DAIMLER Trucks is expanding its network with a new dealership in Wollongong set to open in August to support sales and service of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner and Fuso brands.

STM Trucks and Machinery, which currently operates a Fuso dealership at Smeaton Grange and has been awarded the Fuso Metro Dealer of the Year award for the past two years running, will operate under the name Daimler Trucks South Coast.

It will open in August and sell and support the Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Freightliner brands initially, before adding the Fuso brand on January 1, 2025. It will initially be located in an existing facility in Unanderra.

Work will soon begin on the construction of a custom-designed facility that Daimler Trucks said will set a new standard for commercial vehicle dealerships in the region.

The new facility, which is planned to open in early 2026, will be in Kembla Grange and plans include an adjoining service station. 

The STM Trucks and Machinery team with general sales manager Bruno Gerace, dealer principal Michael Gerace and STM Truck and Machinery director of sales and marketing, Rocco Papallo.

Daimler Truck Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, said the company is excited about the upcoming Daimler Trucks South Coast dealership.

“We are thrilled to have such a dedicated outfit as STM supporting our customers in the booming South Coast region,” he said.

“The new facility is going to be remarkable and we’d like to thank Michael and Ralph Gerace, and Nick Papallo, for their investment that will be warmly welcomed by our customers in the region.”

Daimler Truck Australia Pacific aftersales and network operations vice president Antonio Briceño says the customer dedication of the STM Trucks and Machinery team is a huge asset. 

“The fact that STM Trucks and Machinery has won the Fuso Metro Dealer of the Year award for the past two years indicates what the customers of the South Coast can look forward to,” he said.

“Daimler Trucks South Coast will deliver the kind of customer support that the STM Trucks and Machinery team has been providing Fuso customers for 40-plus years and we couldn’t be happier.”

STM is a family-based company that has been operating in South West Sydney since the mid-1970s and has sold and serviced Fuso trucks since the early 1980s.

STM Trucks and Machinery dealer principal, Michael Gerace, said the team “can’t wait” to open its Wollongong facility and expand to include the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands.

“Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner are market leading brands, and we are very keen to sell and support them in addition to their great Fuso products,” Mr Gerace said.

“We know the benefits that the technology in these trucks can deliver for customers, so we are excited to introduce a new dealership that will include all three of these fantastic brands.”