How Rokbak is growing in North America

Designed for general excavation duties for construction, sand and gravel operations, and quarries, Rokbak articulated haulers are used all over North America. Rokbak trucks can also be seen on mine sites, and some have been converted to work as water tankers for dust suppression.

North America is Rokbak's largest market, both geographically and financially, keeping Greg Gerbus, Rokbak's regional sales manager, on the road for half of every month. Wherever he goes, Gerbus is excited to see that there's still a huge amount of untapped potential for Rokbak's vehicles — and he wins over new converts on every trip. He says the key to Rokbak's success has been its steady development of strong dealer relationships based on mutual partnership.

"We want to work with dealers who share our goals — those who recognise Rokbak trucks as a complementary product to other lines," says Gerbus. "We're looking for dealers who want to build a constructive partnership. Rokbak is a face-to-face company, and a good dealer usually wants to work with an OEM where they know they have a safety net — which usually means a personal representative they can pick up the phone to."

Rokbak grows its dealer network and nurtures relationships with end users

Rokbak operates 25 dealerships across North America, but there are still substantial opportunities for new dealers. Gerbus's priorities include appointing partners in Washington State, Oregon, southern Nevada, and areas of Canada.

In addition to building strong relationships with dealers, Gerbus is also focused on growing Rokbak's connection with end users — the contractors and companies who use Rokbak's trucks day-to-day. By fostering the manufacturer/dealer/customer relationship, Rokbak ensures all parties' goals and expectations are in sync, leading to better end results and higher overall customer satisfaction.

"Being aligned means understanding each other's businesses," says Gerbus. "If we do our part as the manufacturer, then we can provide the support that's needed at the dealership, and that helps ensure smoother product and service delivery for the end user."

Gerbus began his career working part-time as a teenager at his family construction business in southern Ohio, gaining a passion for the heavy equipment industry. Today he is on the OEM side, working as part of the Volvo Group as Rokbak regional sales manager in North America.

"I'd say our North American Rokbak team is second to none in building and developing customer and dealer partnerships," he says. "Our approach has helped develop high comfort levels among users for Rokbak trucks. We're seeing them used in a wider variety of applications across North America and there's still so much potential out there."

Rokbak haulers designed to be efficient and nimble

Rokbak machines offer fuel-efficient drivetrains that deliver powerful performance and meet worldwide emission standards with low cost of operation and low environmental impact. In the western U.S. and across Canada, the RA40, with a haul capacity of 41.9 US tons (38 tonnes) and a heaped capacity of 30.3 cubic yards (23.0 cubic metres), is the preferred choice thanks to the expansive, open job sites that define that part of the region. This contrasts with the eastern side of the U.S., where the smaller RA30 is often preferred because of tighter navigation requirements on the more constrained job sites in that part of the region.

"I love when customers in North America get a full realisation of what a Rokbak articulated truck can offer, and then put that potential into their application," concludes Gerbus. "And you see there is respect for the product. Our customers like the value, performance, and reliability of Rokbak haulers, and we have one of the most fuel-efficient trucks on the market today."