DTR Truck Repairs is an accident repair centre based in Pakenham, Victoria, which has been around for 15 years. Specialising in spray painting and restoration work, the business brings a range of vehicles, from semi-trailers to prime movers, back to life with a passion.
DTR Truck Repairs uses Dulux Automotive Coatings paint for 100-per-cent of its work. The company has so much confidence in DuluxGroup’s product that it even decided to paint its new facility with it.
“We’ve just opened a brand-new facility in Pakenham where we’ve moved all of our branches into one,” says DTR Truck Repairs Director, Jason Dean. “It makes it a lot easier for the business because we can watch all of the repairs under the one roof.
“We’ve been using Dulux paint for almost four years now. It’s a sensational product. We’ve even painted all of the offices out the front and inside with Dulux Weathershield. It’s a different product to what we use on our vehicles, but that’s how much we love Dulux.”
DTR Truck Repairs’ new location is a 1,100-square-metre facility with floor spacing which can accommodate 20 trucks at a time – sufficient for the demand the business faces. The company has also just fitted a brand-new paint booth within the facility and by September it will have a second one in operation. This is where DTR Truck Repairs will utilise its Dulux products to its full potential.
“We’re going to start another truck refinishing business in the same street where we’ll be focusing on brand-new vehicles as well,” Jason says. “We’ll be able to watch the whole operation in the one area.”
Jason, now 44 years old, was brought up in the industry. He used to work at another repair business with his father who was a branch manager there until he decided to venture out on his own. So, he started DTR Truck Repairs from the ground up and he now continues to oversee the entire operation and its use of Dulux paint.
“We’re an authorised Dulux applicator,” he says. “We paint all of our customers’ vehicles with Dulux, whether it be trailers, trucks, chassis, cabs, tippers or trays.
“One of our painters said we should try it around four years ago and we did. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I shut my mouth very quickly after I used it.”
Whether it be topcoats and primers from the renowned FleetShield range or Autospeed prepwash and thinners, Dulux Automotive Coatings is Jason’s only option – DTR Truck Repairs goes through hundreds of litres of these products a month.
“We use Dulux products every week on every job, so we use heaps of it,” he says. “We’re very happy with the product. It leaves a great gloss and it performs fantastically.
“We like the shine that it gives and how easy it is to work with. From the primer to the topcoat, it’s all very easy to put on. It doesn’t have a lot of peel in it when you finish, and if you get a bit of dirt in the paint, it polishes up beautifully.”
Jason says the durability of the FleetShield range in particular is unbelievable.
“We continue to use it because of the longevity,” he says. “It protects vehicles from stone chips and the paint from peeling. We’ve had no bad reports from our customers, but we have had trucks that have come back four or five years later for other repairs and the Dulux paint that we had used the first time was still fantastic.”
The quality of the end result is something that has been noticed by the customers of DTR Truck Repairs as well.
“We always get positive feedback from our customers on the products we use,” Jason says. “They love our paint work and the way that their vehicles come up.”
This excellent feedback and what Jason describes as “unmatched service” from DuluxGroup are two of the many factors which have made DTR Truck Repairs’ experience with Dulux Automotive Coatings products very rewarding.
“We swear by Dulux and we’re backed by them,” Jason says. “That’s the major thing with DuluxGroup – you’ve got their support. So, if there is ever a problem, they’re out here and they fix it. They’re fantastic. We love Dulux.”
