Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
J eff Loudermilk can tell you anything you want to know about Hilco Transport, but he laughs when you ask about uptime. He stopped tracking it years ago, because he didn't have enough issues to re- port. His 381-truck fleet — 279 of which are Mack Pinnacles TM and Granites ® — keeps rolling, season after season, regardless of climate or application. Downtime is a distant memory. Hilco, which is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, specializes in the transport of waste, aggregate, liquid asphalt, propane and petroleum and dump trucks. Split- ting the company into five divisions creates economic di- versity, says Loudermilk, vice president of maintenance. By focusing on seasonal need, Hilco ensures year-round work for approximately 300 company drivers and owner-operators. The steady stream of proj- ects helped them weather the recession of 2008. As other companies folded, Hilco grew, doubling in size and market area. They now serve most states in the southeastern United States, from New York to Florida to the banks of the Mississippi River. Mack's performance across applications is a strong as- set, Loudermilk says. If his drivers are hauling petroleum, every six pounds they can save in weight equals one ad- ditional gallon they can carry. When they are transporting waste to landfills, it's all about having the power they need to get the job done. "Those are two completely different vehicles, but most of the consumable parts are interchangeable," Louder- milk says. "It's such a versatile vehicle — if I have a door handle, window part, or switch on the dash that I stock in my parts room, I don't have to keep separate stock for the dump trucks and the day cabs. The same switch, door handle, or oil filter — any consumable part — will fit all the trucks. Everything is kind of universal, so instead of having to have five different starters or five different fan belts in my parts room, I can stock one." Though the construction industry was slow to bounce back after the recession, the pace has quickened considerably. Road projects and demolitions are strong, and Hilco — which has 75 dump trucks — now hires an additional up to 50 dump trucks as needed to handle the increased workload. The dump trucks are spec'd with 11-liter Mack MP7 405 hp engines, with 1,560 lb.-ft of torque. The rest of the trucks are pow- ered by 13-liter Mack MP8 505 hp engines with 1,860 lb.-ft of torque. GuardDog Connect keeps things running smoothly, alerting drivers to potential problems and routing them to the nearest dealer. Loudermilk receives the alerts, too. Modern telemetry keeps his over-the-road drivers out of the office and out on the highway. He may not see a truck again until the 275,000-mile mark, but he doesn't need to — he's fully aware of everything that happens inside the cab, from mechanical issues to driver safety. The uptime features solve a major headache — han- dling maintenance issues on the road so that drivers spend less time waiting and more time driving. "Uptime Center is second to none for issues on the road," Loudermilk says. "With GuardDog Connect, it's invaluable." TransSource, Hilco's local dealer, has been instrumen- tal in the company's success, Loudermilk says. They are not just vendors; they are partners. Together, they have created a corporate culture that remains cutting-edge, PARTNER SOLUTIONS | MACK TRUCKS MACK ® TRUCKS POWER HILCO TRANSPORT WITH INCREASED PERFORMANCE AND UPTIME By Carmen K. Sisson " MACK'S UPTIME CENTER IS SECOND TO NONE FOR ISSUES ON THE ROAD. WITH GUARDDOG CONNECT, IT'S INVALUABLE. –Jeff Loudermilk, vice president of maintenance for Hilco Transport "