The CMV Minute Book from 1968/69 has an entry date 17^th September 1968, regarding an agreement to purchase Peters’ Diesel Pty Ltd. With the purchase of this business on Grand Junction Road at Gepps Cross came the Kenworth franchise. This is a very significant milestone for our company and our very strong relationship with Paccar. Obviously, this now includes the DAF brand in the stable and coincidentally, 2018 celebrates 90 years of the DAF truck!

The first Kenworth’s sold by CMV were fully imported from Seattle USA. Notably one of the most interesting and important sales, which was completed in the first six months following acquiring Peters Diesel, was the sale of a Kenworth to Quarry Industries, valued at $54,000. This was the largest and most expensive truck the company had ever handled and the largest Kenworth to come to Australia up to that point in time. The truck (pictured below) has been meticulously restored by its current owner, Murray Langford of Mt Gambier.

Australian manufactured Kenworth’s first rolled off the production line in 1971, giving our customers the even greater ability to customise for longevity and comfort in some of the harshest road transport operating conditions in the world.

With the acquisition of Peters Diesel came a busy freight depot attached at the rear which CMV operated for several years. Peter’s Transport Terminal catered mainly for rural and regional carriers with whom CMV Truck Sales still has a strong affinity. The premise also had a dyno and weigh bridge, which were very progressive features at that time. Through the operation of the freight terminal Jim Crawford saw the requirement of a transport directory to make it easier on carriers and their customers to consign specific freight to the correct destination. Jim was the original author of “Who Goes Where” a publication that is still in current print and which we regularly use in our business!

In the early 70’s we moved the Kenworth franchise to our main heavy truck facility on South Road, Richmond before construction of a fully purpose built facility was completed in Regency Park in 1975. Regency Park was then a new industrial estate and CMV was one of the first to develop in the area on the 4.5 acre site. 535 South Road boasted significant workshop facilities, paint and panel, wash bays, parts warehousing and showroom, vehicle sales and administration offices and extensive truck and trailer parking. All of which was state of the art to cater for the needs of our valued staff and customers. Don Dunstan, the then Premier of SA, officially opened the site on the 21^st November 1975.

We intend to mark and celebrate this event in several ways, watch this space! Mark in the diary our CMV – Kenworth 50yr truck show scheduled for early 2019!