For Vik Gupta, trucks have been a lifelong constant. As a child, he would roam around the Arrow Truck Sales yard as his father assisted customers and closed deals. He’d go from truck to truck and honk the horns, press the brakes, and jump on the mattresses—not realizing that almost 20 years later he’d be buying and selling that same equipment.

Vik’s father has always been his mentor. He has been a part of this industry for over 20 years and introduced Vik to many other industry veterans, who helped teach him the ropes. Having seen his father work every day for the past 20 years has motivated Vik to build certain habits that will stay with me for life. “The success of his career is what fuels mine to keep going,” Vik said.

It’s with this background that Vik got his first job in the industry – working a part-time sales job at Toronto Digital Imaging while he was in his second year of college. He was just 19 years old. Here, he helped design new looks for small to big fleets and sell them the vinyl graphics for their business. He helped companies build not just a name, but also a brand for themselves while earning his Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing and Finance.

With the early mentorship he received and a passion for entrepreneurship, Vik decided to take a leap and found his own truck sales business: Ace Truck Sales. Here, he is currently the Vice President of Sales. Ace Truck Sales is a small dealership based out of Toronto, Canada, and Vik said they are “motivated by the satisfaction of our clients.” They specialize in equipment wholesale and are one of the biggest equipment suppliers to the large dealer network in Canada.

His degree helped prepare him for the role, but what really made him grow as a businessman was being forced to make important business decisions on his own. He also found the UTA three years ago and said the connections he’s made here have been helpful in building a network.

Being thrown into this industry six years ago helped Vik learn from both his successes and failures. He’s learned that time is crucial when putting deals together. The sooner you get on one side of the fence, the sooner you’re able to explore the opportunities that await. It’s not always been easy, and Vik admits that he sometimes struggles with procrastination.

However, the positives outweigh the negatives, and Vik said he’s passionate about his job. His favorite part is making sales and connections. “I really enjoy sales. Interacting with our customers and seeing how I can best serve them brings me a feeling of satisfaction that I live for,” Vik said.

One of the biggest wins he’s had in this role is when he closed a deal for 100 trucks with one dealer at the age of 22. That accomplishment still motivates him and serves as a reminder to keep his head up and offer help to newcomers to the industry. With that in mind, he’d tell someone just getting started to never give up. He said it’s crucial for young used truck professionals to realize that “their potential is limitless and that with the right attitude and guidance, there is so much to learn and apply for a better tomorrow.”

Moving forward in the industry at large, Vik also anticipates some challenges in growing the next generation of the business. He predicts our biggest hurdle will be that we don’t have as much young blood as we do older experts. There is a lot to learn from the experienced veterans in this industry, but not a lot of the newer generation around to glean that knowledge from them. He hopes to see more young people joining the industry, and that when they do, they take time to listen to UTA veterans. They will teach lessons that can both be applied to your work life and your personal habits, he said.

Outside of trucking, you can find Vik enjoying some of his other passions, which include cars, cinema, and music. That is when he’s not on the road because he also enjoys regular traveling. His aim is to travel the world one country at a time.