Community & Business
29 September, 2022
Drive into new truck centre
GETTING tyres balanced, rotated, and changed has never been simpler, with Central Tyre Service and Goodyear recently establishing a one-of-a-kind drive through truck centre in Atherton.
The two-bay shed was designed for heavy vehicles to access the back end of the shop on Peakes Gully Road and easily exit onto the main highway at the front of the shop.
The truck stop is the only one of its kind on the Tablelands, allowing customers to drive through and receive the quality service they need quickly and efficiently.
“The whole idea is to make it more convenient for truck drivers and a lot safer for customers because it’s easier to drive in through the rear and go out through the front, so you don’t need to reverse into the main drag,” owner Leon Trentin said.
“It makes life a whole lot easier because the road at the front (Robert Street) is very congested and there is always a lot going on out there and next door.”
The shed is designed to accommodate some of the largest trucks, with the roof reaching a metre and a half higher than the legal height limit for a vehicle.
As well as a high quality new facility, new equipment has also been purchased in or-der to make the drive through process go as smoothly as possible.
A new solid forklift press has been added to the shed and is now the only place north of Townsville to solid fill tyres.
Filled with top-of-the-range equipment and products, manager Trent Freeman believes accessibility to any vehicle is top priority.
“We have a great new range of equipment and a great new asset to help us do trucks right up to earth movers,” he said.
“The amount of trucks coming in every day changes. It could be anywhere from none to 20 and I expect there will be a lot more when people find out it is a drive through.”
The drive through centre is open 8am until 5pm from Monday to Friday and 8am un-til 11am on Saturday with the entrance on Peakes Gully Road.
STATE OF THE ART FACILITY
A ONE of a kind drive through truck stop will allow truck and caravan drivers to access service to their tyres with ease and Central Tyre Service owner Leon Trentin and is keen to see it take off.
When learning the block of land next door was available, Mr Trentin knew he had to purchase it to create an easy-to-access stop for heavy vehicles of all shapes and sizes.
“It was a long time coming and it is good to have it happening,” he said.
“It’s good to be able to work on the trucks in the shed in-stead of out on the road – it is not fun fixing big Ergon trucks out in the street in the rain.
“It’s good and it’s been really exciting actually to have it all going and everyone is positive about it.”
From humble beginnings
IT was a lightbulb moment for Chano Trentin, Peter Makepeace and Reg McAuliffe one night in 1967 at the Atherton Hotel – a place where everyone and anyone could go to easily access tyre services.
With Mr Trentin being a Goodyear representative, Mr McAuliffe being a builder and Mr Makepeace determined to bring in business, they were an unstoppable team and joined forces to create what is now one of the most successful Goodyear Auto Care chains in Australia.
Only a year after pitching the idea, the first Central Tyre Service store was erected on Robert Street, Atherton, with outlets in
Malanda, Mareeba and Mossman quickly following.
Business continued to boom, with Mr Trentin bringing in his sister Mary and her husband Don Scheffler as business partners.
After Mr Trentin sadly passed away in May 2016, his son Leon Trentin enthusiastically took on the business alongside his aunt and uncle and has been working on ways to im-prove the business ever since.
Dedicated to providing quality expertise, loyalty and top of the range service, Central Tyre Service and Goodyear hopes to continue delivering their services to Atherton and the surrounds.
