HE’S BACK: Jim Hebe returns to trucking, buys Canuck International dealership

COQUITLAM, B.C. — Former Freightliner LLC boss James Hebe has landed back in the commercial trucking industry after a five-year hiatus.

In an exclusive interview with TodaysTrucking.com this morning, Hebe confirmed he and a handful of investors have acquired Co-Van International Trucks Inc., a full-line International Truck and Engine dealer in the Vancouver area.

After a five year break, Jim Hebe
is ready to take on B.C.

“I’ve always had a desire to stay in trucks and be involved with the commercial truck side of the industry,” Hebe says. “We concluded that being on the entrepreneurial side — being involved in the daily delivery side of the industry, is where we wanted to spend the rest of our careers.”

Hebe’s career now seems to have come full circle, as he got his start with International Harvester in 1972. But it was in the 1990s, as president of Freightliner, when the outspoken and charismatic Hebe made a name for himself. Under his watch, Freightliner rose from a relatively minor player to become the leader in class 8 North American market share. Major gains were made through the acquisitions of Ford Motor Co.’s heavy-truck division, renamed Sterling, and formerly Kelowna, B.C.-based Western Star Trucks.

Mired in the most dramatic heavy-truck sales slump in years, Hebe resigned in May 2001. Two years later, he and a group of investors bought firetruck maker Seagrave Fire Apparatus, from which Hebe later resigned as well.

While it may be surprising to some observers that Hebe chose to move across the 49th parallel, it’s no coincidence, he says, that he finds himself back in the Pacific Northwest. “We’re in love with the west coast,” he says. “There was a desire to get back in the business on the retail side. So, when Vancouver popped up, it looked like the right thing to do. And here we are.”

Although he has a history at International, the company was also his chief rival for most of his years at Freightliner. “Well, no one’s taken any shots at me yet,” Hebe jokes.

Hebe sees limitless growth for International in Canada’s western-most province, where the company has a strong presence in urban medium-duty applications as well as vocational and utility sectors. “International is a company with one of the best well-kept secrets I’ve ever seen,” Hebe says. “With what’s been done on the vocational side, and with the introduction of the new heavy-duty highway product (later this year), it’s all just growing tremendously with the product that’s available.”

Co-Van International Trucks Inc. has been in business since 1973 as an International new and pre-owned truck dealer servicing the Greater Vancouver market and Vancouver Island. It employs about 50 people at its Coquitlam, B.C. headquarters.

Co-Van acts as an Idealease dealer as well, with a full range of leasing and maintenance programs. It’s also an authorized Cummins, Caterpillar, and Allison transmission service and warranty dealer.

— Read more of Today’s Trucking’s interview with Hebe in the upcoming March issue.