Page 169 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

We enjoy what we do
In 2019, Olivera replaced his last two competitive models with Internation- als from Peterson. Teresa Dias was there to see it through.
“The last conventional trucks you leased me took a city block to turn around. I don’t think the guys are going to like them.”
“But that was way back in the eighties. We’ve made some big improvements since then, Eddie. What if I give you a truck for a few days for free? Have your guys drive it, do some deliveries, and see what they think. Then report back to me.”
Eddie called back at the end of the week.
“I can’t believe it. Every one of my drivers loves that truck. They said it was a lot more comfortable to get in and out of and ride in. It’s even comfortable for an old guy like me.”
That year Olivera bought two new International trucks. And two more the following year. Dias was able to find him a 2.99 percent finance program for that second round.
“Dammit,” said Eddie. “I have a third truck I was thinking of getting rid of. Now I’m going to have to do that one too.”
That third truck was a Kenworth and only two-and-a-half-years old—certainly not the time to sell.
“I had no idea he’d want to get out of that truck so early,” says Dias. “You’re upside down for the first several years. It isn’t until the depreciation really kicks in, in the fourth or fifth year, that you’d try to get out of a truck. So one day I was talking to Eddie about an issue he was having with his Kenworth. Fifteen minutes later, he calls back and says: ‘Nobody at Kenworth cares for me the way you do. They don’t deserve my business. I don’t care if I have to take a loss. I want to get out of this Kenworth and be an all International fleet. What can you do to help me?”
Dias contacted PTI’s used truck department and another out-of-state used sales vendor and ultimately got the best deal for him. “For me, the fun part is finding out exactly what a customer wants, their dream fleet mix, and then help them get there. I love being able to help my customers with whatever they need—not just what’s best for Peterson and Idealease. I’ve never worked for a company before where I could ask questions to see what the customer really needed. And then figure out different options to get them there. At Peterson, that’s exactly what I get to do. If they want to lease, great. If they want to buy a new truck or a used truck, we can do that too. Or I can lease them a used one out of our rental fleet for a couple of years until they decide what they really want. It’s all about finding them the best solution. To me, that’s exciting. That’s fun.”
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