32 Years in Business

Effingham Truck Sales started with the career of a self-made entrepreneur, our owner, Jim McDaniel. It began with his graduation from high school when he borrowed $1,100 to start a shoeshine parlor and tobacco shop.  After operating this prosperous business for awhile, he became a rig builder and mover in the oil fields of Illinois and Texas..

Jim McDaniel spent two years in the Army. Soon after his discharge, his father who operated a school bus contract business, passed away.  Jim helped his mother operate this firm, which included the sales of Carpenter school buses. During those years, Jim drove numerous charter trips around the country and became interested in truck stops and closely studied their operations. This led him to contact the then Pure Oil Co. about the possibility of erecting a truck stop on the new Interstate I-70 and I-57 under construction at Effingham.

McDaniel’s truck stop opened in the spring of 1965. As business grew beyond expectations, he enlarged his service shop and acquired an IH truck parts contract. In April, 1968, Tom Vickers, Bill Bader and Bob Scott of IH worked out a full-line truck dealership contract with McDaniel.

As the truck sales and service business expanded, Effingham Truck Sales purchased 6.2 acres of land adjacent to the truck stop and opened its new facility April 1 of 1968.

The building totaled 29,000 sq. ft. and contained a large showroom, self-service snack room and a recreation room, and 10,000 sq. ft. parts department with $600,000 inventory, and a 14,000 sq. ft. service shop with 15 bays. The shop was a model of modern equipment; it included two pit wheel alignment machines, dynamometer room, body and paint shop, steam cleaning facilities, and an overhead crane. A total of 35 servicemen worked three shifts, providing 24 hour service seven days a week. All were graduates of the IH Truck Training Center. The parts department maintained the same hours. The facility offered trailer welding and day/night wrecker service.

In 1990 Mr. McDaniel decided not to renew his lease with Knapp Oil Company of Xenia who owned the property and buildings for the truck stop so he could focus on one business; Effingham Truck Sales, Inc. In an article published by the Effingham Daily News announcing the change, Jim McDaniel was quoted as saying, “the business will be growing in the next two years.” He was right! From 1968 to today the business has grown with the addition of;

• Western Star dealer
• Body shop that repairs all makes of heavy trucks and has a school bus refurbishing program
• East, Timpte, Jet, XL Specialized, and Brenner dealer
• Trailer service center with Bee Line trailer alignment, Axle Surgeons, and overhead crane inspections
• Mt. Vernon truck and trailer sales and service with front end alignment and dynamometer
• 2.3 million dollar parts inventory in Effingham and 750 thousand in Mt. Vernon
• Outside parts sales and delivery
• 172 employees