• Kenworth Toronto marks a quarter century

    More than 50 years ago, Luigi Tarola emigrated from his native Italy and settled in Toronto. The mechanic started a small gas station that also made auto
    Oct. 1, 2005

    More than 50 years ago, Luigi Tarola emigrated from his native Italy and settled in Toronto. The mechanic started a small gas station that also made auto repairs, then bought a car dealership, and turned his attention to trucks in 1980 by becoming the Kenworth dealer in Toronto.

    This year, Kenworth Toronto is marking its 25th anniversary in serving truck customers.

    In the 25 years the Tarola family has owned the Kenworth Toronto dealership, the business has sprouted into a network of eight full-service locations employing 300 in Ontario. Kenworth Toronto has locations in Barrie, Bowmanville, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Sudbury, and Concord.

    “Our truck sales have increased significantly,” said Vince Tarola, Luigi's son and the current president of Kenworth Toronto. “We are selling many more vocational trucks; today it is half of our business, and we credit the Kenworth T800 for making that possible. Our medium-duty business with the Kenworth T300 also has surged from nothing five years ago to 9% market share today.

    “In the past 10 years, our parts business has grown more than sevenfold, and we've seen a similar increase in our service business,” said Vince Tarola.

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Latest from Refrigerated Transporter

    Penske
    penske_logistics___2025_state_of_logistics_report_
    The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ latest report indicates trucking businesses continue to face economic uncertainty.
    Orbcomm
    orbcommcrewviewbayviewinterface
    New onboard solution enables end-to-end visibility for smart refrigerated and dry van containers in real time while in transit.
    Optimal Dynamics
    Halvor Lines recently took a “data-driven leap forward” by partnering with Optimal Dynamics to automate and optimize freight decisions.
    A new partnership with Optimal Dynamics is helping the family-owned trucking company automate freight decisions across its complex enterprise network.