All at Penske Commercial Vehicles are saddened by news of the death of Bob Shand, co-founder of heavy-duty truck brand Western Star in Australia.

Bob, along with Kit Bleakly, played an instrumental role in establishing Western Star Trucks in Australia in 1983.

Together they introduced the North American brand to Australia from their facility in Wacol, Queensland, where the brand still operates some 30 years later.

The renowned features of today’s modern day Stars – including their strength, reliability and comfort – come as a result of Bob’s commitment to establish Western Star as the truck of choice in the Australian market.

Bob’s legacy will forever remain his unwavering commitment to the customer, as he strove always to deliver a tailored customer experience.

This commitment and spirit continues to be the driving force behind the Western Star Trucks brand, despite market and ownership changes (first with Transpacific and recently with Penske Automotive Group).

The entire Western Star Trucks business and team remains indebted to Bob and his work in establishing the brand in Australia.
We will miss him greatly and our deepest sympathies go out to the entire Shand family.