Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328680
side-loader and box trucks. Many of the medium-duty trucks are powered by PACCAR's lightweight, innovative PX-6 engine. "We've found the PACCAR engine to be very durable and reliable," says Braun. In order to support the 18 satellite warehouses in the Columbia delivery network, the company relies on a heavy-duty fleet that in- cludes Peterbilt Model 386s, speced with a tag axle to carry up to 105,000-lb. loads for which the distributor is specially permitted. The truck ownership cycle runs long in the beverage industry — up to 10 years for Columbia, according to Braun. Even though Braun only recently started buying Peterbilts, they make up nearly half of the 500 trucks in the Columbia fleet, and send a message about the growing company — but not necessarily to its customers. Sending a message "What matters to our customers is that their delivery is there, when it should be, and Peterbilt trucks have proven that they're able to get that done for us," says Braun. "But where I really think we send a message with this Peter- bilt equipment is on the highway. Image is everything for us, and Peterbilts play a part in that. We go the extra step with these trucks, with chrome wheels and chrome bumpers, for example. The customers really don't see us very often, but the public does. These trucks are rolling billboards for us out there. "And it's important to drivers as well. They feel better about driving if they feel good about what they're driving. And the over- all working components in their environment — the door hinges, the brake levers — are built to withstand the abuse they're going to take. Some of the other trucks we've had were built like a car. They didn't stand up to that abuse." While performance reliability remains the primary reason so many Peterbilts populate the Columbia fleet, Braun also likes the way the company and its dealership network have proven so responsive to their needs. He served on a customers' forum at Peterbilt recently and says he felt his input was valuable. "They were busy writing when we were talking," Braun says of Peterbilt engineers. "We were fairly vocal about things, and they got back to us on all of the points we made. I really felt that they listened to us — and responded." FIRST CLASS 7