Theory of operation

Our shop is small. Three mechanics. Rural. We serve owner-operators and farmers. We’ve got more work than we can handle. So we have been able to specialize on the trucks that we like working on the best. We turn away jobs and trucks that we don’t want to work on. So what do we work on?

Let me lay it out in list form:

  • Peterbilts and Kenworths primarily
  • 1995 to 2013ish (Beginning of electronic engines to the beginning of emissions)
  • 3406E’s and C-15’s are our favorites, Cummins is ok if you can’t afford a Cat 😉
  • We like long hoods.
  • Owner-operator and farm trucks – No fleet work.
  • Mainly trucks – Very little trailer work – we don’t want it.
  • Mainly local customers who we know and live around
  • We don’t do road calls unless we know we can fix it in a single trip with minimal tools – We aren’t set up for road work.

Our preferred truck is 99-2007 379 with a Cat in it. It’s my belief that they are the best all around truck.

  • Truck and engine are built to last millions of miles if cared for
  • High value despite age or mileage
  • Parts are always available
  • Do not rely on overly complex computer systems or wiring to run
  • No emissions systems to fail repeatedly
  • Easy to work on from front to back, inside and out
  • Built in a way that owners and drivers can do a lot of work themselves
  • Can be built for power and still hold up
  • Plenty of aftermarket add-ons are available
  • Great classic style

Theory of operation of our shop:

  • No debt – 85% of parts are paid for by check at the time of delivery
  • Striving for the best service possible – Our customers have to be profitable in order to pay us
  • Scheduling is done so that most jobs are started on the same day the truck is dropped off.
  • We stock a large amount of parts for a shop our size – We don’t have room for trucks to sit for parts delivery.
  • We diagnose problems before installing parts – We don’t take random guesses.
  • We don’t do tuning or deletes.

I’ve told several of my customers this over the years and it’s something I continue to desire:

“I don’t want to just work for customers. I want to work for friends.”