A dealership that’s been serving drivers and fleets for decades just earned one of the biggest honors in the truck industry.
The Larson Group (TLG), a longtime Peterbilt dealer network based in Missouri, took home the 2025 Successful Dealer Award during an industry banquet in Nashville. The award spotlights dealers that go above and beyond in service, workforce development, leadership, customer support, and community involvement.
COO Melissa Larson accepted the award and made it clear that the recognition belongs to the entire team.
“We’re honored and humbled to be here tonight and to be the recipient of this award,” she said. “There are so many amazing dealers in the room. We are honored to have spent the day with you … This award really should go to every single TLG employee who goes the extra mile every day for us.”
The program, run by Trucks, Parts, Service since 2013, has become one of the highest marks of excellence for commercial truck dealers. Sponsors include Automann, Interstate Billing Service, National Truck Protection, Premium 2000, and Procede Software.
This is not TLG’s first time near the top. The dealer was a finalist in 2018 and 2019, and even earned recognition back in 1997 under a previous version of the award. Larson says her family still remembers that nod.
“I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with [my grandfather], and on Saturday, I told him we had this award ceremony coming up, and he said, ‘I hope you guys win this time.’ This truly means a lot to us.”
TLG leaders say the success comes from the people on the ground serving customers every day. The company employs nearly 1,500 workers across its locations.
CFO Mike Headley spoke to that on stage.
“We all know this is a people business. We talked about it a lot today. It’s near and dear to our hearts,” he said. “[This] is not about Melissa and me, it’s about the 1,500 other employees that we have and what they do every day. They come to work with a positive attitude, knowing that business is a challenge, knowing these times aren’t the best right now. But they still come in every day and do their best to keep America going.”
TLG has earned a reputation as one of the most customer-focused dealer groups in trucking. The company backs fleets with new equipment, parts, service, and support for both large and small accounts. From Class 8 tractor orders to simple parts runs, teams are trained to deliver solutions and keep trucks on the road.
“TLG is all about the customer, our customers’ success, and creating solutions that meet our customers’ needs for their pain points,” says Heather Caldwell, director of marketing. “Their success is our success. We’re here to support them and make their lives easier.”
Headley adds that their approach starts with problem-solving.
“A lot of times when a customer comes to us, our question isn’t, ‘What do you need?’ It’s ‘What are you trying to accomplish?’” he said. “We try to train all our people that whenever they are working with a customer and [the customer asks] a question, our answer should never be ‘no.’ Or ‘we don’t do that.’
“We want to understand what they’re looking for so we can find a way to support them.”
Over the years, TLG has also claimed Peterbilt’s North American Dealer of the Year title seven times and consistently ranks in the OEM’s performance awards. The group is active in state and national trucking groups, customer associations, and manufacturer committees.
Inside the company, training and growth are built into everyday operations. Apprenticeship tracks, onboarding programs, mentorship, and leadership development help TLG build future teams and maintain its culture across all 26 locations in eight states.
As Headley summed up in a recent interview, “We probably spend more time on TLG culture than almost anything else that we do. It’s part of our training, it’s part of our onboarding, and I think it’s part of that continual reinforcement of ‘This is the way TLG does business.’”
Winning the Successful Dealer Award shows that the approach is working.
“Any time you get recognition, it reinforces that you’re doing the right thing,” Headley said. “It means you’re doing something right and people are noticing.”
Image / Source: Truck Parts and Service
