What River City Truck Parts does

River City Truck Parts is a family-owned distributor of new, used, and remanufactured heavy-duty semi-truck parts and a supplier of diesel engine cores. Founded in 1987 and based near Louisville, Kentucky, the company buys, inspects, packages, and ships heavy-duty components across North America and to export markets worldwide. It is a distributor and core-recovery specialist rather than a manufacturer, and its inventory runs from the 1980s through current models across more than 30 acres of parts, engines, and cores.

The core supply business is the center of what the company does. It purchases diesel engine cores, brake shoe cores, caliper cores, transmissions, differentials, and other heavy-duty components from suppliers across the United States and Canada, then recovers, identifies, inspects, and packages them for remanufacturers and dealerships. A core charge system runs through the trade: buyers pay a deposit that is refunded when the worn unit, the core, is returned for rebuilding. River City partners with dealerships and remanufacturers to supply inspected cores in volume, and it also buys excess and surplus inventory from shops and fleets. On the parts side, it maintains a large inventory of heavy-duty diesel engines and components, carrying new, used, and remanufactured units from Cummins, Detroit, Caterpillar, Volvo, International, and Paccar, and it lists a rotating selection on an eBay store.

The customer base is the heavy-duty trucking aftermarket: owner-operators, repair shops, diesel engine rebuilders, truck dealerships, fleets, and other heavy-duty parts distributors. Part types moving through the yard include diesel engines, transmissions, differentials, turbochargers, cylinder heads, flywheel housings, oil pans, camshafts, and overhaul kits. Beyond North America, the company runs a dedicated export operation, shipping parts, engines, and cores to Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and it handles the packaging, documentation, and logistics that cross-border sales require.

Ownership and history

River City Truck Parts is family-owned and independent. Jimmy McWhorter opened the business in 1987, and the company marked its 35th anniversary in March 2022 and its 36th in 2023. Leadership has passed to a second generation: Jimmy's sons Derek McWhorter serves as President and Daniel McWhorter as Vice President, with Stacey McWhorter as Controller and Earl Frederick as Director of Sales. The company started as a smaller operation and has grown its footprint over the decades, expanding from a roughly 17-acre yard to more than 30 acres of inventory, warehousing, and processing today.

The location is a deliberate one. The company sits just south of Louisville, Kentucky, off Interstate 65 at Exit 121, in the middle of the Eastern United States freight corridor. That position supports fast, nationwide shipping and the export logistics the business depends on, and it puts River City within reach of a dense network of fleets, repair shops, and remanufacturers across the region.

Certifications and quality

River City does not publish a formal third-party quality certificate such as ISO 9001, which is common for a used-parts and core distributor rather than a manufacturer. What it documents instead is a standardized quality-control process built around the demands of the core trade. Every core it handles is received, identified, inspected, packaged, and shipped through a defined procedure the company says is designed to ensure 100% accuracy and manufacturer acceptability.

The inspection function is staffed by core inspectors who receive hands-on OE and remanufacturing training, and the company runs custom core-identification programs that match parts to a customer's specified core criteria, grading guidelines, and return standards. It advertises guaranteed acceptance of its cores by the original equipment maker or supplier, which is the practical quality bar in this segment: a core that a remanufacturer rejects has no value, so accurate identification and grading is the product. Buyers evaluating a core supplier should treat these as the company's own published claims and confirm current inspection and return terms directly.

Known customers

River City does not publish a named customer list, which is normal for a parts and core distributor whose buyers are shops, fleets, dealerships, and remanufacturers rather than a small set of program accounts. The company describes itself as a trusted supplier to some of the world's leading diesel truck parts manufacturers, remanufacturers, and commercial vehicle parts suppliers, and as a partner to dealerships and remanufacturers on volume core recovery, but it names none of them publicly.

The engine and component brands the company carries, Cummins, Detroit, Caterpillar, Volvo, International, and Paccar, are the makes it stocks and handles, not customers. As the company's own site notes, manufacturer names are used for reference only and do not imply that a listed part is that manufacturer's product. No specific customer relationship is documented in public sources, so none is asserted here.

Recent news

August 2026. River City published a buyer's guide comparing an OEM long block with a rebuilder long block, part of an ongoing technical blog aimed at fleets, owner-operators, and repair shops weighing engine-replacement options (company blog).

2023. The company marked its 36th anniversary, noting that founder Jimmy McWhorter opened the business in 1987 and that his sons Derek and Daniel now lead it (company announcement).

March 2022. River City celebrated 35 years of serving the heavy-duty parts industry, a milestone covered in the company's own announcements alongside its participation in industry events such as a REMAN DAY learning session and the Mid-America Trucking Show.

Frequently asked questions

What does River City Truck Parts do?

River City Truck Parts is a family-owned distributor of new, used, and remanufactured heavy-duty semi-truck parts and a supplier of diesel engine cores. It buys, inspects, packages, and ships engines, transmissions, differentials, turbochargers, and other components, and it recovers and supplies diesel cores to remanufacturers and dealerships across North America and worldwide.

Who owns River City Truck Parts?

River City Truck Parts is family-owned and independent. It was founded by Jimmy McWhorter in 1987 and is now run by a second generation, with his son Derek McWhorter as President and Daniel McWhorter as Vice President. The company is headquartered near Louisville, Kentucky.

Where is River City Truck Parts located?

River City Truck Parts is at 849 Barricks Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40229, just south of Louisville off Interstate 65 at Exit 121. The company operates more than 30 acres of inventory, warehousing, and processing at that location.

What engine brands does River City Truck Parts carry?

River City carries new, used, and remanufactured heavy-duty diesel engines and components from Cummins, Detroit, Caterpillar, Volvo, International, and Paccar. These are the brands it stocks and handles; they are not customer relationships, and manufacturer names are used for reference only.

Does River City Truck Parts buy diesel cores?

Yes. River City is an active buyer of diesel engine cores, brake shoe cores, caliper cores, and excess or surplus heavy-duty inventory. Sellers can review its published buying list, contact its purchasing team, and arrange pickup or shipping. The company also supplies inspected cores in volume to dealerships and remanufacturers.

Does River City Truck Parts ship internationally?

Yes. River City runs a dedicated export operation and ships parts, engines, and cores worldwide, with named markets including Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Its export team coordinates packaging, documentation, and transportation for cross-border orders.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.