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Changing and adapting to the needs of the market has enabled Terry Gibbs to build an empire in Truck Art.
The Wagga businessman opened his own spraypainting shop in 1976 called Terry Gibbs Spray Painting.
When he started they spray painted new and used cars.
Soon it changed to used trucks and cars were off the radar all together.
“The opportunity was there,” Truck Art owner Terry Gibbs said.
“It’s a big industry that I’m interested in.”
He opened the business after finishing his spray painting apprenticeship. Soon he had three employees with numbers continuing to grow until today.
In 1987 the business name was changed to Truck Art which triggered the start of a strong brand-based reputation.
This reputation lead to the business expanding from one branch in Wagga to four across the country and a trailer manufacturing operation also based in Wagga.
What started as just spray painting grew into building sleeper cabs, developing air conditioning for sleeper cabs (which operate while the truck isn’t running) and building trailers as well as customising trucks for owners.
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“We gradually moved from that (spray painting) to making sleeper cabins and specialising in air conditioning for the sleeper cabins,” Mr Gibbs said.
“Trucks have air conditioning but the sleep compartment doesn’t.
“We fit aftermarket air conditioning from evaporative to electric to diesel powered.”
While Truck Art wasn’t the first business to specialise in the air conditioning it’s now a huge part of the business.
“We now fit air conditioner for fatigue management as much as anything,” Mr Gibbs said.
“It’s important for drivers to get seven or eight hours sleep in air condition for fatigue management and it even helps with insurance premiums for owners.”
The popularity of the systems installed by Truck Art lead to their expansion to other branches across the country including Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
“We have been able to operate for so long and continue to expand due to the dedication and qualitty workmanship of our employees, espcially our long term employees, some of whom have worked with us for 35 years,” Mr Gibbs said.
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