Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/485023
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | APRIL 2012 35 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2015 35 Tex-Mix Concrete got its start in 1996, and during the last two decades, the family-owned and -operated outfit has grown by supplying ready-mix concrete for residential, commercial, industrial and government projects in and around Austin, Texas. "Ready-mix concrete is a very local business," says Logan Owens, chief executive officer of Tex-Mix. "It's a perishable product where all of the materials that we use are sourced in very close proximity to the plant." The company's 88 mixer trucks are a common sight along I-35 and State Route 130, delivering Texas Depart- ment of Transportation- and city-approved mixes for construction projects from seven plants. The company has two new concrete plants under construction to keep up with demand. James LaRue, fleet maintenance manager, says the Freightliner 114SD spec'd with the Detroit DD13 engine re- sults in a durable vocational truck that technicians appreci- ate for its ease of maintenance, while drivers like its visibility and comfort. The Detroit Virtual Technician onboard diag- nostic telematics system helps LaRue stay on top of things. In ready-mix, if a truck breaks down and the driver is unable to keep the load active, it will set. When that happens, not only is the cost of the concrete lost, but also another $3,500 or more to have the drum chipped out and three to seven days of downtime. "If it's a minor issue, the driver can keep running," LaRue says. "I don't have to take the truck out of service. If it's a major issue like when we had a coolant hose fail- ure, I get the e-mail right away." Freightliner Trucks, FreightlinerTrucks.com To simplify service needs for concrete pumper customers, Mack Trucks now offers specialized support. The com- pany's GuardDog Connect integrated telematics solution will be standard on Mack TerraPro concrete pumper mod- els ordered as of April. Also included is specialized body builder support, the company says. Designed to maximize uptime by streamlining service needs, the support program combines Mack OneCall – Mack's 24/7 customer support service agents – and techni- cal and dealership experts with specialized body builder knowledge. The result: a simplified network of focused customer support to help minimize downtime. "As soon as a critical fault code is detected, the body builder support team is on the case, making the com- munication proactive, seamless and comprehensive," says Stephen Roy, president of Mack North American sales and marketing. The program has been standard on Pinnacle, Granite and Titan models since 2013. Mack Trucks, MackTrucks.com Tex-Mix in expansion mode around Austin Uptime: Mack TerraPro, Granite pumpers get GuardDog support option View a Freightliner-produced video about Tex-Mix's ready-mix business in the October 2014 edition of the online Severe Duty Report newsletter at Freightliner- Trucks.com. To pull the video up on your mobile device, scan the QR.