W.A. "Bill" Ward, president and owner of Ward International Trucks, Mobile, Ala., has been honored as the Heavy Duty Trucking/American Truck Dealers 2001 Truck Dealer of the Year.

The annual award recognizes truck dealers for excellence in business practices, industry contributions and community leadership, as judged by a team of officials from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
Ward's dealership represents International, Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso.
Ward, one of 10 nominees for this year’s honor, was selected from a narrowed field of four finalists. The others were: James E. Hartman, president and CEO of Truck Enterprises Inc. (GMC, Kenworth, Volvo), Harrisonburg, Va.; Glenn J. Larson, president, The Larson Group (Peterbilt), Springfield, Mo., and W. Marvin Rush, CEO and chairman of the board, Rush Truck Centers (GMC, Hino, Peterbilt, Volvo), New Braunfels, Texas.
Presentation of the awards was made by Doug Condra, Heavy Duty Trucking’s editorial director/publisher, during the opening session of this year’s ATD annual convention, held in Baltimore, April 21-23.
The other nominees for the HDT/ATD 2001 Truck Dealer of the Year were: Bill Bankston, president and general manager, East Texas Mack Truck Sales (Mack), Longview, Texas; Henry B. Bergey, dealer, Bergey’s Volvo & GMC Trucks (GMC, Volvo), Franconia, Pa.; Harry J. Hunter, president, Hunter’s Truck Sales & Service (Ford, International, Ottowa, Peterbilt), Butler, Pa; Larry E. Lewis, dealer and owner, Nebraska Truck & Equipment (Mack, Western Star), Lincoln, Neb.; Robert W. Mertz Jr., president and general manager, Sunbury Motor (Ford, Sterling), Sunbury, Pa., and Ernest Speno, president, Mission Valley Ford (Ford, Sterling, UD), San Jose, Calif.
Ward happened into the truck business after mustering out of the Army. Needing a job, he went to work for the truck division of International Harvester in Memphis, Tenn., as a sales trainee. He held a variety of sales and management positions with the division before purchasing an International dealership in Mobile in May 1985.
Today, with its two locations, two associate dealerships (parts and service outlets) and some 85 employees, Ward International Trucks has a 21% market share for heavies and 47% for mediums.
Ward has focused on continuous improvement in all areas of his dealership, particularly customer service and satisfaction through the application of new technology.
For eight of the past 11 years, the dealership has earned International’s Circle of Excellence Award for overall dealership sales and operating excellence. It has received Isuzu’s Quota Buster sales award and three Outstanding Financial Achievement Awards from International Finance.
Ward has been a longtime member of the Alabama Trucking Assn., ATD 20 Groups, International Truck’s dealers council and advisory boards, Roadbuilders of Mobile County, Ala., Roadbuilders of Baldwin County, Ala., and Traffic Club of Mobile.