Chassis Cab DAF proves family values drive success and a positive working environment
As the DAF Truck franchise holder for East Anglia, Chassis Cab DAF provides a variety of services. These include new and used DAF truck sales, truck servicing and repair, supply of DAF and TRP truck and trailer parts, vehicle air conditioning maintenance, and more. We learn more from Robert Baxter, Managing Director, who shares an overview of the company.
“Chassis Cab DAF is a family business established in 1982 by David Ruffles as an accident repair center focused on straightening chassis and repairing cabs, as reflected in our name. At that time, we were not yet a DAF dealer, just an independent body shop. We later secured a service franchise for Leyland DAF, as it was known back then. Rewind to 32 years ago, when Leyland DAF reorganized, and we became a main dealer for DAF trucks. Although we remain a family-owned business, David sadly passed away a number of years ago, and the company is now owned and run by his daughters; I now manage the business on behalf of the family. We truly embody the spirit of a family business, with many employees having been here for over 30 years, including mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives working together.
“Over the past two decades, we have experienced significant growth, increasing our sales from 99 new trucks in 1999 to over 950 new trucks this year. Additionally, we have expanded beyond our original base in Bury St. Edmunds, where the company was founded, to open branches in Ipswich, Newmarket, and Cambridge. Our workforce has also increased from around 60 employees in the 1990s to 200 today. Although we no longer operate a body shop, we are still the main DAF dealer for Suffolk, North Essex, and Cambridgeshire. We provide all the services typical of a DAF main dealer, including parts for all makes, as well as truck servicing and sales. Recently, we won an important award from DAF for the second year in a row: the Customer Service Award. While there are many awards, winning the Customer Service Award means the most to us because it shows how much we look after our customers,” he explains.
Recently, the company has been busy opening a new facility in Newmarket while also refitting its Bury St. Edmunds site. “We previously operated a dealership in Isleham, a village just a few miles away from Newmarket, where we were known as Universal Garage. This is because we acquired Universal Garage 18 years ago, and since it was an established DAF service dealer, we decided to keep the name. The dealership was located in an older agricultural building, which was not very modern. However, we recently had the opportunity to relocate to a more modern facility right next to one of our biggest customers, Turners of Soham. Therefore, we relocated from Isleham to Newmarket and rebranded to Chassis Cab DAF to ensure that all four of our sites share the same name. The new location features a much larger workshop, allowing us to operate more efficiently and hold more parts in stock. Relocating has significantly improved our operations and enables us to provide better support to Turners of Soham, who are just across the road. 
“Additionally, our spiritual home and original branch in Bury St. Edmunds is currently going through a £1 million refit to bring it into the modern era. Indeed, having been in use since 1982, it was in need of some TLC and a facelift,” Robert jokes.
As it continues its expansion across the East Anglia region, Chassis Cab DAF remains committed to fostering a family-like company culture that prioritizes a really personal touch. “As many of our employees have been with us for a long time, everybody knows everybody around here! We take apprentices on from school when they are just 16 years old, and they tend to stay with us. You’ll find current employees who followed this path and are still with us 30 years later. To retain our workforce, we embrace a positive culture focused on friendliness and relationships. For example, when someone celebrates their 18th birthday while working for us, they receive a birthday card signed by me, my partner, and our daughter, along with a cheque for £118. If they are celebrating their 21st birthday, they will receive £121, and this continues for each birthday they celebrate with us. I always make it a point to personally hand out the cheque to the employee on their birthday and wish them a happy birthday. I even keep everyone’s birthdays noted in my diary, so I either message them or call them to extend my best wishes. It was easier when we had 60 staff, but it’s more challenging to keep up with now that we have 200, though we still manage.”
Robert concludes by describing how he really goes above and beyond for his team. “David started a tradition, as he had an old vintage Jaguar, he offered to drive staff members and their partners to their wedding if they wished, a tradition I have continued in the same Jaguar I inherited from David. I have now had the pleasure of doing this 27 times.
“Beyond these personal touches, we also provide long service awards to express our gratitude to our staff. We also have an apprentice retention program to reward loyalty and success. These initiatives are just some of the ways we strive to create a family atmosphere within our company.”