Truck Licence SA building the next generation of truck drivers with Hino

We caught up with Peter Piscioneri – founder and owner of Truck Licence SA, a truck driving school in Winfield, South Australia. We talked to him about his expert insights into starting a small business, some of his best practice tips for running a successful operation and how he’s teaching Adelaide a thing or two about driving.

From man on the land to teacher on the road

Working as a farmer for most of his life, Peter had spent his fair share of time around trucks and heavy machinery. But how did he go from driving tractors to teaching would-be truckies to drive heavy vehicles?

“At the age of 39, working the land all my life, I had done a lot of tasks and learnt a lot of skills, but had no tickets to show for it. So, at that age, looking for something different to do, I obtained a ticket as a driving instructor and learnt the craft.”

Peter spent the next decade mastering his trade, contracting at other driving schools before going out on his own. He even spent four years as a “drive-in drive-out contractor in Mount Gambier, a city five hours from his home.

Toward the end of this period, he bought his first Hino 500 Series FC Tipper.

“On the weekends, I was using the new Hino to do training in Adelaide until I could slowly stop working out of Mount Gambier and start Truck Licence SA full-time. From there, I basically bought the second truck, third truck, fourth truck and here we are!”

It’s a good thing Peter started a business to train and upskill young truck drivers. There’s been a lack of trained drivers and a shortage for some time now. While there’s around 200,000 truck drivers working in Australia, the logistics sector needs around 15,000 more. Peter is modest when talking about Truck Licence SA’s contribution to fixing this national shortage, saying they’re only one of many schools playing their part to put more licenced truck drivers on the road.

How Hino became the teacher’s pet

During his years contracting, Peter had driven a range of different truck brands. He used this time to decipher what he liked and what he didn’t. “While I was contracting, more boxes got ticked in the Hino column than the other brands.” He also took note of what customers were saying about Hino trucks, “There's certainly been many a customer compliment that the Hino truck is beautiful to drive.”

He continues, “Mechanics over the years have always said that the best trucks are Hino trucks, saying to steer away from other truck brands. You go with what the people who work on them daily have to say.”

Moving forward, he’s got his eyes set on a Hino 700 Series, explaining why continuing to choose Hino is a no brainer. “Hino trucks are user friendly, more reliable, more comfortable, and more economical than other brands. They’ve got a simple layout, making them easy to use. And they’re also great on fuel efficiency."

How Hino became a trusted business partner

Peter purchased his first truck from CMI Hino Adelaide, a 500 Series FC Tipper, and over the years, has continued to return there each time he was ready to add to his fleet.

“My whole fleet is Hino – you can even count my company car, which is a Toyota!”

Being a small business owner, trusting those you do business with plays a key role in driving your business forward – and for Peter, he’s found that this has been the case with Hino.

“You can build rapport with them. You’re able to trust them to be transparent with you and handle any little faults with the vehicle or things untoward. For example, if a part is going to wear out, you would find out. It also gives you more confidence buying another vehicle from there because it's familiar.”

When we asked what exactly has made his sales experiences so great, he’s quick to answer. “One word, ‘Mario'," a sales consultant at CMI Hino Adelaide. His easy-going, can-do professional attitude has helped me make the correct decisions during the planning stages of purchasing each new vehicle and build. He answered any questions that I had for him, nothing seemed to be too hard for him.”

A lesson for small business owners

Now with a successful small business under his belt in the form of a thriving Truck Licence SA, Peter looks back on his experiences launching the business fondly and has a lot of quality advice to give to anyone thinking about doing the same.

“For me, how I always go about things, whether it's starting a business, or buying a new truck– it’s all about planning."

Peter also says surrounding yourself with the right team is very important. “It definitely comes across whether you're interested in what you do or you're just going through the motions. The latter is what I experienced at other schools. The enthusiasm was extremely low, and I believe any workplace essentially runs at the level of the least interested person.”

This philosophy extends to finding the right tools for the job and businesses to put your trust in. For Peter, when it came to his trucks, he was after a brand that was reliable and had a good reputation, and he found that in Hino. That’s why, when asked whether he would recommend Hino to other businesses, the answer is a big yes.

With the help of Hino, Peter and the team at Truck Licence SA are doing their part to chip away at the truck driver shortage in Australia. Keeping the Transport & Logistics sector moving means we keep Australian business moving.

If you’re in Adelaide and after a truck licence, go no further than Truck Licence SA. Peter, the team and their Hino fleet will certainly be able to help you out!

Website: www.trucklicencesa.com.au  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRUCKLICENCESA