The post THE ALL NEW 49X appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Western Star® Trucks have been specializing in work trucks for over 50 years. The 6900XD models are built to handle the heaviest, most extreme and most unusual hauls around the world. This truck delivers durability, reliability and most importantly profitability.

This badass beauty is ready to go off-roading:

• • Hauls 400,000 + Pounds
  • Powered by Detroit Series 60
  • Allison 4700 Automatic Transmission
  • Tremec 4 speed Auxiliary Transmission
  • Planetary 110 Rear Axle
  • Quadruple Frame Rail

The more you haul, the more you need a truck like this.
Get in touch with Luke Thompson to learn if a 6900 is right for your biggest job.
C: 902.417.7751 | E: lthompson@novatrucks.ca

The post WESTERN STAR 6900XD appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Nova welcomes long-time employee, Jonathan Franks as newest addition to the Freightliner Sales team. Jonathan will be focused on selling Freightliner Business Class trucks and will be covering Westville, Truro and surrounding areas.

Jonathan started with Nova at 16 as Shop Hand at the Dartmouth location, quickly moving up to a Parts Specialist. After gaining valuable work experience and training, Jonathan decided this was an industry he wanted to build a career in so he went back to school for his Heavy-Duty Equipment/ Truck & Transport Repair certification.

He recently stepped down as Westville Shop Foreman to pursue his next goal in Sales, which seemed like natural fit since Jonathan has already explored every other department within the company. Although predominately a Western Star fan, he’s excited about all the new changes happening with Freightliner such as the new Cascadia, DD8 and DD5 launched into M2’s. Jonathan is looking to forward to finding opportunities to grow the market in his territory as well as building upon his current customer relationships from over the years. As a certified Red Seal Technician, Jonathan knows his trucks and will work with customers to spec the right truck to get the job done right.

When not at the dealership, Jonathan enjoys traveling, boating, bass fishing, and also enjoys working on old vehicles.

Get in touch
902.293.6359 | jfranks@novatrucks.ca

The post EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Drake Bruce, senior at Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC) in Truro had an interest in heavy-duty truck mechanics and decided to take advantage of his high school’s work placement program. In June 2017, Drake started his 4-week work placement at Nova’s Truro location where he was able to job shadow licensed Red Seal technicians to get a feel for the industry and work place culture.

After the first work placement ended, Drake joined the Test Drive program, which is a 6-week program offered by the Automotive Sector Council. This program offers participants the opportunity to test drive the trade by working with Red Seal Technicians to decide if this field is right for them or before committing to schooling. It also allows students the chance to learn in the environment while out of school, so they can gain insights on what the day-to-day would look like as a technician.

After completing both programs, Truro Service Manager, Rob Eichenberg was impressed by Drake’s abilities and work ethics. Rob decided to offer Drake a part-time job doing some maintenance work in the shop while finishing his last year of school.

After graduating high school, Drake will be joining the Apprenticeship program at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) for the fall 2018 to continue studies as a Heavy-Duty Mechanic.

Drake is one of 2 students to work with Nova through the Test Drive program. Last summer Ian MacFarlene participated in the program and has since been hire on as a Trailer Technician in Truro.

What would your advice be to others thinking about taking the trade or program?
“The Test Drive Program is a great program for students that are interested in a trade but want to explore the day-to-day aspects of it. The people at Nova were very accommodating and helpful during my placement. After I completed my job placement Nova offered me a job as they were impressed with my work ethics and my abilities. I accepted the job offer from Nova because I had such a great experience working with their teams and not to mention the level of support they offer to the apprenticeship programs.” –Drake Bruce

Get in touch with David Rossiter, Service Operations Manager to learn more about high school work placements and apprenticeship programs. C: 902.890.7414 | E: drossiter@novatrucks.ca

Learn more about the Test Drive program

The post TEST DRIVING THE TRADE appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Nova is proud to announce that our Westville location is now Elite Support certified.

The Elite Support goal is to deliver unmatched customer service and efficiency every time a truck comes in for maintenance or repair.

Elite Support Features

Express Assessment
Our commitment to provide the following all within 2 hours of arrival:
• Preliminary diagnosis
• Check parts availability
• Communicate a repair estimate
• Communicate repair time

Maximizing Uptime
The ultimate goal of the Elite Support is maximizing vehicle uptime. Nova’s goal is to have your repair completed within 72 hours of being started after your initial Express Assessment.

Best-Trained Techs
Our technicians receive continual training from the experts at Freightliner and Western Star. We focus on a solid understanding of all vehicle systems and have access to the latest tools to expedite repairs. Nova even has invested in an in-house Dealer Trainer, Randy McRoberts to focus on technician training.

Continuous Improvement
To maintain these high standards, Nova employs a Continuous Improvement Coordinator at each dealer location to focus on meeting the 135 specific criteria across 22 customer service areas. All Elite Support dealerships must be recertified annually to ensure you experience a consistent, higher standard with every visit across our locations.

Robust Parts Available
We understand your need for on-hand parts availability to get you back on the road quickly. Our data-driven stocking program, ensures that the parts you need are never far away.

Exceptional Amenities
We know that when we service your vehicle, we’re servicing your business. Our facilities are designed to minimize downtime and provide a comfortable environment for drivers as we work to get your truck back on the road. That’s why we’ve created Driver’s Lounges at all our locations.

Our Dartmouth location is also an Elite Support dealer and we are currently undergoing changes to our Truro location in order to become certified within the next year.

If you have any feedback on how we can improve your customer experience, we’d love to hear from you.

The post WESTVILLE GOES ELITE appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Thanks to R&C Weare Logging on the purchase of their new 2018 4900SF Western Star 50th Anniversary truck.

R&C Weare are a family-owned logging company equipped with 13 harvesting machines, 10 tractor trailers hauling wood, and roadbuilding gear. They run a harvesting and trucking operation, along with a large maintenance and repair shop and mobile maintenance equipment.

Roger Weare established the company in 1970 when he began working for Bowater operations in the central part of the southern end of Nova Scotia, with a cable skidder. Roger along with his wife, Joanne, built their business in their home base, in the Village of Caledonia, Nova Scotia. The scope of the operations covers about a 150 kilometre radius of Caledonia.

In 2014, after Roger passed away his son Chris Weare stepped up to the plate with the support of his family to run and grow the business. Chris oversees daily management of the harvesting and trucking operations as well as surpervising the maintenance and repair shop. His mother Joanne runs the office using her experience in the business since it opened and his sister Cindy Ross also helps out providing office support.

Chris grew up in the business and even began operating feller bunchers at the age of 11, so it was a natural transition to carry on his father and family’s legacy.

R&C Weare have always been serious Western Star fans & a loyal customer for over 20 years. And when I say serious I mean their family also owns the Hollow Log Café in Caledonia, which is the home of the Big Rig Burger and they even built a Western Star inspired playground next to the Café.

Read more on R&C Weare and their operations in the Logging & Sawmilling Journal

The post CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Meet Luke, one of our Western Star sales expert, who works out of our Dartmouth location. His background comes with over 17 years in the automotive industry dealing both domestically and internationally as well as 10 years’ experience in the heavy truck sales business.

He is a 5 time STAR Performer—Western Stars Sales Achievement Program that recognizes the top-selling sales professionals in the U.S. and Canada.

When not selling custom-built trucks, you can find him at the local hockey rink, motocross track or ball field with one of his boys, Chase and Cruz.

Get in touch to learn about Western Star highway and vocational options that can help drive your business forward.
O: 902.468.3904 | C: 902.471.7751 | E: lthompson@novatrucks.ca

The post EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

Cassius Clark (Farmington, ME) led the final six laps in a battle with Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS) to take his first win of the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour season in the Nova Truck Centres Make A Wish 150 at Scotia Speedworld. Clark started sixth in the 150-lap feature and took the lead from the first time on Lap 85 from Craig Slaunwhite (Terence Bay, NS) before he and Blenkhorn duked it out for the top spot in the waning laps. Blenkhorn and Slaunwhite joined Clark on the podium with Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) and Dylan Gosbee (Cornwall, PE) completing the top five in the 22-car field.

Atlantic Tiltload Qualifying started off the day’s racing action. Gosbee (Cornwall PE), Slaunwhite (Terence Bay, NS) and Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS) each took home heat race wins. Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) finished in eighth to take home the King Freight Future Winner and Exide Batteries Rookie of the Race Awards. Slaunwhite led 80 laps of the Nova Truck Centres Make a Wish 150 to pocket the Linde Most Laps Led Award.

Fans were treated to two of Scotia Speedworld’s CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series divisions prior to the Nova Truck Centres Make A Wish 150. Jorden Smith (Lakeside, NS) won the 25 lap Toursec Lightning feature, Deven Smith (Lakeside, NS) and Scott Thibodeau (Williamswood, NS) completed the podium. Matt Vaughan (Bedford, NS) took home the Pulse Heavy Duty Truck victory over Dan Smith (Lower Sackville, NS) and Megan Parrott (Beaver Bank, NS).

Fans also had the chance to check out some of Nova’s big rigs during the Truck Parade just before the main event.

Next up in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour line-up is the Cummins 150 at Speedway 600 in Fredericton, NB. See full 2017 race schedule. 

A big thank you to all the race fans who came out to cheer on drivers, customers who showcased their truck in our truck parade feature, Scotia Speedworld for hosting the race and of course Maritime Pro Stock Tour for making it all happen.

Check out photos and videos from the event on our Facebook page.

Race Results

Failed to Qualify: 0
Margin of Victory: 0.434 seconds
Number of Cautions: 7
Atlantic Tiltload Heat Winners: #91 Dylan Gosbee, #99 Craig Slaunwhite, #0 Shawn Turple
Exide Batteries Rookie Of The Race: #54 Jarrett Butcher
Linde Most Laps Led: #99 Craig Slaunwhite
King Freight Future Winner: #54 Jarrett Butcher

About Scotia Speedworld:
Scotia Speedworld (SSW) is a 3/10-mile asphalt oval racing facility. SSW is the only track in Nova Scotia to host a weekly racing series, which runs May through September and features six different classes of racecars. SSW also hosts special events, including Monster Jam and the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour. SSW is located at Exit 6 on Highway 102, across from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. For more information please click on www.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca or call our Event Hotline at (902) 873-2277 or our office at (902) 481-2514. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sswracing and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/sswracing

About the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour:
The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour

The post CLARK CAPTURES VICTORY AT NOVA TRUCK CENTRES 150 appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada and recognized as one of the healthiest touring series in North America drawing the largest audience of any summer sport in the Maritimes.

Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS) continues to sit atop the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour championship point standings. Turple, a two-time Series champion, has had an amazing start to his season winning the first two events and coming home in second last weekend at Riverside International. Although Turple has been on a hot streak he only has four points on Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS) who currently sits second in the standings. Reigning Series Champion Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) is third after three events. Prince Edward Island drivers Dylan Gosbee (Cornwall) and Greg Proude (Springvale) round out the top five respectively.

Joining our event for the second year is Make-A-Wish Atlantic Canada with 3 of their “Wish Kids.” All 3 kids are from Nova Scotia and have been granted their wishes: Cassidy, age 13 from Upper Sackville, Sadie, age 6 from Antigonish and Brooks, age 6 from Fisherman’s Harbour. The 3 kids are excited to wave the race flag, introduce the drivers and ride in the truck parade. The Make-A-Wish foundation will be at the track Saturday selling tickets for your chance to win two airline tickets anywhere WestJet flies.

Also on the track Saturday is our truck parade showcasing some of our best Freightliner and Western Star trucks including Big Red Western Star 6900 Heavy Hauler, Freightliner New Cascadia and Western Star 5700XE (or better known as Optimus Prime in the new Transformers movie, The Last Knight).

Nova Truck Centres are proud sponsors of the Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics, which is happening Saturday September 23, 2017. Some of the athletes will be joining the festivities under our Nova tent with some giveaways and prizes to be won!

Race Time Radio will be covering the entire event and broadcasting for FREE via www.racetimeradio.com by clicking the “Listen Live” link.

Tickets are available at the gate on race day, cash only.
Adult: $25.00 |8-15 years: $8.00 | Pits: $30.00

The post NOVA TAKES OVER SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.

ENTER TO WIN
Master Chef Kamado Grill
Take your BBQ game to the next level Visit all 3 booths (O-11, D-1, E-1), get 3 stamps and enter your ballot to win. Winner will be drawn at 3pm on Saturday June 10th and will contacted before end of show to collect prize.

MEET OUR EXPERTS
Put our teams to the test with your parts, service, truck & trailer questions
Meet our Trailer Sales Manager, Bill Tait at our outdoor booth O-11. He can show you our line-up of trailers on-site including a Deloupe log trailer, Di-mond dry van, Great Dane reefer, Custom end dump, Landoll 455 and Larochelle end dump. Let our Western Star & Freightliner teams get you up in our big rigs and explain all the new truck advancements in booth E-1. And don’t forget to visit booth D-1 and chat with our parts experts about our parts selection and brands.

TECH TALK CORNER
Learn Randy’s top 10 preventative maintenance tips to avoid downtime
Randy is a former Heavy Truck Mechanic and has transitioned as our in-house Dealer Trainer; so he knows his stuff! He’ll walk you through his top tips including hands-on equipment, videos and takeaways. Have a question about your big rig? Ask away!

NEW CASCADIA VS CLASSIC CASCADIA
You be the judge
Freightliner will be featuring the much talked about NEW Cascadia with advanced features such as Detroit Assurance Collison & Lane Departure Warning and Bendix side object detection. Explore the cab, check out the exterior features and get behind the wheel of both and let us know what you think.

5700XE GETS RE-DESIGNED
The Bandit
Western Star fans paid tribute to classic move Smokey and the bandit as part of the Design Our Star contest. The 2017 5700XE was built from the ground up by fans & customers; over 16,000 votes were cast to create the final truck. Now you can see the final product up close & personal.

GO BIG OR GO HOME
That’s why we’ve brought in Big Red
When Western Star talks about serious trucks, this is what they mean. Big Red is a 6900XD prime mover, known as one of the most advanced heavy haul units on the road today. This rig was so big it needed its own booth located at C-2.

The post YOUR BOOTH CHECKLIST appeared first on Nova Truck Centres.