Our Humble Beginnings
Although Barnard’s Truck Sales & Service Ltd. has been a leader in the area for 20 years for heavy and medium truck and trailer repair it is not where the Barnard family’s entrepreneurial days started. Bill learned at a very young age the value of hard work from his parents George and Lillian Barnard who owned and operated Barnard Fuels Ltd., a fuel distributor for Shell. Bill worked for the company working long hours driving the trucks delivering fuel to customers. This is where the foundation for the trucking business was formed. Bill and Gayle eventually took over the reins of Barnard Fuels Ltd. and ran it successfully for many years until selling it in 1984 to pursue the next venture.
Bill and Gayle then seized an opportunity to start a service station business. The gas bar and repair garage was located on Hwy 26 Owen Sound, ON. The repair shop mainly worked on passenger cars and trucks but also led into the heavy vehicle repair business. The business operated in the same location until 1994.
Barnard's Truck Sales and Service Ltd. was formed in 1994 at the brand new location at 2135 18th Ave. East Owen Sound, ON. The new shop was more adequate for a repair facility to specialize in heavy & medium duty truck and trailer repairs. In the same year the affiliation as a service dealer with Mack trucks was signed, through the Slotegragh group of companies. The company has continued to grow and evolve over the years and now with much pride sons Jason & Ian have taken on much of the day-to-day operations. In recent years the company has become a direct Mack dealer and also in 2010 became an authorized Hino dealer which is adding to the company’s capabilities and future business opportunities. In 2013 Barnard's opened a second location on Highway 6 as part of an expansion plan. The new generation brings new energy and ideas and expect to continue to uphold the company’s great reputation for honest business.
As a company and as a family we have been extremely fortunate to have hard working employees which have been instrumental in the growth of the company. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our employees past and present for all of your hard work and commitment.