at our home office, we had 18 enthusiastic participants across 7 events.  Next year, we want to double that and send a team of 36 participants from Pacific truck to Corporate Challenge 2019 so we can assemble rosters for 14 different events!

Volleyball

The first event on our schedule was volleyball where we drew some tough opponents, including a team that featured a former champion volleyballer who stood 6ft8”. There was no shortage of smiles and laughs throughout the entire Sunday afternoon. We might need just a little bit of practice before next year though.

Bowling

The second event Team Pacific Truck tried our hands at was bowling. At one point, we got three strikes in a row (a trend that works much better at the bowling alley than the slo-pitch diamond). Once again, there was no shortage of smiles and laughs as the frames were filled throughout the evening. No 7-10 splits, but luckily the bowling alley had some good food including a delicious banana split to enjoy between games.

Table Tennis

As you might expect, table tennis had a lot of back and forth. Not a ton of excitement, but still pretty enjoyable. Taking place at the Saville Sports Community Centre in the heart of Edmonton, all the gyms were packed full of basketball, volleyball, badminton and handball matches while dozens of table tennis courts were also taking place. Amongst the chaos, it was tough to catch your breath in what was certainly the quickest event of this first corporate challenge year.

Slo-Pitch

Donning our bright red Team Pacific Truck athletic t-shirts, our largest roster for any event made the trek out to the range roads just north of Stony Plain for a hot and windy day of slo-pitch. The early start time of the first game must have thrown us off since we fell behind 5-0 in the first two innings, before roaring back over the last four. Now that everyone was awake and ready to go for the second game, our bats came alive and our defense tightened up to get a comfortable win. Finally, the third game of the day was against the defending tournament champions from last year who already boasted a +30-run differential. We would have to beat them 31 – 0 in order to qualify for the finals. Sadly, we could not get our offense in gear and ending up falling to that powerhouse of a team. We all committed to coming back stronger in 2019 though.

Trivia

Four of the greatest minds at Pacific Truck got together at Schanks Sports Grill for trivia night (which was really a great way to turn a Monday into a fun day). We took a break from exerting our bodies and turned to utilizing our brains. According to the Corporate Challenge organizing committee, trivia night is always well attended and well received. Tonight, was certainly no different as over 80 teams packed the house. We ended up finishing in the top 10 but were really done in by the fourth round when we only got one of the ten questions correct. We’re all still pretty sure that in the British Monarchy, one can wear a tiara when engaged (you do not have to wait until married) because you are not married when you walk down the aisle. But we can leave it at that.

Eight Ball

Trick shots are always fun, but even more fun when they actually work. Turns out that meant about ten shots were fun…but only one was really fun. Nobody is going to be joining the pro billiards circuit, although I for one was impressed that the balls went into the called pockets more often than not.

Cribbage

Despite two of the four members of our roster not knowing how to play, we actually did pretty well in cribbage. Even one perfect hand was played for 29 points! Finishing middle of the pack and earning some spirit points, we wrapped up the last event on our schedule for this Corporate Challenge 2018. Several members of our team also volunteered during a very rainy party in the park event. Our job was to oversee the bouncy castles which were soaking wet, but still amazingly fun to hop around in. Plus, you just can’t beat the “free food for volunteers” policy. That ice cream was delicious!

This first year of participating in Corporate Challenge was a success. Next year, we want to double our roster of participants from 17 to 34, and our number of events from 7 to 14. So, if you want to take part in the games next year, or just want one of those stylish Team Pacific Truck shirts, let your manager know what events you’re interested in. As we learned from the other teams this year, it’s never too early to start prepping for next year’s Corporate Challenge.

We are all consumers in one way or another, and so we’re susceptible to falling for the hot deal on a low price. If our own minds are programmed to immediately go for the cheapest option, it makes sense that most businesses make the same choice. The problem with this mindset however is that it does not factor long term value and costs into the equation.

Often, the most cost-effective purchase decision is one that pays off big down the road rather than saving a little up front. Consider this scenario: you have the option of paying $300 for a particular part that will have to be replaced again in six months or paying $500 for a part that will last two years. Which one do you choose? The obvious answer is to purchase the $500 truck part (as shown below):

Buying more expensive $500 truck parts actually save the buyer $700 throughout the working lifetime. However, this simple example does not even factor in the cost of three additional heavy duty truck service appointments and the extra labour hours of a mechanic. So, let us add the cost of labour hours, assuming that each time the truck part needs to be replaced, it will take a mechanic two hours and $50/hr:

Now, the more expensive aftermarket truck parts will have a total cost of $600 over the course of two years. Had you skimped out initially and opted for the cheaper, less quality truck parts, you will end up paying $1000 more over the working life of the truck parts. The obvious choice is clearly to buy your aftermarket truck parts from a reputable supplier that ensures quality of parts and quality of service.

In some instances, the obvious choice is not always feasible though. Some industries that utilize heavy duty commercial truck equipment are often tied to pay schedules that only start after a 120-day waiting, or processing period. In the aforementioned example, the truck parts were well under $1000, but when a heavy duty truck repair is needed and the costs balloon to the tens of thousands of dollars, you might have to bite the bullet and go with the poorer quality option for a cheap price up front. This despite the fact that you will likely end up having to pay much more in the long run due to having to continually replace a poor quality truck part.

Heavy Duty Truck Service Means Downtime

Downtime for a heavy duty truck is the absolute worst thing that can happen to an owner or an operator. We have seen that it is often better to pay more for a part up front that lasts longer because the extra mechanic costs can cause a cheaper part to actually become more expensive. However, the biggest advantage to buying quality parts and having them installed properly is that it reduces commercial truck equipment downtime.

When you have 150 trucks in your fleet and one of your trucks is down, you lose a little off the bottom line. A larger emphasis is placed on shrinking bottom lines these days, but the negative repercussions become more significant, the smaller your fleet is. When you only have 3 trucks in your fleet and one of your trucks goes through downtime regularly, you might not be able to eat. Clearly the stakes are higher with small fleets; however, the irony is that the owners of small fleets are often the owners who opt for cheaper, lower quality heavy duty truck parts.

It all comes down to how long you want your truck on the road. Most warranties will last half the working life of a truck. Even with extended warranties, chances are you need your truck to last at least four or five more years operating at peak performance levels. Hence the need for OEM standard parts sourced from the aftermarket. Not all aftermarket heavy duty truck parts distributors are created equally. At Crane Carrier Canada, our Pacific Truck and Artic Truck Parts and Service brands deliver consistent quality heavy duty truck parts and service to Central and Western Canada. Canada Powertrain serves Eastern Canada with the same high level of quality and service standards. When you focus your buying power to a company like Crane Carrier Canada, you will be dealing with a company that understands how to lower the total cost of ownership of a vehicle to increase your bottom line.

Cost vs Quality Breakdown

Even the most budgetarily stringent finance manager knows that you should never simply choose the cheapest option without considering other factors first. This is because the cheapest option may prove to actually be more expensive in the long run. A famous business principle states that when making purchase decisions, you can only have two of the following three things:

• • Cheap
  • Fast
  • Quality

This means that if you automatically want something for as cheap as possible, you have to sacrifice something else. Say you opt to sacrifice quality; well the truck parts you buy are likely to break and need to be replaced. Suddenly, you have lost the feature of saving money. Or potentially, you could sacrifice the speed at which your heavy duty truck parts get to you and are installed. This scenario results in more down time where your truck is not operational and you are not making any money with it. Again, here we see that selecting the cheapest option, can still result in losing more money.

What you need to do is find an authorized rebuilder that can provide remanufactured truck parts and also carries fleet products for commercial truck equipment. Pacific Truck allows you to maximize the above business principle. This is because you are guaranteed the best quality delivered to you on the day you need it for a competitive price with no hidden costs.

How to Identify the Real Cost of Heavy Duty Truck Parts

Identifying the real cost of heavy duty truck parts is an area many mechanics, truckers, and even professional buyers often oversight. With aftermarket truck parts and heavy duty truck repair, factors such as shipping costs, core return costs, administrative costs, and labor costs are not always analyzed properly.

The cost per mile of a cheaper product vs a quality product is neglected at times because it is often offset as a future cost. This article analyzed and identified the real cost of heavy duty truck parts. Make the right choice to work together with the right heavy duty truck parts and service provider so you can be sure that your total cost of ownership stays low and your profit stays high.