Western Star enthusiast celebrates 50 successful trucking years

LOWER SACKVILLE, N.S. — It was 1956 and Owen Davis decided he wanted to live off the open road. So he took his $2,700 in savings and bought his first heavy truck — even talking down the dealer another 25 bucks because the tires weren’t exactly what he requested.

“My father always said, ‘if you look after the pennies, the dollars will look after themselves,'” says the owner of Owen Davis Trucking and Owen Davis & Sons Contracting, out of Lower Sackville, N.S.

Western Star Canadian VP-GM Brent Hart,
Owen Davis, Tan Davis, David Lockhart

These days, Davis is paying a little more for his wheels, but he’s still making a local Western Star dealer happy. Described as one of the truckmaker’s most loyal customers anywhere in North America, Davis has been buying the Western Star brand since 1979 — and adding to his small fleet at least once a year.

Davis’ is assisted by his daughter, Sue Anne, who works in the offices and his son, Tan, who drives trucks both for Davis and his own trucking business.

Of all the Western Star trucks he’s owned, Davis’ favorite is a 1991 four-axle heavy hauler. “That truck has been a workhorse for me,” he says. “We put 1.3 million miles on it before we even had to replace the clutch.”

Going forward, Davis’ isn’t shying away from more expensive, high-tech ’07 gear. His dealer Lockhart Truck Centre recently booked a trip for Davis and his family to the Western Star’s manufacturing plant in Portland, Ore., where he took delivery of his newest fleet addition — a 2007 model 4900 FA with Caterpillar C15 engine.

Davis’ says part of his success is that he’s never undervalued his service. “Although we haven’t always been the cheapest, I make sure that we’re the best by going the extra mile for our customers,” he says. “That means being available to my customers 24/7 and consistently beating deadlines.”