Decker Truck Line in Fort Dodge, Iowa, is marking its 85th year as a family-owned and operated business. I’d like to say that Decker has been a Peterbilt customer throughout its storied past, but that would not be possible. You see, Peterbilt manufactured its first truck in 1939 — Decker pulled its first load in 1931.
However, as Decker observes its 85th year milestone, they’re about to cross the 50-year threshold as a Peterbilt customer. For that, and the valued partnership we have enjoyed, we are thankful to serve this industry giant for a half century. In fact, Chairman Don Decker still owns the first Model 352 he bought back in 1967 – about the same time Peterbilt, then well-known on the west coast, first began establishing a presence east of the Rockies.
“These Model 579s must earn their place in the fleet as much as that Model 352 did in 1967.”
Since then, Decker has gone on to purchase thousands of Peterbilt trucks, including a recent order for more than 500 Peterbilt Model 579s.
As Decker notes in a company profile you can read on page 10, those Model 579s must earn their place in the fleet as much as that first Model 352 did in 1967.
“We need to keep a firm grasp on what it costs to buy it, run it, maintain it and fuel it,” he says. “We need to understand what the residual value is, and how we maximize the value of our ownership.”
Fifty years is a long time, and 85 years is longer still. Through the years, Peterbilt’s commitment and focus on providing firms like Decker Truck Line — and yours — with unparalleled product dependability, durability, productivity, efficiency and support has grown stronger than ever.
