The executive director of Australia's best-known vehicle and equipment hire company has credited Hino's range of light and medium-duty trucks as the backbone of his delivery and rental fleets.
Angus Kennard (grandson of Kennards Hire founder Walter Kennard) acknowledged that quality products and superior service were the driving forces behind his continuing affiliation with Hino.
"Those two elements make Hino an easy choice," he said.
"We're very happy with the Hino trucks, as well as the backup we receive around the country.
"The team at Adtrans Hino make sure we get what we need, when we need it - Jeff Morgan and his team work hard to ensure that the trucks consistently meet our specifications and our expectations," Mr Kennard said.
"The Hinos we run service both our rental and delivery fleets, so they have to be tough to pass muster in the hands of professionals and novices alike - and they've passed with flying colours."
Kennards Hire built its enviable reputation on good business practice, good customer service and the reliability of Toyota Group products, such as Hino's 300 and 500 Series trucks.
The nation-wide hire company boasts more than 1000 trucks across Australia, with Hino making up more than half of the fleet.
"The quality of the product has to be up to our standards, whether it's a simple hand saw or nail gun, or a complex piece of machinery like a tipper truck or mobile hydraulic platform," Mr Kennard said.
"It has to be durable and it has to be reliable - it all comes down to the quality.
"The sales and service support has to be bang-on as well, and the price has to be right, too; we always expect the very best value from what we buy.
"Hino has fulfilled our stringent requirements for years."
Hino's 300 Series trucks match true loading, handling and carrying capabilities with a car-like driving experience, which makes them an ideal solution for Kennards Hire's rental and delivery fleets.
"We've recently bought another 30 of the 300 Series 616 automatics to add to our delivery and rental fleets," said Mr Kennard.
"Our rental customers want a reliable, comfortable truck that gets the job done; we've never had negative feedback with the Hino trucks."
The 300 Series is also Australia's safest light-duty truck, boasting vehicle stability control - an Australian first in the light-duty truck segment - dual front SRS airbags, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with anti-lock braking and front under-run protection as standard.
Mr Kennard said the 300 Series' ease of use and safety features remove a lot of the trepidation novice drivers can feel when they first sit behind the wheel of a rented truck.
"It's legal to drive the 616 auto on a car licence, which opens up access to the general public, and the fact that the 300 Series is safe and easy to drive means it's not a daunting task for our rental customers," he said.
"Customers especially like the factory tipper - it has good power and a good auto gearbox - and our delivery guys are very happy with the product and have provided a lot of positive feedback to us about the 300 and 500 Series trucks."
Walter Kennard founded the first Kennards Hire outlet in Bathurst, NSW, in 1948. Since then, the family-owned company has grown to include more than 145 branches across Australia and New Zealand.